Scarburg Meadhall Discussion Thread

[Firefoot]

I wouldn't trust anything the Hobbits had to say about shoes anyway.

[littlemanpoet]

It has begun. Whoever wishes to see the Elf first, go ahead and post.

[Folwren]

Ha! I don't know what to think of this elf, who comes to study the mere humans, with all their foibles and faults and weaknesses, like a scientist might go to an animal's natural habitat to study it.

I am looking forward to further interaction between characters.

By the way, Lhuna has promised to look in on Scarburg, so I won't take Saeryn out just yet. P'raps another character can go spot the elf. If it's sunrise, the men'll be rising soon....well...they should be up by now. Sunrise in winter is laaaaaate.

-- Foley

[Galadriel55]

Just letting you know that I haven't forgotten about Ledwyn, and I have half a post written for her. I was about to write how she sees Laerdil, but I thought it would be rather illogical for her to arrive so early. Considering that she set out early in the morning, but not the middle of the night, and walked at least a mile by foot (and got a lift the rest of the way), I'd say she'd be there sometime after breakfast.

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by Folwren

Ha! I don't know what to think of this elf, who comes to study the mere humans, with all their foibles and faults and weaknesses, like a scientist might go to an animal's natural habitat to study it.

Like and not like. No true elf is mere scientist.

[littlemanpoet]

Foley, how tall do you have Thornden in your mind?

[Folwren]

Over six feet.

[Galadriel55]

The big brother is always biggest, except for Dad.

[Folwren]

I can't believe nothing has happened on this for so long!

Anyway, Lhuna and I have been writing behind your guys' backs and have created a co-post. However, it goes back at the beginning of the Day for the game, so I'm going to post it here so nobody misses it, and edit it into an earlier post of mine.

I edited this into my post number 1246.

Ginna and Saeryn

Ginna had already filled a basin with water, and together they rinsed the meat first in a bucket and then laid them to soak in the basin.

As they bent over it together, Saeryn said, “I saw you and Harreld dancing last night. I noticed you two seemed. . ." how could she put it? They had been more companiable, happier, even joyful. "As though you were celebrating something."

"Yes, Saeryn. We were finally able to talk last night. It went well."

Ginna tried, she really tried, but she failed to suppress the wide smile that threatened to form in her lips. She knew she was holding much back, and felt a slight pang of guilt for doing so (especially to Saeryn, who had always been there for her!), but Ginna was in such a good mood that she couldn't help being a little mischievous. And, she thought, it would make for better storytelling to give details a little at a time, as they were demanded.

Saeryn waited expectently a moment, and then seeing that Ginna was not going to open up without prodding, said, "So. . .what did you decide?"

"I did not decide on anything," Ginna said as she carefully dropped a strip of meat in the basin. "Well, nothing new, anyway. You know what I wanted to happen all this time. Harreld, on the other hand..." And she stopped there, letting a grin fill out the missing words.

Saeryn stared at her, her eyes wide. "You mean, he changed his mind? He is going to pursue you, despite what your father said?"

"Yes!" Ginna exclaimed, breathless with joy. "Harreld did not tell me what Eodwine had said in its entirety to help sway him, but it seems I owe much of this to your husband. I do not know what I would do without you two. Thank you, Saeryn."

Saeryn almost put her arms about Ginna in an impulsive hug, but she stopped herself from using her cold, wet hands, and instead just flashed a huge smile that said more than words could about how she felt.

"Eodwine's return will set to right many things, I hope," she said. "I am so happy for you, Ginna! Will you write your father? When. . .did you talk about when you might marry?"

The smile did not leave Ginna's face, but she felt that her happiness was tempered by a sense of sobriety. "We have not gone that far. I guess we are taking things a step at a time. But you are right, I do have to tell my father about this."

Saeryn gave her an encouraging smile. "I think your father will understand, especially if Eodwine sends a letter to tell your father that Harreld is a noble young man and that he approves of your choice."

"He does not have to do that," Ginna replied. "Eodwine has already done so much for us. I shall inform my father myself. Whether or not he understands, Harreld and I have already decided and it will not change."

