Scarburg Meadhall Discussion Thread

[piosenniel]

Greetings, fellow players, here on the wide and rolling plains of Rohan!

This thread will be a place where we can discuss and plan the action and dialogue and what-not that is written on:

The Scarburg Meadhall game thread

The new facilitators for this incarnation will be:

Nogrod, ably assisted by Thinlómien

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NOTE:

All posters to the Meadhall must submit an Abbreviated Character Description form to this thread when they place their first post on the Mead Hall RPG thread.

See the Link in the following post for the form.

[piosenniel]

Information Links for the Meadhall -- Players/Characters List

1.) Location of Meadhall/MAPS: Scarburg Meadhall & surrounding area; Meadhall overview; General Middle-earth overview - HERE

2.) Time Frame for the Scarburg Meadhall/Links to Eorling Mead Hall threads - HERE

3.) Dealing with posts from places other than Scarburg - HERE

4.) Types of Characters Allowed - HERE

5.) General Reminders for the RPG Thread/"NO SAVES" reminder - HERE

6.) Abbreviated Character Bio Form for the Meadhall - HERE

7.) Useful Information about Rohirric (note: Anglo-Saxon & Viking) culture, including types of housing, political system, occupations, language, cookery, etc., & other links of interest - HERE

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Players . . . . . . . . . . . Characters - a list in progress as each new player is added

Durelin . . . . . . . . . . . Coenred (Coen) (Athanar's right hand man/in charge of his men); Tyrdda

Eönwë . . . . . . . . . . . . Daghan-Turi-Dan (Dan); Raedwald

Feanor of the Peredhil . . Degas of the Folde; Rowenna (Wenna); Linduial of Dol Amroth; Farahil son of Farlen; Adrigil son of Farlen

Firefoot . . . . . . . . . . . Léofric; Scyld

Folwren . . . . . . . . . . . . Thornden; Javan; Saeryn; Quin of Edoras

Formendacil . . . . . . . . . Náin son of Narin son of Nori

Galadriel55 . . . . . . . . . . Ledwyn and her son, Theolain

Groin Redbeard . . . . . . . Erbrand (leather worker/shopkeeper); Lithor (soldier); Girth the swineherd, his friend Hamrod, & Dog, their canine pal

Gwathagor . . . . . . . . . . Crabannan; Wilcred

Kath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kara; Frodides

Legate of amon Lanc . . Hilderinc (New Eorl's soldier)

Lhunardawen . . . . . . . . . Ginna; Randvér

littlemanpoet . . . . . . . . . Eodwine (First Eorl of the Meadhall); Master Falco Boffin; Harreld Smith; Garreth Smith; Rowenna (Rowenna now written by Feanor of the Peredhil); Laerdil (Elf)

Loslote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lilige (Wynflæd's maid)

Mnemosyne . . . . . . . . . Wynflæd (wife of Athanar, the new Eorl)

Nerindel . . . . . . . . . . . . Iomhair Fearghal, Æðelhild (Æðel); Balvir; Matrim Astalder (son of Lord Mordavim of Arnen);

Nienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ædre (daughter of the new Eorl)

Nogrod . . . . . . . . . . . . . Athanar son of Herewald (new Eorl of Meadhall); Stigend; Cnebba (shared w/Thinlómien)

shaggydog . . . . . . . . . . Oeric

Thinlómien . . . . . . . . . . . Modtryth; Cnebba (shared w/Nogrod); original Wulfric & Wilheard - short bio for the Meadhall (sons of the new Eorl);
Expanded bio for Wilheard for the 'Hard Winters' RPG -- HERE
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NPC's - Athanar's soldiers (BALDWIC SON OF BALDWIN; FEARGHALL; ÁFORGLAED; SCYRR)

- - - - - - - - - -

Carry-along characters (may be used gently by all players by agreement of their original writer):

Celuien . . . . . . . . . . . . Garstan, Garmund, Lèoðern

[piosenniel]

Location of Scarburg/Maps of Scarburg, Meadhall, Middle-earth

MAP OF MIDDLE-EARTH - HERE
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About Rohan: HERE (Lord of the Rings Wiki)
Rohan MAP

The Middle Emnet is the southeast quarter of West Emnet, bordered by the Snowbourn to the south and the Entwash to the east. It's northern border is halfway between the Snowbourn and the Entwash where it comes out of Fangorn. Its western border begins at the intersection of the Snowbourn and the Great West Road.


About the Mid-Emnet (from the 1st post to the Eorling Mead Hall discussion thread per littlemanpoet):

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

King Eomer makes an administrative move to improve the governance (and bureaucracy ) of Rohan by instituting a Mid-Emnet made up of the lands immediately surrounding Edoras, and makes Eodwine the Eorl of Mid Emnet.

