A Song of the North: Heroes of Wessway

These are dark times in Wessway.

The days of the Vikings are coming to a close. Once, a longship would set out for a voyage and return laden with booty, thralls, plunder and women - now, more often than not it does not return at all. The children of the green lands have rallied around their kings and their castles, and fight the Vikings every step of the way for their churches.

Once, a man seeking to prove his bravery would not need to look far for a quest or a foul monster to slay - dragons, ogres, and foul beasts prowled the land, crying out for a brave man to prove his mettle against them. Toki Drake-slayer, Bjorn Stronginthearm, Ingvar Ogretooth - all these great heroes of the Sagas were once but callow youths who rose to prominence after saving their villages from such creatures.

But now, such monsters are scarce to be found. It has been 100 years since the last time a dragon was seen in the world, and some say that these beasts are lost forever. Others claim they remain skulking in the Great Spine, awaiting some brave hero to discover them.

Once, the True Gods of the North reigned supreme across all of Skandze, driving the Vikings onwards to glory. Disputes were settled by holmgang, the duel, or by agreement at a Folkmeet. The groves of Wotan were full of worshippers on the Holy Days, and Wotan, Donar, Freija, Loki, and the others smiled down upon Wessway. Now, the faith of the south is creeping into the land. Already Olav Firehands, King of Jutemark, has converted and pledged his realm to the Lord of the Flames. The Fireworshippers are already creeping into Wessway, teaching the rigidity of the Law and the 616 Commandments of the Lord of the Flames. Even more so, some believe the High Flamespeaker of Rum, the leader of the Fireworshipper religion, is preparing a great crusade against the unbelievers of Skandze. Soon, thousands of armoured knights of the Southlands may storm into Wessway. The way of life of the Wessmen is under threat.

And now, Ingvar Teethgnasher, High King of Wessway, is dead.

A great king, who reunited Wessway at its darkest hour and drove out the Geatlander invasion. A mighty warrior, the paragon of male righteousness and strength and wisdom. But now he feasts with his ancestors in Walhalla. A new High King must be decided at the Kingsmeet in Helmsreach, but the field is poor. Invar's first son, Vigge Spear-Breaker, Jarl of Bloodtooth, is a mighty warrior, but a fool and lacks wisdom. On the advice of his drinking partners, he marshalls his host and marches for Helmsreach. Ingvar's second son, Svein Forktongue, Jarl of Frosthold, is a wily and cunning man, but is unmanly and a craven, preffering words to deeds and guile to battle. Worse still, he is rumoured to be a Seithmann, a man who practices sorcery and magic - an accusation which would make him worse than a criminal in the eyes of the Wessmen. Nonetheless, he has raised his host from his hall in Frosthold near the Spine, and marches for Helmsreach.

The third candidate is perhaps the most hated of all: Toki Snorrison, Jarl of Stormpeak, and a follower of the Lord of the Flames. He would seek to plunge Wessway into strict following of the 616 Commandments, and an end to raiding of the Wessmen. However, perhaps this is preferrable to the foolishness of Vigge Spear-Breaker or the unmanfullness of Svein Forktongue. Even more so, perhaps it is preferrable to civil war.

In this time of chaos, only one thing is certain - Wessway will never be the same again.



Welcome now to A Song of the North, a tale of Heroes and Villains, of Might and Magic, and above all of Great Epics and Deeds. In this NES players will take control over an individual in the Kingdom of Wessway, a fictional kingdom in a fictional world which is roughly analogous to early-Medieval Scandinavia - the age of Vikings. Players will, through their actions, likely change the nature of Wessway forever - this is the last gasp of the Age of the Vikings, after all.

Players will create a character by filling out a form (see below). I expect that the character you create will be the character you stick with throughout the NES. I also ask that you have some kind of theme and story in mind for you character to do now - just creating a character to throw into the wind will lead to you really not having any idea where to go once you start writing stories. I will do my best to take as many players as I think I can take, but I may ask you to redo your application if I think its awful/doesn't fit the setting. Its a StoryNES, so IC conflict is decided by consensus between the players - there's absolutely no reason to be the best mechanically. In fact, the most interesting characters are sometimes the weakest.