Saeryn looked admiringly at her, but also with a little sadness. It would not be easy on Ginna if her father did not change his mind. His disapproval could cause the marriage to go forward with difficulty, or perhaps not at all.

They finished putting the meat they needed to soak and as they washed their hands together, Saeryn said, "I will still have Eodwine write. I think it will be best."

[Galadriel55]

Great post!

Originally Posted by Folwren

I can't believe nothing has happened on this for so long!

I'm waiting for breakfast to be over and everyone to start their work so that I can interrupt everything.

(Real reason is that I think it would make sense with the timing, if Ledwyn walked a few miles that day...)

[Folwren]

Sounds like a reasonable plan, Galadriel. Maybe I can rouse up a bit of action so you can finally get started.

-- Foley

[littlemanpoet]

Hulloooooo?

[Galadriel55]

'Ello.

I guess I'll just post today, and not wait till breakfast is over, if there are no objections.

[Firefoot]

I keep meaning to post... I'll get to it soon. Tonight. Come after me with a big stick if I don't.

[Folwren]

Galadriel, I do intend to have Saeryn sit down in just a moment with your character. She just got distracted for a minute, is all. Sorry.

And, if there are any mis-spelled words, it is because I have no program on this new laptop that has a spell-checker, and some words, I just can't spell, so...I hope you'll forgive them until I buy a word processing program that I like.

-- Foley

[littlemanpoet]

Thought provoking pair of posts, Firefoot. I'm mulling what to have my characters say and do. Hope to post soon.

[Folwren]

Hi, I aim to post today, too. Sickness, school, and work opportunities have been keeping me busy. Sorry about the delay.

-- Folwren

[Galadriel55]

Kath, Lhuna, are you around?

I don't want to start a conversation with characters whose writers are unable to write.

I could just skip the talk, or put it off until later, and find something to do for Ledwyn in the kitchen. Or, alternatively, get Theolain to do something.

What do you think?

[Folwren]

I'd definitely say get Theolain to do something. There are other kids around somewhere, maybe he'll run into them. Except...Lommy's not around writing, and I'm really the only one who'd write for the kids.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Folwren

There are other kids around somewhere, maybe he'll run into them.

Or he'll run into other things first. I'm not gonna spoil it, in case you read this before I write my post for the game thread. ^.^

But that's certainly a possibility. I'm going to leave my post open for anyone to begin interaction.

[Galadriel55]

I just had enough time to update my characters - I daresay Theolain needs a better character description now that he's seven! Here's the character post, with updates in italics:

http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showpos...postcount=3524

[Firefoot]

Update for Scyld here: http://www.forum.barrowdowns.com/sho...&postcount=207

Not sure Leof really needs an update - original bio here: http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showpos...&postcount=101

Anything happening in the intervening years I'll cover in in-character posts.

[Galadriel55]

Question - is there any particular time in the year when we're going to "cut" to post the in-between posts? I'm just thinking that it would be a bit awkward if we all pre-plan/write those posts ahead of time, and it would end up happening that one person posts about midsummer just after another person described the beautiful snow that has been falling down for days. I think we should either designate the "cut" time each year, or else, for each of the years, notify everyone about what time of year your post comes in so that we can post them in the correct order of season / weather.

Thoughts?

[Nogrod]

Sorry, but I've been away for five days on a work-trip and then had to catch up with my normal duties...

But as Legate said the "fell winter" was just a word coined to label one extremely bad winter that would help us get rid of extra characters from the Mead Hall - and add some therapeutic unity to the otherwise quarrelsome and torn place as they have needed to have survived it together.

I think it would be okay if people wished to come up with occurences during that winter by themselves in their posts after we start (like making their characters reminiscing of them or making some characters talking of them) and we others would then take them as given. So there would be no need for any details we'd need to come up with beforehand - except maybe a list of those who died (or disappeared).

Also my suggestion for the five years G55 kindly quoted was basically meant as nothing more but an initial suggestion, as one possible scenario.


~*~

If I'm not wrong, it seems only Scyld would benefit of a jump less than 5 years. That would suggest we'd make it five - which conclusion surely doesn't make Firefoot happy - but if the changes for all (or most) others are better with a 5-year jump I do think we should go with that.