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The Scarburg Mead Hall and surroundings

2nd Eorl's, Athanar (Nogrod), mead hall and outbuildings:

Mid-Emnet -- HERE

Mead Hall and outbuildings -- HERE

- - - - - -

1st Eorl's, Eodwine (littlemanpoet); mead hall: See attachments below


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[piosenniel]

Time Frame for the Meadhall - From the Eorling Mead Hall to the Scarburg Meadhall

The Eorling Mead Hall (1st hosted by littlemanpoet/now hosted by Nogrod and Thinlómien) - Game Thread --- Discussion Thread

~*~

Scarburg Meadhall


THE YEAR IS: 15 of the Fourth Age


March 25 - posts 1 - 114

Eodwine's first day as Eorl of Middle Emnet

April 1 - posts 115 - 205

The hall wall falls down

April 4 - posts 206 - 303

The Fair - Léof wins a horse race; Linduial is abducted; Nain arrives

April 25 - posts 304 - 400

Eodwine holds court; Stigend, Modtryth, & Cnebba arrive

April 26 - posts 401 - 468

Trystan arrives; Linduial leaves; Garstan and Stigend plan the new kitchen

May 22 - posts 469 - 634

Garmund, Falco & Thornden discover "Rilef" in the ruins; Javan arrives

May 23 - posts 635 - 705

Ginna arrives & Harreld goes moony

May 24 - posts 706 - 852

Elfthain arrives; Ritun & Lefun (Ritun) are killed by outlaws; Rowenna is freed & comes to the Hall. Elián arrives.

Events occurring between May 24 & June 24: Ulrich & Withold are hanged; Stigend is made a man of the Hall for a year and a day.

June 24 - posts 853 - 961

Eodwine announces Scarburg move; Ginna leads on and drops Harreld; Javan burns the stables down

Events between June 24 & July 8: Eodwine finds an innkeeper (neither of the 2 applicants written of) and orders Stigend to lead the Hall's workers in building a new stable while the women with the help of the children prepare for the move to Scarburg; Eodwine dictates Javan's punishment for burning down the stables.

July 8 - formerly posts 962 of Eorling Mead Hall thread (NOW the beginning posts to the Scarburg Meadhall game thread) -

Eodwine and his House arrive at Scarburg and find it in shambles.

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ROUGH DRAFT (Please check for updates HERE)

Timeline for August 9th -- through November 13

August 9 - Eodwine and Saeryn married.
Sometime in August - Saeryn conceives

Early Octoboer - Eodwine falls ill

October 9 - Eodwine becomes very ill and is moved to Edoras

October 10 - Three lords come to Scarburg and refuse to pay taxes

October 11-12 - Saeryn goes to Edoras, the king tells her he will appoint a new Eorl. Eodwine goes to Minas Tirith

November 11 - Athanar and his household come to Scarburg

November 12 - Erbrand nearly kills Scyrr. Erbrand and Lithor leave Scarburg

November 13 - Athanar goes to the three landlords and exerts authority over them. Falco returns to Scarburg.

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[piosenniel]

Dealing with posts from different places - e.g., outside Scarburg:

If you have to write an "Away" post please put at the top of your post in Bold:

Away - Location.

For instance:

Away – Edoras

[piosenniel]

Types of characters allowed:

Hobbits
Men
Elves
Dwarves

Originally Posted by Thinlómien from "In Transition: Inkeeper thread"

I hope that every player who is introducing an Elf, a Hobbit, a Dwarf from somewhere else than Aglarond or a human who is not Rohanian, Dunlending or Gondorian, would consider what on earth is his/her character doing at the hall or in Rohan at all.....people should be allowed to play characters that are different and far away from their homes, but it should be with consideration.

~*~

Note - guideline for describing your Elven character’s appearance.:

Please use this description from Tolkien when crafting an Elf:

Return of the King – Appendix F: Tolkien’s description for the Quendi (The Speakers) – the name given to the Elves by themselves after they first awoke in Middle-earth.

“They were a race high and beautiful, the older Children of the world, and among them the Eldar were as Kings, who now are gone: the People of the Great Journey, the People of the Stars. They were tall, fair of skin and grey-eyed, though their locks were dark, save in the golden house of Finrod; and their voices had more melodies than any mortal voice that is now heard . . .”

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Character types that are not allowed:

Animals (as main characters - including dragons, eagles, wargs, etc.)
Barrow wights
Ents/huorns
Mewlips
Orcs
Trolls

Any other creature or persons not mentioned in 'Types of characters allowed'; e.g.:
No half-Elven characters. No mixed-type characters. No super-heroes. No assassins. No one all powerful, martial arts proficient, or having any magical traits. Just regular characters with normal abilities for their races only.

[Folwren]

NAME: Thornden son of Thaldon

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: 30 or 31, Male, Rohirrim, four or five hours ride respectively from Edoras.

APPEARANCE: Tall (approximately 6'4"), dark blond hair, hazel eyes, broad shouldered and strong.

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: Patient, usually quiet with a few flashes of feeling occasionally, allert to his surroundings and observant.
He worked in the King's guard for a year before joining Eodwine's court about six years ago.

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NAME: Javan son of Thaldon - Thornden's brother

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: 18, the rest the same as Thornden's

APPEARANCE: Dark blond hair, a little darker than Thornden's, brown eyes. He has grown to be about 5'10", not too short, but still a head shorter than Thornden.

