Winter has so far been marked by, if anything, a great deal of boredom. Snows are deep and travel is largely cut off. Few merchants or other travelers make it through, and cabin fever is not uncommon. Other than feasting and drinking, there is often little to do over the harsh winter months of the North. As a result, when there are days good enough to go outdoors, all manner of brash contests and dares are set forth and participated in with alacrity — even if the occasional knocked skull or broken bone is the inevitable result. In addition to these physical contests or wrestling, hunting, and general feats of strength (or idiocy), there are also riddling contests, singing or chanting the sagas by skalds and would-be skalds, and games of hnefatafl and other types of challenges that you've participated in.
Ability Checks Aella (STR):1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 Aðalbjörn (STR):1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21 Haldorr (DEX):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17 Dvallar (WIS):1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10 O∂ørn (WIS):1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7 Helle (CHA):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23 The party has collectively earned 1000 XP (I'll track this). This will not occur every winter, but merely represents the maturing of your abilities at the start of your careers.
Northlands Saga Book 0: Spears in the Ice
You have been ordered to appear before your jarl, Olaf Henrikson, Jarl of Halfstead, greatest city of the Northlands. For young members in service to his household or visitors who have wintered there but have no immediate plans for pursuing their wyrd, this is a moment of both hope and fear. Hope that he assigns you a glorious task that allows you to prove your mettle, but tinged with fear of his wrath should you fail. Your jarl is a good man, strong and battle-tested, with many famed heroic deeds to his name. Most importantly, he is a ring-giver, one who is generous to those in his service who prove themselves deserving.
After making yourself presentable, you and a few of his other retainers and guests walk through the gates of the great hall’s stockade and present yourselves to the guards at the carved wooden doors that mark the main entrance. After exchanging a few jests with these household warriors that you have known for as long as you’ve been a part of the jarl’s household, Ari Hrokson, your jarl’s herald, comes for you. "I needn’t remind you to keep polite and let the jarl speak first. And do not keep too much of his time, this is a busy day," the old skald states. He then announces you to the jarl, in order of your social precedence.
"My lord. I present Aella Iceeyes, daughter of Thollvar the Unslain and Brida the Wyrdweaver - huscarls Aðalbjörn and Haldorr - Dvallar, Hirdwoman of Bloodrock Farm - the godi O∂ørn the Drowned - and Helle Stinar, a cunning woman."The order for status is generally as follows: anyone of noble birth, warriors, skalds, godi, arcane casters, and finally foreigners.
The hall is dimly lit, for this is a normal day and not a cause for feasting. Only a few huscarls stand about the room, but several thralls busy themselves putting up garlands of flowers and green boughs, preparations for the upcoming Feast of Freyja. The jarl is seated at the end of the feasting table in his chair, an ornate piece of work carved from the trunk of an oak. He is leaning in and talking with a stranger, a well-dressed man with the bearing of an envoy. As you approach, you hear the jarl say, "...and thirty-five cattle, that’s all her dowry will be."
The jarl turns to you. "Good, you have come quickly and well comported. This speaks kindly of you and your kin. Sit and partake of an early meal; you will need it, for I have a task for you. My three daughters, Inga, Fastvi, and Runa, wish to go out this afternoon and gather flowers for the feast. As this is a rightful thing for young girls to do, I am allowing it. They need to be guarded, and this is the task I set before you."
"I know you have longed for a chance to prove yourselves and rise in my favor as well as allow your mind’s-worth to shine, but there is no spear-din today and no chance to shed battle-dew. All I have is this task: Spend a spring afternoon watching young girls as they pick flowers in the meadows. When you have your own halls and have seen the swans of blood sip on many a foeman’s wound-sea, such a day as this will be a boon beyond naming. So remember it well and pray that you have many more like it. Now, let us eat. But before that, allow me to introduce our bread-brother this morning, Ottar Gundrikson, skald and herald to the Jarl Ref Solumundson of the Vale."
The meal consists of black bread, butter, the last of the winter’s pickled flounder, fresh spring greens (cooked with white beans and a ham hock) - in addition the beer flows freely.
You may converse amongst yourselves for the moment, but speaking with either the Jarl or his guest without coming across as rude will require a Diplomacy check, as they're both busy telling tales of battles and adventures past.