The only real restrictions on stories are these:

1. Stories can't contradict what happened before them. If Ulfric McVikingname is Jarl of Skyrim, Ragnar Hairybritches can't be without toppling him. And thats a big step, worth writing a fair few stories about.

2. I ask that stories don't explicitly contradict canon and the background I've set up, for the sake of consistency. The background I've set up is in the second post, and I would recommend reading it.

3. If your stories use somebody else's character, you should probably cooperate with them, but thats just basic StoryNESing ettiquette.

4. If what you are doing will make a massive change to the setting (The death of a major NPC such as one of the two major claimants to the throne, etc.) you might want to cooperate with people to ensure it doesn't derail their plot too much. I can do whatever I want because I'm the mod.

I will be doing updates on a semi-regular basis, basically whenever I feel like either A) enough has happened to warrant one or B) its been too long since the last update. Updates will mainly serve to tell players where they are and everybody else is, possible NPC reactions to what they've done (though players are free to create these themselves, and any NPCs are fair game for any player to use) and what else is going on in the story outside of their actions.

The plot of your character is largely self-directed. If you look stuck, I can throw you a plot bunny or something, but its up to you to take it. If I throw an army of ogres into your village, its up to you to fight them or sneak out or do whatever, but whatever choice you make might have consequences. I'd ask you to remain consistent and above all write interesting stories. Consistency and meaningful results of choices are interesting, so do that!

That's all really. Other than that, have fun!

The Kingdom of Wessway was once a collection of petty jarldoms and fiefdoms, ruled by various brave and strong men. Due to overcrowding and the lack of good farmland, the warriors of Wessway frequently went aviking across much of the North and the rest of the continent. The warriors of Wessway become renowned as fierce fighters and savage raiders, striking without warning from their longships and seizing all that could be plundered. The Wessmen are rugged individualists who prize bravery and manliness among all else from their warriors.

However, during the year 918 AM (After Manu, according to the calendar of the Fireworshippers), a dispute between the Jarl of Helmsreach, Ulfrik the Brave, and the Jarl of Seamourne, Ejnar Hairybritches, broke out. Ulfrik had eyes upon Sigurd Anjasdottir, the only child of the Jarl of Frosthold. Ulfrik travelled to Frosthold to beg the hand of Sigurd from the Jarl, and was granted on account of his bravery. However, Ejnar Hairybritches also desired Sigurd, and in the dead of night with his men crept into Frosthold and kidnapped Sigurd. Incensed, the young Ulfrik gathered his men and went to war with the men of Seamourne, and smote Ejnar in battle, thus taking Frosthold for himself. However, by taking Seamourne and inheriting the seat of Frosthold, Ulfrik was now the most powerful Jarl in Wessway. The other Jarls grew threatened, and made war upon Ulfrik, but he drove them off with great bravery and might, and was thus dubbed Ulfrik the Brave. Ulfrik made all the Jarls of Wessway swear fealty to him, and thus was made High King of Wessway. Ulfrik reigned as King for 46 years.

Ulfrik and Sigurd had no children, and thus there was noone to succeed him. Ulfrik's closest advisors called for the Kingsmeet, where the chiefs and Jarls of Wessway would elect their leader. It came close, and blood was almost spilled, but in the end, Adi, cousin of Ulfrik, was crowned King. Adi was wise, and was thus dubbed 'Wiseaxe', and during his time Wessway had prosperity. Much gold came to the land through raiding and farming, though some Jarls grew incensed. After Adi's death, the Jarls of Frosthold and Bloodtooth rebelled against his son, Ingvar, after they failed to win votes at the Kingsmeet. Ingvar smote them (gaining the epithet Teeth-gnasher for his behaviour during the battle at Bloodtooth) and gave their lands to his infant sons - Bloodtooth to his eldest Vigge and Frosthold to his youngest, Svein, before turning around and driving out the Geats after they attempted an invasion. Vigge and Svein grew as different as night and day - whereas Vigge was brave and wrothfull, though foolish, Svein was cunning, calculating, and perhaps craven, which only grew in the cold halls of Frosthold.