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: He is the youngest child of six, and when he came to Eodwine when the Meadhall was still located in Edoras, he was irresponsible and mischievous. In the intervening years, he has learned a great deal of responsibility, and under the tutelage of Thornden, Eowdine, and other men at Scarburg, he has grown to be a fairly upstanding citizen. He is hot tempered at best, and may tend towards having fun more often than is good for him.

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Thornden's full bio from Abduction in Edoras RPG

NAME: Thornden

AGE: 30 or 31

RACE: Man (Rohirrim)

GENDER: Male

WEAPONS: He has the ability to use a sword and spear if given to him, but he doesn’t carry any weapon.

APPEARANCE: Thornden is tall, roughly 6 feet 4 inches in height, and broad shouldered. He has straight, dark blond hair, the color of wet sand, cut close to his head. Hazel eyes that are often twinkling with his easy, quick smile.
His clothing usually consist of a plain white cotton shirt, sometimes with a vest over it, sometimes not. Brown breeches, fastened at the waist with a leather belt. Soft leather, mid-calf boots.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Thornden is a calm, quiet man, possessing both patience and good judgement (most of the time)(we all have our lapses, don’t we?). He is usually willing to think the best of people, so long as they haven’t proved themselves to be bad. He is often very easy going and is easily amused, but when it is necessary, he can be very immoveable and stern, doing what is necessary to get what needs to be done done. He does his best to be kind to everyone and hates to see anyone ill used, and his anger or temper is usually difficult to arouse (but it is possible).
His main weakness may be stubbornness. If he doesn’t want to do something, it takes a lot to get him to do it, and even ‘a lot’ may not succeed, depending on who you are. (For instance, if he disagrees with Eodwine, because he is Eodwine’s subordinate, he would probably end up doing as Eodwine told him to. On the other hand, if Gárwine and he were in disagreement. . .) Happily, he doesn’t often set his will on things that aren’t for the good of everybody involved, so generally his stubbornness is never confronted or trouble causing.

HISTORY: Thornden was born and grew up on a farm out in the country of the East Emnet. He was the oldest child of six, the youngest being thirteen years younger than himself. His mother taught him how to read and write and work with numbers, and his father taught him to farm. Thaldon hoped to have Thornden eventually take over the farm, but Thornden had different thoughts in mind. He didn’t want to farm and so he didn’t.

When he was twenty-three he moved from home to Edoras. For two reasons, mainly - one was to find something to do (other than farming) and to establish some sort of living and the second was to escape his mother’s and his sister’s constant nagging at his not being yet married. He was not long in Edoras until he got himself into the guard of Meduseld and he stayed there for a little over a year. Then, when Eodwine became Eorl, and was in need of someone as steward, Thornden thought that he may as well try it, and went out at once to try his luck.

Thornden became Eodwine's steward and worked in that capacity even after Eodwine was removed from Eorlship. He remained in that position until Athanar took Eodwine's place and worked with Athanar as long as he remained. When Eodwine returned, Thornden continued to act as steward under Athanar until Athanar departed. When Eodwine became Eorl again, Thornden returned to his position as steward under Eodwine.


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Linked ~*~ Pio

[piosenniel]

Folwren

Javan's bio looks fine to me. It'a a concise little picture of him that will be helpful for a fellow player to read and get the flavor of the character.


~*~ Pio

[Thinlómien]

This seems to be moving along nicely. Great! I will post a bio for Modtryth later today.

What about Celuien's characters? Should we who carry them along write something for then or leave their character descriptions be until Celuien pops in for a visit? She's my friend in LiveJournal, should I try to contact her that way?

[Thinlómien]

I just skimmed through the Scarburg Meadhall thread and it made me feel a little guilty... how on earth have I not had "time" to write for such a long while? Well, I'll write as soon as I do have time, but currently ww game, a pile schoolwork and a nearing exam week are keeping me busy... Maybe I'll have to take a nice meeadhall pause someday soon...

Also, I know a couple of writers I'd like to invite to the Meadhall. So in case I manage to send PMs to them and to convince them, be ready to see a couple of new faces here soon-ish...

[Kath]

For Kara:


NAME: Kara

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: 20. Female. An Eorlinga. No fixed abode before the Mead Hall.

APPEARANCE: Not tall, probably around 5'4". Dirty-blonde hair, dark eyes. Not fan but a little wider than she perhaps should be due to the availability of food in a kitchen!

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: Generally cheery and always friendly to all and sundry. Loves to be involved in what's going on but won't often offer opinions on it unless pushed.

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And for Frodides:


NAME: Frodides

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: Ooh never stated I don't think, I would assume around 40. She's female. An Eorlinga.

APPEARANCE: Around 5'2" with darker hair starting to go grey. Gives the appearance of being little and a bit dumpy but when roused can appear alarmingly tall, especially to youngsters trying to sneak food out.

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: Has been at the Mead Hall in whatever incarnation for a long time and considers herself in charge of the important bits. She respects Lord Eodwine but just wishes he'd take her advice more often. She can come across as a crotchety old thing but it's a well-practised front and she has a heart of gold within, though you have to earn it to see it.