Jarl Solumundson: DC 10 Knowledge(nobility):
The jarl is a landholder of middling importance in the Storstrøm Vale but more importantly is joined by blood though his wife to the powerful Gat family, one of the two most-powerful clans in the Northlands. Jarl Ref Solumundson has three sons of marrying age, all well accomplished in deed. Considering that Jarl Henrikson’s eldest daughter is sixteen, and thus of marrying age, you have likely intruded upon a discussion over her dowry.
First off: As Painlord writes in his lovely guide ~ "Don't set out to start a PbP. Set out to close a PbP." In this vein, I'd like make it clear up front that what the only thing I'm committing to at this point, and the only thing I'm asking you to commit to is the first book (Book 0) of the adventure path (levels 1-5). I have every intention of continuing onwards from there, but in the interest of future unpredictability Book 0 is realistically the most I can promise at this point.
Still here? Great!
Deliver us, O Lord, from the fury of the Northmen...
Wyrð Bid Ful Aræd
("The Wanderer," From the Exeter Book) Wyrd is fate, and fate is inexorable beneath the leaden winter skies of the Northlands. Where raging storms, some sent by malevolent spirits of the Ginnungagap, howl from the Far North and bury steadings and towns alike under several feet of snow while unnamed things of tooth and shadow hunt those who dare to emerge and brave the cold. Where the blood of fighting men and women sings in harmony with the death cries of the spear-din and the clash of wood and steel when the shield walls meet. Where enchantments older than the race of Men linger in barrow fields and primeval forests waiting to ensnare the unwary or the foolish. This is the realm of the Norns where they measure and cut the threads of a man's wyrd. This is the Northlands.
WHY WOULD I WANT TO PLAY A NORTHLANDS CAMPAIGN?
For those of you who aren't familiar with the "feel" of the Northlands and Norse mythology in general, one way to break it down is this:
1. Gather up a nice handful of conventions from Greek mythology: the larger than life heroes, the truly epic battles, the glory of extolling and retelling such deeds, the harrowing journeys through lands unseen or even unnatural, the gods who walk beside their favored champions, the eerie supernatural, the iron bonds of loyalty to one's comrades, the heroic code, the placement of honor and bravery before even death, and most importantly the absolute grandeur of the overall plot arch.
2. Sprinkle some snow on everything.
So it may be a little tongue in cheek, but in all seriousness, if you're a fan of the any of the great Greek epics you'll find yourself fully at home in the Northlands. If you're just a regular D&D/Pathfinder fan, there's of absolutely a place for you, as these games draw many of their conventions from such sources. If you're a fan of more Nordic tales - you shouldn't even be reading this section, move on down to the next immediately!
APPLICATIONS
All I need from you are three things:
Character Concept: Give me a very brief overview of your character - class, theme, anything that might not be readily apparent from your background. You do NOT need a full build - I'll be happy to answer questions about crunch but I won't even look at any statblocks until after I've selected the party. See the Campaign Info section for a Player's Guide to help you, as well as the profile of this alias for new archetypes/races. Do know that the campaign assumes the majority of the party to be human Northlanders in service to the local Jarl. Outlanders/thralls of other races are allowed, but will require a solid backstory to work well.
Backstory: Here is where I'll be basing most of my decision. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like (although I'm not looking to proofread your novels). A good backstory will be well-written, present a compelling character, and mesh well with the themes and tone of the campaign.
About Me: Again, nothing too long is necessary here, no personal information need be shared, just tell me at the very least a bit about something you like (such as roleplaying) just so that I know there's an actual human behind the character. For example, I'm fresh out of the oven here on the forums (this is my first game) but have been dabbling around with roleplaying games for at least the past 10 years, although never as much as I'd like. What really draws me to the hobby is adventure, plain and simple. I'm a fiend for stories. Movies, books, games, a night out on the town - if there's a chance for adventure and a good story to be told, I'm with it.
EXPECTATIONS
As mentioned in the beginning of the post, the bare minimum of commitment is the duration of Book 0, from levels 1-5. Players should be able to post once a day at the very least (the more the merrier though) and be able to access Google Slides for combat maps. If someone's absent for longer than 24 hours, it'll be up to the other players to bot them. Absent longer than a week without notice, you will be replaced. The most important rule, of course, is to put in your best to contribute towards an exciting game environment, embrace the spirit of the Northlands, and have fun!
