Few remember a harder winter. Howling winds and heavy snows had ravaged the island of Eysturoy for months. Many a day had dawned to find frozen livestock and withered crops standing dead in the pastures and fields of the village of Finningur. One clear, cold morning, all had awoken to a sound like thunder and rushed out to see that the mast of Knutr Knotmaker's fishing boat had shattered under the weight of accumulated ice. The old folks whispered that Ragnarok was upon Midgard and Spring would never come again. For some, it never did. Valthofr Snakehands, proud patriarch of Clan Sjavarfli, was called into a snowstorm by a strange song one night, and naught but his blackened, icy hands were ever found. Inga Baggisdottir, barely out of swaddling clothes, was also taken by the norns. Yet, for the rest of you, somehow the long winter has ended and, soon, summer will begin.
You stand now at the close of the Thing, assembled on a clifftop just outside of the village proper. On a flat-topped boulder, underneath a simple arch of wood adorned with first wildlfowers, stands Dagmar Knockingdawn, the jarl's son and Hersir. As he has done since he was a boy of 12, Dagmar speaks at the Thing in his father's stead. Knockingdawn's tired gaze sweeps over the assembled crowd of nearly fifty Norsemen and Norsewomen. His
bifrost-flecked eyes seeming to meet each of yours in turn. "
Drengr of Finningur," he begins, "stand proud, we have faced the gusts of Utgard and feel now the warmth of the sun on our faces. Smile, for you live, but forget neither the dead nor your duty. There is much that must be done. First, the Jarl's storehouse is half empty, a tax will be raised to refill it." A collective grumble sweeps through the gathered
Drengr. "We will need the food should the next winter be like the last. I can brook no argument on this. Second, Valthofr Snakehands's body has been lost and now must lie somewhere in the hills unmarked by a runestone. It must be found and given proper rights. I need not remind you of the consequences should a man such as Snakehands be allowed to raise as a draugr. Third..."
The sound of approaching hoofbeats interrupts Knockingdawn as a pair of identical piebalds gallop up the Thingmound, bearing a pair of identical brothers. The twins Aki Long-Nails and Rickard Hand-Keeper, youngest and newest members of the Jarl's felag, dismount with eerie symmetry and grace and approach the mound, barely glancing at the assembled crowd. Both of the pale, dark-haired young men exude an aura of confidence and barely-contained violence
. As they near Knockingdawn, tension rises for a moment then breaks as he steps back from the lip of the stone stage and allows them up. The three men confer for a moment in hushed tones. Whatever is said is said quickly and the twins leave looking smug while Knockingdawn's face has gone red with rage.
"
Drengr," He addresses the crowd again when his emotions have been mastered, "The jarl and his felag launch a great raid tomorrow to bring wealth and glory back to Finningur. They intend to be away all season and require the remaining surplus from the storehouse. The tax... will have to be raised."
Outcry.
---
So begins Summer 1. You may now post your Seasonal Actions, as well as conduct any business you may have at the Thing or around the village. In addition, I'd like everyone to roll 1d6 for their luck this season.
As a reminder, Finningur does not have a lawspeaker anymore, and no one knows what
all the laws are, anymore. Furthermore, the Jarl has threatened to kill anyone who aspires to become a new lawspeaker. Keep this in mind, should you bring any issue forth in front of the Thing.
Mandatory Event: Empty Storehouse
The Jarl has confiscated all the food and supplies in the storehouse left after a brutal winter. It will need to be refilled with a minimum of 1 unit of Food from each PC.
Quests
- A Field of Thorns: Klaus Square has worse problems than his fields being decimated by frost. A patch of Bloody-Brambles has cropped up on his prized land and threatens to spread.
- Idle Hands: An old warrior called Snakehands died last winter and his body has not been found and, presumably, not been laid to rest. Find his corpse before he returns as a draugr.
- Puppeteers: Aelfgard Deepvoiced is offering to pay for living or dead specimens of Mummer-Eels.
- The Framogr Vanishing: Framogr is a small village on the other side of Eysturoy. According to Gunnar Rumorborne, it has been completely abandoned.
- Wolfsbane: A herdsman named Baggi is cursed by constant wolf-attack. He needs brave Drengr to watch his farm or accompany him while he goes to discover the root of the problem.