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Hope these are alright! I will try to get a post on to the main thread tonight if we're alright to be posting there?


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Linked ~*~ Pio

[Groin Redbeard]

I just wanted to let you know that I have a post up in the thread. Let me know if you need me to edit anything.

[littlemanpoet]

NAME: Rowenna

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: 25, female, Eorling, from the southeasternmost farmlands of the West Emnet.

APPEARANCE: - for starters...just not so exaggerated. More athletic than she appears.

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: Serious, ambitious, thoughtful, secretive, an eavesdropper. Was abducted by brigands at age 18, her farm ransacked and her widowed father killed in cold blood. She had been the brigands' slave at first, was forced to kill her first two babies, as well as two other abducted women in order to survive the harsh life of the brigands. Not above causing trouble for another if it improves her own position. She had planned how to achieve the role for herself of Eorl Eodwine's wife, but that having been stymied, was forced to face her worst nightmares with the help of Eodwine's new wife, Saeryn.

She has happily become a serving woman at Scarburg, under the protection of Eodwine. She finds Nydfara endlessly mysterious and interesting, and has a hunch that his secrets are not so different from her own; but he reveals very little. She thinks that he is attracted to her, and hopes that the teasing ways they have toward each other may be replaced by something more substantive someday. Until Nydfara shows any signs of changing, she gives him the space he seems to need while tentatively entering it from time to time, as her intuition guides her.

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NAME: Harreld Smith

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: 40, male, Eorling from Edoras

APPEARANCE: 6'5", big, strong, and muscular. Straight blonde hair and blue eyes.

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: Thoughtful, quiet, hard worker, painfully shy around women, especially ones to whom he is attracted; single and desperately wants a wife. Has been smitten with Ginna who is above his station. She eventually returned his affection and he has asked for her hand in marriage, which she gave. They have been happily married but remained childless. During the hard winter she went missing, and although he and his brother Garreld, and others, searched far and wide, she was never found, alive or dead. He thinks her drowned or frozen, and mourns quietly, but is dutiful in his work.

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NAME: Garreth Smith

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: 35, male, Eorling from Edoras; twin brother to Harreld

APPEARANCE: see Harreld's

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: Brash, bold, somewhat boorish, talkative, thinks out loud at all times. Is single and wants a wife, and is very straightforward in his attempts. Has not yet accepted the fact that his talk is off-putting to the women he wants to court. When Harreld joined Eodwine in Scarburg, he at first stayed in Edoras, but eventually joined him. He is still single and hasn't learned a thing about how to act around women in whom he is interested. He is getting frustrated with Harreld's black moods and endless dark silence, and is thinking that the pickings among females is poor and has not sign of improving, and thus is mulling going back to Edoras.

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Linked ~*~ Pio

[littlemanpoet]

So yeah, I have five characters, and here I am getting ready to leave the Barrowdowns. Eodwine will be carried as a non-player character, and I personally find the other four to be engaging and fun to write, especially Rowenna, truth be told. But what will happen to them when I'm gone? Well, that's all of your business, I guess.

[Eönwë]

OK, I'll join.

And would like to ask if this character is allowed, if so, then I will play him:

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NAME: Daghan-Turi-Dan (even though everone just calls him Dan)

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: Male, Drúedan from Drúwaith Iaur (old Púkel-land), 24

APPEARANCE: *Short (but one of the tallest in his family), muscular (even for a Drúedan), and he always carries one of the seven elvens sword that was passed down to him and his brothers from the Days of Old. He has a pouch, the contents of which are a mystery to anyone except himself.

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: He is one of seven brothers (and has three sisters) from one of the only families of the Drúedain still living in the Old Land. The brothers had set out to establish links with different races and groups of people throughout Middle-Earth (one, for example, was sent to The Drúedan Forest, to find his own kindred). He had decided that, since his race had saved the lives of many of the best Rohirrim, they would not mind a Drúedan living among them. He is actually quite friendly, despite his apperarance, and has never been quite so emotionless since the day his father was ambushed by Dunlendings led by a small group of Easterlings... And to this day he does not know how there Easterlings got this far West. Another thing about him that must be noted is that he is very touchy about being falsely called a Dunlending, especially because those people have persecuted, and hunted down and killed his family for centuries.
He has gained the title Wolf-bane after he slew the seven Wargs than attacked his home many years ago.

*general information about the Drúedain (slightly out of context, but such is life)

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LINKED ~*~ Pio

[Eorl of Rohan]

Originally Posted by piosenniel

Eorl of Rohan is hosting a new RPG, Homeward Bound. The Discussion Thread is now open in The Shire to take on players. ~*~ Pio

+looks at Lommy, Rocky, Foley, Holly, Dip, and Los with puppydog eyes+

(Muhahaha, in my twisted mind, your nicknames have been degraded into one-syllable words!
So much easier than Thinlomien, Durelin, Folwen, Nogrod, Legate, and Loslote )

But seriously, please join! +More Puppydog Eyes+

And as for Scyrr, I'll have to wait for Nerindel to come around and heal him. Unless, hmm....