Ingvar Teeth-Gnasher was a mighty king, but during his reign many disasters happened. The men of the nations preyed upon by the Wessmen and their Juti and Geatish countrymen organised against them, with more Knights appearing on the shores than before. Gold from plunder grew thin, and more and more longships failed to return. The faith of the Fireworshippers, the Word of Manu, began to percolate into the North. Ingvar did his best to stop the faith from pervading into his realm, but many still converted, and worse still during his reign Olav Firehands, King of Jutemark to the south, abandoned Wotan and converted to the Word of the Lord of the Flames.

For the most part, the Wessmen follow the faith of their forefathers, which those to the south call Asatru. The Wessmen revere a pantheon of deities who live above them in the Realm of Valhalla, where they gather the souls of the dead for an eternity of feasting, drinking, fighting and lovemaking, in preparation for the Great Battle at the End of the World against their sworn enemies, the Giants. The Asatru do their worship in sacred groves, where they practice their prayers and sacrifices to their deities. The priests, known as Gothi, lead others in prayer and in supplication to the their gods, as well as carrying out their sacrifices. Some particularly skilled Gothi have learned the ways of Sithr, or magic, and can cast powerful illusions, sway the minds of men, and divine the future. However, for the followers of Asatru, for a man to use Seithr it is considered a grave tabboo, for Sithr is considered unmanful and cowardly. Women who have knowledge of Sithr are well respected, but the men who practice it are considered womanly and bring great shame upon themselves. Some believe that Svein Forktongue is a practitioner of Seithr, due to his vast charisma and cunning, but those who whisper so are careful not to do it in his hearing save for his brother.*

*I'm leaving the Asatru faith partially undefined because I want people to be allowed to be creative with it. All I am saying is that the four deities I mentioned above (Wotan, Donar, Freija, Loki) are the same, because I am going to forget to write Not-Wotan instead of Wotan in the updates anyway.

Kingship of Wessway follows from the election at the Kingsmeet, where all the Jarls and important men of the Kingdom travel to the King's hall in Helmsreach. There, each man and his retainers vote for their King - he who gains a full half of the vote for himself becomes the King. At the Kingsmeet, each man has a right to speak and be heard, no matter how lowly. There have only been two Kingsmeets thus far, and one ended in civil war and violence. This one may end the same way. The Kingsmeets are merely larger scale versions of the traditional monthly meetings that happen among every village, the Folkmeets. At the Folkmeet people lay grievances against their peers for judgement. Any man or woman, no matter their station, may speak, be heard, and lay grievances. Grievances and disputes are settled either by holmgang, the duel, or put before the judgement of the Jarl and the jury (which is composed of the entire rest of the Folkmeet - usually whoever happens to be passing by that day). The Jury may overrule the local Jarl if he chooses to lay a judgement, but for the most part he remains silent and only passes judgement on minor matters too small to put before a Jury.

The Wessmen, like their Northern cousins, go into battle lightly armoured, wearing chainmail surcoats below boiled leather, leather or rarely metal greaves, and iron helms. They wield axes, swords, and great warhammers, as well as spears. Wessmen fight individuallistically, overwhelming their unprepared enemies with surprise attacks by screaming Viking warriors, before withdrawing to their longships and striking again later. Cavalry is almost unknown to the Wessmen.



A Map of Wessway

Pretty much soleley for reference:



Lying south of the narrow sea from Wessway, the Kingdom of Jutemark dates from the same time as their brothers. The Jutes conquered their surrounding neighbours on the peninsula, before their Jarl declared himself High King of Jutemark. The Jutes were known for their ferocious raids, but also had some trade with the peoples of the South. The King of the Jutes, Olav Firehands, has recently been converted to the faith of the Fireworshippers, declaring that he will uphold the 616 Commandments and smite the unbelievers. Some suspect that Olav is preparing to go on crusade against the Asatru in Wessway and Geatland, while others claim that Olav is merely gathering forces to put down the rest of the Asatru in his domain. Either way, the instability in Wessway can only be good for the smaller kingdom to the South.