CAMPAIGN HOOK
In the Jarl's House:
Jarl Olaf Henrikson is one of the most powerful men in the North. He is not a member of one of the great families such as the Gats or the Hrolfs, nor is he a resident of Storstrøm Vale where dwells the true old blood of the Northlander peoples. But he is nevertheless jarl of the most populace and cosmopolitan settlement in the Northlands and, as such, commands a great deal of respect and power. He is not even the ruler of Hordaland wherein his city of Halfstead lies, but even the køenig of Hordaland (the closest Northlands equivalent to a king) respects and listens to the words that Jarl Olaf speaks in the mead hall or at the Thing.
It is well know that Olaf Henrikson began his career as a sellsword in the Southlands, where he gained his reputation as a leader of men and as a generous ring-giver. He also amassed his fortune with plunder from his days of fighting for foreign lords before attaining command of his own ships and reaving against the settlements of those same lords. Upon returning to the North at the head of his own fleet of sixteen ships, he landed at Halfstead, at that time a stockaded port town known more for its surly jarl and acerbic residents than anything else, and put the place to the torch. Those residents who did not yield or flee were put to the sword, and a new banner raised over Halfstead — the boar and rings of Olaf Henrikson. That Køenig Ragi Steinson raised no hand against the newcomer brought forth more than a few suspicions as to whether or not the crafty ruler had not paid Olaf to raze Halfstead in the first place. Regardless of any real or imagined collusion, the result was a port rebuilt by Henrikson into a large and prosperous settlement open to trade from abroad and a powerful jarl loyal to the køenig and with a fleet of ships at his command that only grew as his reputation spread.
Today, twenty years later, Jarl Olaf is a settled man raising a family, and Halfstead is a booming Northlands port largely left to its own devices. The local Thing makes most of the decision for the town, though Jarl Olaf does keep a hall within the city from where he holds court and feast twice a month in which to hear complaints and settle legal cases and give rings to the worthy. This also allows him to claim his sizable share of the duties collected from the many visiting merchant ships. The fleet of longships Jarl Olaf maintains is down to four, and these are more prone to patrolling the waters off the peninsula for raiders than going a-viking on their own. But many rightfully expect that should the need arise, the jarl could raise the call and gather a fleet of loyal ships twice as large as what he had before.
A self-made man, Jarl Olaf is enjoying his quiet semi-retirement despite even the recent turmoil for the crown of Hordaland. He remains loyal to Leif Ragison, the young køenig, but holds Halfstead carefully neutral in the current political machinations to keep the port open and prosperous. In his mind, a healthy Halfstead is good for all of Hordaland and the North, regardless of who rules the country. As such, he and his family spend most of their time at his personal hall of Silvermeade, which is situated on the coast halfway between Halfstead and Galvë. It is here that they winter and here that you begin your careers in his service.
Silvermeade Hall
NG small town
Government overlord
Population 420 (367 humans [Northlanders]; 38 human thralls [Seagestrelanders]; 12 dwarves; 2 giant-blooded; 1 Nûklander)
Notable NPCs
Olaf Henrikson, Jarl of Halfstead
Hallbjorn Bolverkson, huscarl
One-Eyed Sven, semi-retired huscarl
Aase, huscarl
Kraki Hallason, huscarl
Sigfastr Wyrmhammer, trader
Hauk Arinbjornson, Vastaviklander mercenary
Graf, godi/blacksmith
Grimr Wisetooth, skald
Odi, cunning woman
Recruitment will close at the end of the month, February 29th, 12:00 AM midnight US Central time. I shall select 6 players.
So here's the sitch: I'm new to PbP and I'd honestly rather hit the ground GMing rather than as a player (why play one character when you can play ALL the characters, right?). I've hit up the stickied guides here, all excellent, and done a little additional reading, but I still have a few issues I want to mull over before I dive into a game. If there are any GMs or even wise players out there who could share a few thoughts I'd be eternally indebted.
1. Optimum Number of Players: From what I've read it seems there's quite some division on this issue - some seem to say recruit high as a buffer for dropouts, others say keep player count low or it'll slow your game to a crawl. In practice, which approach seems to be more effective?
2. Combat: I've looked over a bunch of the recommended mapping tools and honestly they all feel too clunky for me. I know if there was one thing that would really kill my pace it would be having to crank out maps on a regular basis. So, any tips, tricks, or advice for theater of mind style combat? A link to a solid mapless game that I can snoop on would be tops as well.