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Eorl of Rohan

+looks at Lommy, Rocky, Foley, Holly, Dip, and Los with puppydog eyes+

(Muhahaha, in my twisted mind, your nicknames have been degraded into one-syllable words!
So much easier than Thinlomien, Durelin, Folwen, Nogrod, Legate, and Loslote )

But seriously, please join! +More Puppydog Eyes+

And as for Scyrr, I'll have to wait for Nerindel to come around and heal him. Unless, hmm....

Well, you could always try to send a private message to Nerindel, bringing that to her attention. (Or you could even make a co-operative post, if you wanted, although this is probably not necessary in this case, the thing is used more in the case of large dialogues... well, so that's rather something to bear in mind for the future )

As for your invitation, thanks, but at least for me, I have already so many RPGs running which should be finished that I really don't want to start a new one. Also, the setting is not possibly my favourite... but whatever, you might try to also perhaps ask other people (or maybe somebody might give you good tips as to who could be easily invited...)

[Folwren]

I've PMed Nerindel already and have received no response. I say, bring her up and have her do her healing business, just so the story can be continued. It's perfectly alright - really.

-- Foley

[littlemanpoet]

Eodwine (First Eorl of the Meadhall) will be there.

Master Falco Boffin - I don't know. I think he left. Did he come back?

Harreld Smith - probably my favorite, he'll be around

Garreth Smith - I think he joined lately.

Rowenna (Rowenna now written by Feanor of the Peredhil) - may be gone unless there's reason to have her around.

Laerdil (Elf) - won't be around. He's probably over the sea by now.

I'm not very keen on all the political whatnot that we were trying to slog through toward the end of things. My sense is that it got too complicated and weighed the whole thing down.

5 years into the future sounds good to me. Eodwine's wife is an issue. I wonder if Folwren isn't too busy with being a successful teacher these days in RL?

Anyway....

[Firefoot]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

Rowenna (Rowenna now written by Feanor of the Peredhil) - may be gone unless there's reason to have her around.

It would be disappointing to me at least - if that's the direction you're taking with her I may end up just writing Scyld out after all, since he never made much of a connection with any of the other characters... on the other hand, if there's going to be drama with the lords again he could perhaps be useful... I'll think about it. I was going to write him as having been away for most of the time jump anyway.

[littlemanpoet]

Firefoot, if you're here to write for Scyld, then writing Rowenna becomes interesting.

[Folwren]

NAME: Eoghan and Ruari

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: Eoghan is a boy, and Ruari is a girl. They're about 5 years old. They were born at Scarburg, the son and daughter of Eodwine and Saeryn.

APPEARANCE: Being twins, Eoghan and Ruari are both somewhat small for their age. Eoghan has blond hair, as his father, but his eyes are hazel, like Saeryn's. Ruari was born with fiery red hair, and her eyes are green.

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: Ruari was born first, and though an hour's difference in age wouldn't seem to account for much, it is clear she is the oldest. She takes the lead in the twins' activities, and Eoghan follows meekly behind doing almost everything she encourages him to do. Eoghan is quiet and passive and relatively well behaved when left to his own devices. Ruari is curious and active and prone to trouble. They are both intelligent and agile and capable children.

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Folwren - I've placed this with your bio on Saeryn and linked it to the new RPG's PLAYER/CHARACTER list ~*~ Pio

[littlemanpoet]

Um .... could we change that to Scarburg Meadhall: the Hard Years? The ideas are already cracking in my brain for this. :P

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Whoa! Great activity here. For the record, Hard Winters sounds brilliant to me as a name, just what LMP said - it can signify anything we can come up with also for the time to come, and I think it nicely goes with the idea we had with making the RPG a bit more "dramatic"...

Anyway, I am currently on short vacation (and Lommy too) for about a week, so I am not sure if I will manage to write anything right now (I want to write a summary thing for Hilderinc during those years), but there shouldn't be that much. So just as soon as I have a little bit of time, I can write it in a very short time, and also put up updated bio for Áforglaed and my new character, aka his new-found wife (or wife-to-be, as I am beginning to think, to allow for a bit of dynamic).


EDIT: crossposted with LMP regarding the thread name - honestly, I think "Hard Winters" has a bit more specific and epic sound to it (after all, the term "years" and "winters" can be used synonymously to a certain extent), but whichever everyone thinks sounds better.

P.S. And Folwren, I wanted to say, I really like the concept of the twins, looking forward to them being around...

[littlemanpoet]

I'm fine with the idea from "the voice that gainsayeth" - let's hear what people like better. - the hard winters or the hard years?

[Eorl of Rohan]

.
Name: Scyrr Silvershield
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Where From: Edoras

Appearance: I have closely read the posts involving Scyrr, and I have found only one description of his appearance: swarthy, that is, of a dusky skin color. But a rider of the Riddermark would be golden-haired and blue-eyed, unless Scyrr is of mixed blood, in which case the haughty personality would not make much sense. Developmental Psychology tells us that unfortunate disadvantages such as a funny name, or a different skin color in a mostly homogeneous culture, tend to put a damp on the development of I-am-of-a-higher-rank-than-you kind of attitude. I would assume that he is actually quite handsome and more importantly typically Rohirrim in appearance. The personality that is outlined in Legate of Amon Lanc's biography of Scyrr can be developed by a strong sense of affiliation with his heritage and an awareness of where he stands in the social hierarchy, and if this trait is so evident, then, well, he probably *looks* Rohirrim to the Core. This includes long and flowing golden hair and limpid blue eyes (I know, cheesy, but there you have it).