A great many Juti have been converted to the faith of the Fireworshippers, as they are known in Wessway. The name 'Fireworshipper' is technically incorrect, as they do not actually worship fire, though they do consider it sacred. The followers of this religion, or Manuites, as they are named, follow the teachings of the Prophet Manu, He Who Walked Unburned, as the Voice of the Lord of the Flames. In a far off land known as Samarita, a man named Manu lived and saw great injustice. In his travels, he took note of this injustice and was reckoned as righteous by the One True God, the Lord of the Flames, who spoke to Manu. The Lord told Manu that the Earth was but a battlefield of the neverending struggle between the Lord of the Flames and his archenemy, the Prince of the Abyss. Those who died and were righteous were reconciled into the bosom of the Lord of the Flames, but those who were unrighteous went to the Abyss and became tortured half crazed warriors of the Prince. To save the people of the Earth from eternal torment, the Lord of the Flames gave Manu the 616 Commandments that must be followed to the letter, lest a man find himself unrighteous and consigned to eternal suffering. The king of Samarita found Manu's preachings to be a threat to his power, so he attempted to have Manu burned at the stake, but Manu was unburned and turned the flames against the king. Thus, the Manuites take the Holy Flame to be their symbol, and adorne their temples and their jewellry with the stylised image of a fire. Manuisim took flight, and now much of the Southlands are followers of the now dead Prophet.

The True Believers of Manuism are strict and try to be as obedient to the 616 Commandments as they can, lest they be cast into eternal suffering to fuel the Prince of the Abyss' war. The Manuites follow a strict hierearchy of priesthood, with the central authority behind the faith being the High Flamespeaker in the city of Rum. At the lowest level, are the Firewalkers, who are either tied to tend to a village or wander heathen lands attempting to convert them to the faith of Manu. One such Firewalker, Jorne Lebrane, converted King Olav Firehands himself, and now is the court Firewalker to the King. Another such Firewalker converted Toki Snorrison, who know makes his bid for the Kingship in Wessway. Some of the stronger and wiser Firewalkers are capable, through years of study and meditation, of bending the flames to their will using sorcery - such Firewalkers can send fireballs from their bodies, walk through fire and heat unharmed, and melt metal with merely their will.

The Manuites find Asatru almost abhorrent, and believe that their belief in the Final Battle that they go to when they die is analagous to the Prince of the Abyss gathering his servants. Thus, to the followers of the Lord of the Flames, the Asatru have been duped into willingly fighting for the Prince, and thus must be converted as soon as possible - whatever it takes. The Manuites have no business with Folkmeets and courts - all judgement is done by the Word of the 616 Commandments.




The Geats live on the other side of the Spine, where they have a large and powerful kingdom. Like the Wessmen, the Geats follow the Asatru faith, and take part in raids across the continent. Geats fight much the same way as the Wessmen and the Juti, favouring longships, fast raids, and lightly armoured infantry.

Despite the protection offered by the Spine, the Geats and the Wessmen have come to blows. In the latest time, High King Hrothgar Spear-Breaker crossed the Spine during the rebellion of Bloodtooth and Frosthold, seeking to conquer Wessway. He was slain by Ingvar Tooth-Gnasher, but his son was enraged and some claim he has pledged venegance. The Geats have some trade with the savage Fennlings to the east, and through them the Horselords of the Steppe, and thus have some more knowledge of cavalry than the Wessman.


Due West of Wessway, across the Norrsea, lies the Kingdom of Sax, populated by the Saxings. Once close cousins of the Wessmen, the Saxings conquered the tribes of the Island of Sax many hundred years ago, and became settled and more like the peoples of the Continent. Since then, the Saxings have been the chief recipinets of raids from the Northlands, making them militarised and defiant. Their conversion to the Word of the Lord of the Flames has only hastened this, with some warriors of Sax taking up holy vows to smite down the Heathen whereever they see them - the fabled Paladins of Manu.