A 5-year jump would give us an opportunity to include all our three ideas about the time jumped over into the plot (Aragorn's trip & the following good times and lot of people around, the muster of Rohan taking a lot of soldiers away & giving a reason to take Athanar away, and the terrible winter, the hardships and disaster it brings along & the healing effect it will have on the small community of the Mead Hall).

Also many characters would be so much more interesting to write if they'd need to go through some change or be of enough age (with the latter I'm thinking of Saeryn's twins: five year -olds are surely something more funny to write than three year -olds).


~*~

I'm also for a new thread if it is doable, mostly on reasons Lommy already voiced. It would get things clearer for old writers and more inviting (and less cryptic and insider-kind of thing) for the new writers.

Also I think that a couple of year's real-time pause, a five-year time-jump and a re-instating of the original patron to the Mead Hall are reason enough to start a third edition of the Mead Hall.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Question - is there any particular time in the year when we're going to "cut" to post the in-between posts?

I think I suggested the ending of the hard winter. That might be an easy and a productive way to start as everyone would have their characters needing to go through their thoughts about going from hardship, anguish, and death into a new hope. It could be seen as a kind of a turning point. And there would be a lot to do to get things rolling again.

So a spring then?

Maybe a late one if the winter has been really long and bad. The snow melting, temperatures coming on the plus side (centigrade), green shyly coming forwards... A late April spring?

[Firefoot]

I like the springtime start.

Question - is there any particular time in the year when we're going to "cut" to post the in-between posts? I'm just thinking that it would be a bit awkward if we all pre-plan/write those posts ahead of time, and it would end up happening that one person posts about midsummer just after another person described the beautiful snow that has been falling down for days. I think we should either designate the "cut" time each year, or else, for each of the years, notify everyone about what time of year your post comes in so that we can post them in the correct order of season / weather.

Seconded. So for me, Scyld I'm writing about the lead-up to his departure from the hall (so basically right where the current RPG leaves off), but then everything else I'll cover retrospectively wherever we pick up. Leof I'll just write retrospectively.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

I think I suggested the ending of the hard winter. That might be an easy and a productive way to start as everyone would have their characters needing to go through their thoughts about going from hardship, anguish, and death into a new hope. It could be seen as a kind of a turning point. And there would be a lot to do to get things rolling again.

So a spring then?

Maybe a late one if the winter has been really long and bad. The snow melting, temperatures coming on the plus side (centigrade), green shyly coming forwards... A late April spring?

Hmm, I meant more about any posts we might do in between now and then - during the jump. I threw out the idea that we could pause on each year for a couple characters to post about what's been going on with them lately, which would help keep track of both the plot and the character development. There was some murmur of agreement and no opposing voices, so it kind of floated off. Do most people then want to just jump straight to the final spring, without any brief updates in between?


PS: Harreld and Garreth are twins (right?)

[littlemanpoet]

I have PM'd Pio, asked her to review what we've been saying over the last month or so here, and as she has occasion, to start a new rpg and discussion thread.

We'll need names for the new thread and discussion thread that distinguish it from the current ones. Any thoughts?

I'm not satisfied with a mere "Scarburg II" designation.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Okay, so summa summarum, the idea could be that we could basically continue writing the "in-between posts" now, even on the current normal game thread, so that whoever wants to fill something in, could do that - without any specific guidelines, kinda haphazardly? Because these posts probably won't need to rely much on each other, so we could have a post going like "During the first winter (after the events described above), Scyld was unhappy. But after visitors brought by King Elessar's travel had passed by, he bought himself a new horse." and after it a post by someone else who could start from any absolutely randomly different point, such as "Saeryn's newly born little boy got first time into big trouble when during the third summer of his life, he almost fell into a well." And after it still a different post about what Athanar was doing the previous winter. So the "in-between" posts could be rather character-centered than in any logical order, and that way, anyone could write them however they wished and however many they wished? (And please excuse the ridiculous examples I used.)