Scyrr is likely to be slender, quick to move out of his opponent’s range, relying on his nimbleness and dexterity to keep him out of harm’s way should it come to a direct clash. This is in continuity with the description of the brawl between Erbrand and Scyrr. He moves out of harm’s way and attacks from the side. Techniques over pure muscle, so to speak of. And people who *have* muscle don’t bother overmuch with techniques or keeping out of harm’s way. Scyrr does his best to do so, therefore, he must needs be a slender man – with fuzz on his chins, hardly more than a boy – who would never cut an imposing figure even if his swordskill is on par with those more experienced than himself. Of course, the technique-oriented style might be because he is yet young, who have learned fighting only from fencing masters and mock duels instead of engaging in real battles where his life is always on the line. He could have an aversion to actually getting his hand dirty, so to speak. But even so, the ease with which Erbrand pummeled Scyrr when they were both on the ground (and therefore had equal advantages, even considering Scyrr’s broken leg) suggests that Scyrr doesn’t have muscle enough to acquit himself well when it comes to a physical brawl.

Personality: He is not someone who endears himself to many. But at the same time, he is one who speaks his mind openly about all matters, so he is not an obnoxious snob who bows and scrapes in front of his betters and takes out all his frustrations on his lessers. An honest man, even if that honesty is not to the liking of many. If he is seen as arrogant and self-centered, perhaps it has a measure of truth, but it comes from the brashness of youth rather than a fundamental flaw in his personality. He is conscious of the social hierarchy, perhaps unwisely overmuch, so that he would not be patient with having his authority challenged by tradesmen and craftsmen who is of lower rank than he. This is probably what sparked the brawl between he and Erbrand. Not to mention that he has a tendency to speak whatever he wants to. Being young, he also has the tendency to see the world in black-and-white: for instance, enemy-and-friend, or good-and-bad. Perhaps age and experience might teach him otherwise, and beat patience and understanding into the proud flash in his eyes, but for now he is nothing but a brash young soldier who doesn’t know where to draw the line. He feels a certain kinship with those that he has ridden alongside for many a month, however, and would listen to their counsel… albeit grudgingly. And in the same way he considers himself above the common tradesmen and craftsmen as a soldier of Lord Athenar, he genuinely respects those with authority even if their morality or intelligence is suspect. He follows the law, and does his duty faithfully. He has a good heart - if badly misguided, arrogant, and brash – but still that of a true Rider of the Mark.

As an aside, Scyrr is going to be my character, so I wanted to interpret him in such a way that was enjoyable to play for me. I hope this interpretation of his personality is not too jarring or discontinuous, because, well, I could always make a new character if this doesn’t suit you. I am from an East Asian country, where the last thing that anyone would even dream of doing is to say what they are thinking, and I am not at all sure whether I could roleplay a character who spoke what he wanted to for sheer childishness. Now if it was a matter of rank and social hierarchy (which my culture is intimately familiar with, considering that you’re supposed to bow every time you come across some bloke in your class who’s two days older than you just because he’s two days older than you), then I could understand exactly what kind of problem he had with Erbrand and why he acted the way he did. I hope this isn’t too much of a problem with you.

History: Scyrr was born the second son to Lieutenant Roryn, a Rider of the Mark. (Well, I’m thinking a middling rank. With perhaps fifty men under his command? I don’t know what military title to apply, since ‘captain’ seemed too high for someone who just held a position of an officer who led a patrol squad.) Roryn was one of the poor unlucky sods who were executed by Wormtongue for insubordination when he refused to carry out a redoubtable order that might have ended in a lot of his own men getting killed. He had a public trial, but a farce of a one with Theoden repeating what Wormtongue whispered in his ear, and was summarily hanged. There were a lot of men who were chagrined at this – for he was a good man, and a faithful one – and the widow and her two sons and a daughter received financial and emotional support from those who were his friends. Enough for Scyrr to have a decent education and a good fencing instructor, apparently, (or he wouldn’t have been able to dodge Erbrand’s blows with such ease). When Scyrr came of age, he followed in his father’s footsteps and pledged himself to a lord’s service in his own right. In Lord Athanar’s service, in fact, as Athanar knew of his father and kindly accepted the young and yet unproven youngster into his guard.

However, Scyrr has strong ambivalent feelings toward his father – who got himself killed for insubordination, no matter for what just cause, and left his young wife a widow pregnant with a third child and his two sons fatherless – which has left him somewhat obsessed about duty and social hierarchy and following orders without question.
.

[Eorl of Rohan]

*looks at everyone with puppydog eyes, hoping her profile of Scyrr wouldn't be rejected*

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Eorl, sounds good! Just maybe for a few remarks (well, I assume that's not what you'd have expected anyway, but I hope it will be for good ).