The Saxings fight with medium mail armour and strong iron helms. In battle, they band together to form the Shieldwall, and allow their enemies to break themselves upon it. They usually wield long spears and round, wooden shields during this shieldwall. This makes them hard to move or break, but also makes their formations cumbersome and slow. Saxing warriors are a sight to behold, especially those that take the Holy Vows and becoming Paladins of Manu, but there are few of them, as Sax is not greatly peopled.


Slightly to the west of the Island of Sax lies the Island of Gael. Slightly smaller than Sax, it is inhabited by the Gaels, who were also the original inhabitants of Sax before the Saxings came. Now reduced to merely Gael, they fight to defend their ancient ways of life. The Gaels are not followers of Manu, instead worshipping their own gods who they believe live in trees. Their sacred trees are the home of their worship, with every Gael town having a small grove outside where they do worship.

The Gaels were also recipients of a great many Northern raids, as well as frequent wars with the Saxings. They fight lightly armoured, with many of them even fighting naked, clad only in blue warpaint, with spears, one handed swords, and light wooden shields. Many Gaels fight aboard chariots, each pulled by two horses. The charges of Gael chariots are a sight to behold, with them running down enemies left right and centre.


South of the Kingdom of Jutemark lies the Empire of Aquilea. Ruled by Emperor Carl Magnus, the Empire has been instrumental in spreading the Word of Manu across the continent. Closely aligned with the Flamespeaker in Rum, Emperor Carl is zealous and dedicated to converting the heathen. It is known that should the Crusade come to Wessway, the Knights of Aquilea shall be the largest component and the Emperor shall be at their head. The Empire of Aquilea stretches from Jutemark in the North to Rum in the South, from the Norrsea in the West to the Steppe in the East, and rules over the greatest Empire known to man.

The backbone of the Aquilean Army are the Knights of Aquilea. Heavily armoured in platemail and wielding great two-handed blades, they stand firm against any army that threatens them. Each Knight is said to be a Paragon of Virtue, the stern upholder of the 616 Commandments, and the most righteous defender of the Faith. They fight both on horseback and on foot, whichever needs be, and it is rumoured that the Emperor can boast tens of thousands of them. They are the sternest warriors of the Lord of the Flames, and they shall know no fear.

Reserved for Updates List

Dramatis Personae







Joining the NES

To join the NES, simply fill out the following form at any time!

Name: The Name of your character. Wessmen names take the form of [Firstname] [Father's name]sson or [Firstname] [Title] such as Olav Firehands, Toki Giantsbane, or Lauffey the Flatulent. Be creative. Names of other nations don't have a defined system, but be creative.

Nationality: Which country they are from. See above for examples. I'd expect most people to be Wessmen, given that this is a NES about playing Vikings, but I'll accept others.

Background: This is important. Who is your character? What is their history? Fundamentally, who are they? I would much rather you create characters with a plot and what you want them to do in the story in mind rather than just tacking together characters that you think are cool. You don't have to tell us (and perhaps shouldn't) but I really want you to keep it in mind whenever you are writing it. What is the story that you are telling us as part of the collaborative storymaking activity that this NES is? What themes are you trying to get across. The background of your character, and who they are, is crucial to that.

Location: Where they are at the time of creation. You will be starting somewhere in Wessway - this is non-negotiable. I might allow people straying outside the country as the NES goes on, but ideally there should be enough going on in Wessway so you don't need to.

Click to expand...

Other than that, get started! Let the games begin!

Optimistic Reserve Post

You may now post! I'm looking forward to this!

Interested.
Can i claim Ragnar Lothbroke ?

I'm tentatively interested in this. Seems like a good way to flex my writing muscle.