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

We'll need names for the new thread and discussion thread that distinguish it from the current ones. Any thoughts?

I'm not satisfied with a mere "Scarburg II" designation.

Good point, let's think about that too (among all the other things).

[Firefoot]

My suggestion would be that we start pretty immediately after the bad winter and Athanar's departure. I feel like a grieving/recovering hall is a great opportunity for character development/new relationships forming.

I think the reason there hasn't been much discussion on Nogrod's timeline is no one has a problem with it. But who is writing the interim post outlining/detailing it for the thread? Or is that even necessary? We also set that up as the backstory and allude to it as necessary (eg I would imagine some of those things are the sorts that Athanar would allude to in a goodbye speech, if Nogrod is so inclined to write one...).

I think too that the idea of letting the new thread deal primarily with events in the present is a good one. The post I'm currently writing for Scyld, I think I will tack onto the end of the current thread because it is far more relevant topically and chronologically to that timeline and sets him up better for the new thread, if no one minds.

[piosenniel]

Go ahead and start the discussion thread for your new RPG:

HERE - the So Far Unnamed RPG Discussion Thread

[Galadriel55]

Legate's idea for the intermediate posts sits quite well with me. I will tack on a post or two about my characters. *very happy me* They should be up within a week (probably even the next couple days).

[Nogrod]

Thanks Pio! Cheers!

Originally Posted by Firefoot

I think the reason there hasn't been much discussion on Nogrod's timeline is no one has a problem with it. But who is writing the interim post outlining/detailing it for the thread? Or is that even necessary? We also set that up as the backstory and allude to it as necessary (eg I would imagine some of those things are the sorts that Athanar would allude to in a goodbye speech, if Nogrod is so inclined to write one...).

I think it would be decent and reasonable to open the actual new thread with an opening post with a short (very short) general description of the Mead Hall and then outlining the recent events (the last five years we jump). After that we could then start posting on it, starting on the spring coming after the terrible winter.

That means - and I would suggest it alongside Legate & Firefoot - that all the so called "jump posts" aka. those dealing with matters happening before the "new beginning" (fex. Athanar's last post) would have a more natural place in the old thread. It would make the new thread feel more like starting anew.

Who would then write the opening post aka. the kind of official opening of the thread? Well, I think it would naturally be lmp.

[Nogrod]

Btw. It might be easier also to continue this discussion on this thread and start using the new one Pio opened a bit later when we are clearly in business of doing something for the new Mead Hall.

And following the nice and practical tradition, we could ask Pio to start the thread with the updated character bios & such.

What do you think?

[Folwren]

I like the idea of new storyline going into the new thread and stuff that happens during the 5-year leap going into the old thread. Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in.

I hope to get around to updating my character bios soon.

-- Folwren

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Btw. It might be easier also to continue this discussion on this thread and start using the new one Pio opened a bit later when we are clearly in business of doing something for the new Mead Hall.

And following the nice and practical tradition, we could ask Pio to start the thread with the updated character bios & such.

What do you think?

Sounds absolutely like a good idea to me. And for that matter, however, I think we could still technically put up something basic on the new thread soon, or as soon as we have e.g. at least decent idea about the starting conditions, in order to make it also possible for newly coming players to start thinking about their own stuff (what they want their characters to be like, how to introduce them and so on). But in any case, obviously now we have clear task before us (organizing our own character developments, updating bios, plus deciding on everything related to the shift), so that's good.

[Galadriel55]

Ok, I know I'm really behind with the promised post... both myself and Legate have been busier that I thought. We're working on it. It's sloe going, but it's happening. For those of you who want to move on with the new thread, I think it's safe to say that nothing of immediate consequences/importance is going to happen in that post other than Theolain dying, so bottom line we shouldn't hinder anyone.

[piosenniel]

This Discussion Thread will be moved to Elvenhome.

It can be returned to the Gameplay forum by the request of the players

~*~ Pio

[Eorl of Rohan]

Ah, has Thornen descended to deliberate misleading now? How the mighty have fallen!

I could try posting for Kara, though I would have to re-read the past Kara posts (but with my midterms over, that's a piece of cake). Still interested, Foley?