Firstly, I wholeheartedly agree with your interpretation of the social status view-thing, and that resonates basically with the idea I had about Scyrr myself. And if you have such cultural background, it might be even better for sort of "getting into" Scyrr.

Maybe, however, the thing about speaking his mind openly - if I understood you right, you don't feel like you could write for such a character, but well, there are several ways to handle it while keeping it still consistent with the previous. The thing is that this was sort of one of Scyrr's trademarks, if not "THE" trademark. The occassion where it originally started from was that first brawl when the soldiers have arrived, and Áforglaed was hurt. What Scyrr saw was that the first to attack was the other guy, and therefore, by Scyrr's logic, he should have been punished. The fact that Áforglaed insulted him before was not taken into account. I sort of see the parallel to this in Scyrr's brawl with Erbrand. This could be explained by that in both cases the attackers were of lower class, so they effectively didn't have the right to attack like that, so there we'd be back with the social class explanation thing. (Or maybe Scyrr just puts more weight to actions than to words? But whatever, just a thought.) So back to speaking his mind openly, back then Scyrr considered it unjust that something like that had happened and the person wasn't punished, and so he did speak his mind aloud. That was sort of the basic core. It's not supposed to be any childishness, but the fact that whenever Scyrr considers something should be said (even though others might disagree) - and nobody seems to say it - he says it. So if it was taken this way, maybe you could still handle this trait in him?

(Take this as a dialogical contribution... maybe you will think of a way to incorporate this, or handle this in a bit different way and put it into the personality of Scyrr when writing for him.)

Then, just one physical thing... I have (and I think others did too) imagined Scyrr a bit older - perhaps around 25 or something like that. I certainly didn't think he would be a young unexperienced man, maybe sort of "mid-experienced" at least, but not any newbie when it comes to social contact. More like the opposite - if he has his own views on social contact, rather settled, and that's why it's hard for him to get used to any new or different ways.

Otherwise, basically agreed with all you have said. By the way, not sure if I understood right that you don't think Scyrr is too much muscular, if you wanted him to be, then I think the story about Erbrand is not necessarily denying that - because Erbrand was, actually, supposed to be a very strong man, so even if Scyrr was relatively strong, Erbrand just might have been even stronger. But if you want to have him like that, of course that's up to you - just saying that what is said does not dismiss the option.

[Folwren]

Name: Saeryn
Age: 25
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Where from: Rohan.

Appearance: Tall, slim, fair of face. Auburn hair, bordering closer to red than brown. Hazel eyes.

Some Character and History: Saeryn is the second to youngest child of four. She is only older than her younger brother by a matter of minutes - they're twins. Her parents both died before she was 14. Her older brother, Fenrir, tried to make her act according to her noble birth, and presumably cooped her up in the house all day, stuck her in dresses, and expected her to act like a lady. How exactly he treated her is unknown, but when she was barely 18, she ran away from him and found her way to Edoras. There she remained, staying under Eodwine and working in his household, first accepting his protection, and then moving upward until she was his hostess, holding the position of 'Lady' as more of an apprenticeship than a betrothal or even courtship.
When people continued to question her on the point of marrying Eodwine, she eventually could not handle the strain and left for a short period. She came back, after the household had moved to Scarburg, and worked again in the house. She and Eodwine did, in fact, fall in love and married.
Saeryn had children within the first year of marriage. She bore twins - a girl and a boy.

Before marrying, she tended to be rather flighty. She always spoke exactly what came into her head, whether it be fitting or not. She never really hid her emotions. When she faced a trouble too big for her to overcome, she ran from it. After coming back to Eodwine the second time, she began to change. She grew more ladylike in her bearing and her speech, and she became stronger in the face of adversity.
Having children mellowed her even more, and she continues to become a wiser and more patient woman. Still, we shall see occasionally her old, fiery character, but on the whole, she has become quieter, stabler, calmer.

----------

Saeryn and Eodwine's children

NAME: Eoghan and Ruari

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: Eoghan is a boy, and Ruari is a girl. They're about 5 years old. They were born at Scarburg, the son and daughter of Eodwine and Saeryn.

APPEARANCE: Being twins, Eoghan and Ruari are both somewhat small for their age. Eoghan has blond hair, as his father, but his eyes are hazel, like Saeryn's. Ruari was born with fiery red hair, and her eyes are green.

BITS OF CHARACTER/HISTORY YOU FEEL MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN DEFINING THE CHARACTER: Ruari was born first, and though an hour's difference in age wouldn't seem to account for much, it is clear she is the oldest. She takes the lead in the twins' activities, and Eoghan follows meekly behind doing almost everything she encourages him to do. Eoghan is quiet and passive and relatively well behaved when left to his own devices. Ruari is curious and active and prone to trouble. They are both intelligent and agile and capable children.

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

LINKED ~*~Pio

[Folwren]

Alright. There is my attempt at Saeryn's character and history. Elempi, let me know if there are any glaring mistakes that I somehow made.