Oddr The Black Ingvarsson, Here I come. (Will edit a full bio soon)

Name: Kolbeinn Firedrinker

Nationality: Geatish

Background: After High King Hrothgar Spear-Breaker's (failed) invasion of Wessway, the Geatish army was dispersed. However, some of the men are still in Wessway, living off the land. One of these men is Kolbeinn Firedrinker. A soldier from an early age, Kolbeinn has been on several raids, including Hrothgar's raid/invasion of Wessway. There, Kolbeinn became (in)famous for his love of fire, wading through houses set ablaze to search for plunder, seemingly impervious to the flames, hence his epithet. Having heard of Hrothgar's son's plea for vengeance, he and his small band of soldiers must reconnect with the Geatish army led by Hrothgar's son.

Location: Somewhere in the Spines, near Frosthold.

Oddr The Burnt Man Ingvarsson

Nationality: Wessman

Background:

They say my father was so taken by my mother’s beauty when he saw her in the slave markets of the great city of Listrgrad that he had to have her immediately. He, the brave Ingvar, the greatest Captain the Wessan Guard to the emperor had ever known, brought low by a woman he had never met. I cannot believe that. All the stories say that my father was a great man, a Hero, and what kind of hero could he be to be laid low by a woman. I am sure he was intrigued by the idea of laying with a woman with such dark skin and curled black hair so different from the women of his native wessaway, and sought to fulfill that curiosity by buying her. I’ll never actually know, as I’ve never met the man. I suppose he must have cared for my mother at least a little, as as soon as she was pregnant with me, he gave her a small estate, seven heads of cattle, a number of thralls to serve her, and never came to see her again.

I grew up on that farm, happy as happy can be with the other boys, swimming in the fjords, running through the fields, play sword fighting. I learning about the gods from Goda Svanhildr and by dancing in the storms and listening to the wild things. I’d like to think I grew to have an understanding of the Gods to rival that the Fire-men of Aquilea have of their flames.

That childhood came crashing down when the Jutes raided our farm in my eighth year. What they did to my mother and svanhildr and the female thralls bears no repeating here, but they took me and the other boys as slaves back to Jutemark. The Jutes, fearsome as they once were, have been weakened by the faith of fire, which saps the flame of their life. And though they’ve never admitted it, they do recognize their growing weakness and train Wessan boys to guard their kings unable to protect themselves. I learned to fight, I learned to kill, and I learned to read all the laws of the land. But, most importantly, I learned the words and prayers and foul Sithr of their Fire God, and for a time accepted them into my life.

When I was fifteen my training was complete, and I was assigned to serve Prince Tolivar, youngest son of Olavr Firehands. For a year, I stood outside his room at night and by his side at dinner, ensuring that no harm came to him. A kind boy, sweet, gentle, and I rankled to be stuck at his side. But I was a good servant of the Lord of Flames, and the 616 commandments spoke of loyalty and honor to the liege. It was on my sixteenth birthday, on the day I became a man, that I returned to the true path. It was a storm like none had seen before. Wind whipped the sea into great frothy peaks, ships were sunk even in the great harbor, and the highest tower of the castle, where Tolivar slept, shook back and forth as if a great beast had it in it’s jaws. I was motionless. Too strong, too big, to let the storm topple me.

But, as I stood there, a large, motionless, black rock of a man, my mind drifted back to my childhood, to the wild storms of my youth, to the forests where the alfar danced and the seas where the Sjovaettir swam. And I heard an old man’s voice whispering on the wind: “Forsaker. Betrayer.”

A saw a figure at the end of the passageway, framed by the lightning in the window behind it. An old man, hunched, with a staff and a wide brimmed hat. Beneath it, I could see nothing but the glint of an eye. The stories of Goda Svanhildr rushed back into my head, and I feel to my knees.

“All Father. Forgive me.” Please.

“Rise, my son. Cast your soul free from the flames of the Jotun, and take your rightful place. No true son of the North kneels, and you are a true Northman.” I rose.

“My Lord, how do I serve you.”

“Rid the world of the enemy, prevent the Jotun’s army from gathering fuel for it’s fires. Fight.”

Another crack of lightning. I blinked, and the Allfather disappeared as if he had never been there, save for the distant sound of a raven’s cry on the wind. I picked myself off the floor, swung open the door to Tolivar’s room, and, without hesitation, cut the boy’s throat. I made my way through the castle, cutting down opposition, Firewalker and Jute alike, my skin turning away the flames of their fervor. I must have looked like one of the Efreet of their book of flames, black and tall, striding unhurt through the fire, protected by heathen gods.

The castle fell before me, and before long, I found a ship. Strong men, chained to the oars. Truly, the Jutes were weaklings, using Wessman slaves to row their ships into battle instead of manning the oars themselves.

I strode aboard the vessel and roared “Let all here who are true sons of the north strike off their chains!” With a loud clang, my sword smote through the links holding the end of the chains closest to me. "I am Oddr, Chosen by Wotan and his sons, and I have walked through the flames Unscathed!"

The Voices of the Former slaves rose in joy "Burnt Man! Burnt Man! Burnt Man!"

I am Oddr The Burnt Man Ingvarrson, and I will beat back the flames that threaten to consume all good men.


Location: Between Stormpeak and Seamourne

This is a reserve post. I am reserving.

I'm watching for now... may join later.

Welcome aboard to our new players!

@thomas.berebug, @madviking: I love it! Welcome aboard

@bonefang: This NES takes place in a fantasy universe where Ragnar Hairybritches never lived, but if you want to make a character who is analogous to him feel free.

Hairybritches

Grandkhan, what format do you plan to run this? do you plan to have the occasional summary updates?

bonefang said:

Hairybritches

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Lothbrok translates to 'Hairy Breeches', which i first saw as Britches. Thus, i've spent my entire life thinking of him as Ragnar Hairybritches. Honestly I'll take any opportunity to write out the word Hairybritches.

thomas.berubeg said:

Grandkhan, what format do you plan to run this? do you plan to have the occasional summary updates?

Click to expand...

Updates will be a mix of stories describing NPC reactions or actions, and narrative summaries of what people are doing. Updates will be.stories (or sagas, as the case may be) and will be in prose, if that's what you're asking.

Alright, I'm going to give it another week for characters to get in before I start writing Update 0.

In other news, the OP is now updated with all two characters I've received so far.

Name: Stigand Ivarsson

Nationality: Wessman

Background: An unimportant agent of Vigge Spearbreaker. He marches with his few marshalled latecomers from the villages of the south coast to join Vigge's army.

Location: East of Seamourne

For Grandkhan's benefit: Hairybritches Hairybritches Hairybritches

I'll give it a shot.
Name: Brant Calderson
Nationality: Wessman
Background: A fifth generation shipwright in the city of Helmsreach, Brant Calderson has worked on several of the longships his people are famous for. However, despite being only in his mid-20s, Brant has already grown weary of his life of labor and longs not only for adventure and achievement-two things that are generally accomplished by his people when they go on raids-but also for literacy. Alas, he has neither been able to sail on any of the ships he has built, nor to learn anything outside of his craft. Such is the life of a Viking shipwright. His ambition, however, is matched only by his snark.
Location: Helmsreach

Welcome aboard to both of you!

@talonschild: ahhhhh

Alright, slightly lower turnout than I expected, but that's alright.

Feel free to begin writing stories or whatever. Update 0/1 will be coming in a bit, possibly after my exams are over on the 20th, so write whatever and NPCs will either respond to it in the update or will put their own plans in motion.

Looking forward to the stories!

Well, i guess I'll start it off then, but it'll be simple...

After another long day of shipbuilding, Brant Caldersson headed home to put his feet up and think about the coming Kingsmeet. "I'm still not sure who I'll vote for," he thought as he walked. "Either way, I'd rather be on his ship with him than just build it."
When he reached his small cottage, he hung up his axe and sat down, but soon laid back and fell asleep almost immediately, waking up the next morning from an almost dreamless sleep. It was time for the Kingsmeet, so , after grooming himself, he headed off towards the castle.