-- Foley

[littlemanpoet]

Your post is fine, Eonwe. That Eodwine is just too busy! Sheesh!

[Thinlómien]

I will post something for Modtryth today. I think I can make it all fit nicely.

And Eönwë - I had the two lads greet your character in my post #72. I'm afraid your character has to react to them in some way...

[Thinlómien]

A typical lommyistic RPG promise - one that didn't hold. I'll write something tomorrow.

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

And Eönwë - I had the two lads greet your character in my post #72. I'm afraid your character has to react to them in some way...

Ooh! I'm sorry about that. I will edit it ASAP (which is probably tomorrow).

[piosenniel]

Please remember to remove your signatures from EVERY post to the Meadhall RPG thread.

~*~ Pio

[Lhunardawen]

I'll try to get something in within the weekend, with Ginna asking the kitchen women stuff about Saeryn, and maybe ending with her serving Dan breakfast.

[Firefoot]

Character bio for Scyld, soon to be introduced (sorry it's long, I pretty much just edited it from AiE):

NAME: Scyld

AGE/GENDER/RACE/WHERE FROM: 25, male, Man from Rohan (Hard Winters - now 30)

APPEARANCE: Short dirty-blonde hair, blue-gray eyes, passive expression that rarely expresses his thoughts. Dresses plainly but certainly not shabbily. 5’11” tall, not particularly strong or athletic but rather thin.

WEAPONS: He is not much of a fighter but if necessary he can wield a pair of knives with reasonable proficiency.

PERSONALITY/STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: The only person that matters to Scyld is Scyld. He looks out for himself and takes care not to offend or cause wariness to anyone, whether because they could help or hurt him. He is very much an opportunist and can think quickly. However, he is rarely impulsive and only takes risks when he feels confident that it will work out well for him. He lies easily but is honest whenever he can be. He is very intelligent and has an ear for information of all sorts; he would make an ideal spy if anyone ever found out his talents (which also include lock picking, snooping, and eavesdropping), but he is careful to keep this hidden behind apparent subservience and only average intelligence. Scyld has a very difficult time trusting people. He tends to hide his true feelings behind sarcasm and jests.

HISTORY: Scyld was born the fifth child to an already struggling family of middling rank. Most of their remaining wealth was lost in the War of the Ring, and in the following years, Scyld’s father amassed a debt to Sorn that he was unable to pay. In place of cash, the twelve-year-old Scyld was contracted to work ten years in Sorn’s service, after which Scyld would be free to do as he wished and Sorn would consider the debt paid.

Initially confused and resentful, Scyld soon learned to make the best of his situation. He learned a wide variety of skills in Sorn’s household, and to learning he devoted himself – not only about his new skills, but also to finding out as much as possible about Sorn and anything else that might eventually prove useful to him. Gathering information became his hobby. But by always obeying Sorn’s commands to the letter and always behaving subserviently and never showing outstanding intelligence, he came to be trusted by Sorn, although Scyld took care never to get too close to his volatile master. Nor did he ever grow to love him, and if better opportunity presented itself to Scyld, he would without reservations or regrets stab Sorn in the back (literally or figuratively) and take it, and for such an opportunity he always watched, although to this point he has never proved anything but trustworthy. He remained with Sorn for a total of thirteen years until Sorn was killed in the rescue of the Gondorian lady Linduial whom he had kidnapped. Scyld, who had developed a tentative friendship with Linduial, helped her to escape and escaped himself [Events occurred in the Abduction in Edoras RPG].

Added 5/18/15: Considering himself a fugitive but unable to stay away from the people that Linduial had spoken of so highly, he took on the name Nydfara and went to see for himself the new Meadhall that was built on the site of Sorn's old holdings. He is slowly growing more trusting but has thus far kept his true name and his role in Linduial's kidnapping secret.

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

LINKED ~*~ Pio

[littlemanpoet]

Yessss! Scyld is joining the rpg!

I foresee that Rowenna is going to have a rather profound visceral response to Scyld's presence. See, there's a part of Rowenna that really liked being part of a pack of brigands, really enjoyed the recklessness and riskiness, and she is going to perceive an edginess about Scyld such that, despite her ambitions to be an Eorl's wife, he is going to be a magnet to her.

Hee hee! Couldn't resist that.

EDIT: Lommy, Foley and I have been working on a PM post so that the conversation could flow a bit more smoothly. So that's why there are multiple perspectives within one post.

By the way, I highly recommend PM-built posts if you want to indulge in an extended conversation with another writer's character. Such collaborations can be quite striking and fun in their results.

[Firefoot]

I foresee that Rowenna is going to have a rather profound visceral response to Scyld's presence. See, there's a part of Rowenna that really liked being part of a pack of brigands, really enjoyed the recklessness and riskiness, and she is going to perceive an edginess about Scyld such that, despite her ambitions to be an Eorl's wife, he is going to be a magnet to her.

Ooh...

[Lhunardawen]

Sorn, who had developed a tentative friendship with Linduial, helped her to escape and escaped himself, but is now on the run as a fugitive.

Firefoot, I think this should be Scyld?

Oh, Rowenna, you poor girl...