Music and Ambiance: Avenge the Fallen
Prologue: The Feast Begins
There is an excitement in the village as the final preparations are made, the steaming food coming out to the tables. The harvest is done, food stored for the coming winter from hunted meats, stored root vegetables, and canned fruits gathered from the Mercy of Freya, as the nearby forest is called. The ghostly white bark of birch trees naked of their leaves surround the town of Jonnamot, the occasional pine standing evergreen among them. The first day of winter marks when the day shortens to only one-third light, each long night lasting twice as long as the illumination of the sun. In the face of the long darkness of winter, it is the way of the people to bring light and feasting to deny its power, strength in its opposition.
The feeling is tinged in fear and worry, the niggling whisper in the mind whose fingers cling to the edge of each thought and word, the efforts to expel it with good feeling not quite successful for most this year. The harvest was leaner this year, the Mercy of Freya yielding little for the town, ill omens found instead. The stars say today is the first day of winter, the day to begin the Hunt, to face the long darkness of winter. But the winter comes earlier and earlier - the ground has been frozen for a full week already, the first snows the day before, bringing the deep cold out of the north. It feels more and more like it could be the Black Winter, the unholy cold of Hel. The Kunning say their seidrs kept Black Winter at bay, but the Bear King broke them when the grandfathers were young. Some in the village still say it was right, to dispel their heresy and call upon Asgard, others now harbor regret for the sundering and slaughter. Such thoughts often lead to blows once people are deep enough in their cups... the Mithal do like to fight.
Today, at least, the weather has warmed to just above freezing, a great bonfire burns in the center of Jonnamot, lending warmth and light to the entire town square, melting the thin layer of snow that still coats the further roofs. The village boasts a sizeable population - almost 300 men, women, and children - living in the cottages and longhouses that surround the town square in a semi-circle on its northern side. The town has the honor of hosting the Festival for all of Trinity, however, and for all the young men and women wishing to prove themselves in the Hunt, to join the warbands. The west side of the square is a large three-story half-timber building, the Valley Rest Inn, where all the hopefuls and the guests from the other two towns of Trinity are staying for the festival day. A building of equivelent size sits opposite on the east side, the headman's house of Grey Eyed Boe and his wife Hungerd, the headman's wife looking about to burst as she waddles with child. The headman's house boasts the meeting hall for town business and at its rear the paddock where several horses munch their bales of hay. Southwest from the town square is the town's small market - boasting Hallkatla Durinsdottir's small hammersmith, the Crumbles Bakery, where Hroar's pastries are famous among the towns of Trinity particularly its berrydough speciality, a roofed but doorless temple to Freyja which is stacked with offerings in honor of the holiday, and small, open altars to Skadi, Thor, Odin, and Tyr.
Skirfir Uvaldi arrived just before the snow, the dwarven smith accepted and welcomed among the townsfolk as she set herself to work aiding Hallkatla at the smithy. Hallkatla has worked the smithy alone for the last five years, caring for her sickly parents since her father gave up the hammer. The presence of the dwarven artisan has kept a steady stream of work into Hallkatla's grateful shop. Vakar, arrived from Pineheim and has been residing in the Inn, awaiting the Hunt. He is sharing drinks with Birger at a table, the grizzled warband member hazing him loudly. "So, you sure you are enough for the warband?" says Birger, grinning as he eyes the young man's coastal Vestri features, "Anyone can stand inside a town's walls... the warband is tougher than that! You're deep in the dark mountains now, boy. The warband doesn't wait in the walls, it goes on the Hunt! You willing to take the fight to the dangers out there? In the winter? At night? THAT is the Warband!" He salutes with his tankard and slams it down on the table for emphasis.
Everyone wanders the town square and Inn, eating and drinking. Children are playing with wooden axes, swords, and shields, trying to showcase their talents to both parents and village. A small crowd has gathered around two young women fighting, each with saex and shield, the crowd cheering them on and taking bets on which one is going to win. Joyful music can be heard from inside the inn, a young lady and her two boys playing and singing. Outside, games of skill stand at the edges of the square, the townsfolk overseeing each providing suspense and drawing attention with drumbeats from a wide stretched-skin drumhead as the contests occur. Hungerd stays on a stool at the front of her home on the east side of the square greeting guests from the other towns, one hand on her stomach.
Grey Eyed Boe wanders amongst the hopeful contenders for the warband hunt within the Inn.
Welcome to Jonnamot! Being play-by-post, we'll condense this to be more narrative - write yourself in and feel free to add color. I'll try to reply daily this week to help iterrate through the prologue scene and help you immerse before we move to further action.
- Place yourself in the scene. Get in character, explore how your character fits themself here in advance of the Hunt event. Are you arriving today? Have you spent a few days here? Are you native to this town? The Hunt is a ceremonial coming-of-age challenge and you'll leave town at dusk in winter. How do they deal with fear and anticipation?
- Interact with at least two other PCs. Are you meeting for the first time? Have you met earlier, here or in another town on the way here?
- How do you conduct yourself in the games and feast? What do you partake in?
- Feasting: There's tables laden with meats, cheeses, breads, and the last fresh fruits both in the town square and within the Inn.
The headsman also has provided casks of brewed ale for the occasion, and the tavern is serving hot, spiced cider. - Tightrope Walking. Two people face off on separate ropes, balancing and crossing. They roll a contested Acrobatics check against each other - below a DC 12 you fall off, otherwise the higher check wins.
- Axe Throwing. Targets are set up to the side of the Town Square at 20 feet for contestants to throw handaxes at five empty glass bottles. Anyone who its three or more bottles wins (Attack rolls vs AC 14).
- Follow the Coin. On a table within the Inn Hroar the baker encourages a game with three of his mixing bowls. You must risk 1sp and try to guess which bowl it is under after he finishes moving them around. If you guess right, he gives you 1gp. (You may win up to 5gp.)
Roll a Perception check vs DC 17. - Stick. Two contestants are each given a warhammer and they try to hit a tall split-oak post as hard as they can. Whomever drives it further into the ground wins. (Roll a damage roll. Roll 1d10 damage, 1d10+STR bonus if you're proficient in warhammer or martial weapons.)
- Feasting: There's tables laden with meats, cheeses, breads, and the last fresh fruits both in the town square and within the Inn.
| Environment | Initiative Order | Effects in Play |
|---|---|---|
| Time: Mid-day (12:00 noon) Date: The First Day of Winter (Nov. 1st) Temperature is 34-37 F the full day. Clouds are 65-100%, with morning flurries. ('moderate snow' total a quarter inch) |
None. | Twilight at 4:40pm (dim light) Night at 5:35pm (darkness) |
> Enoch as Valdís | Female | Kuning | Seiꝺr (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11 | AC: 15 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No
> Unsungknot as Doshea Ulfgar | Female | Mithal | Alle [Paladin] (1) | HD (1d10): 1 | HP: 11 | AC: 17 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +3 | Darkvision: No
> sastaz as Vakar the Disowned | Male | Vestri | Rogue (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11 | AC: 13 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No
> Spearmint as 'Stig' Stigandr | Male | Mithal | Barbarian (1) | HD (1d12): 1 | HP: 15 | AC: 18 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +3 | Darkvision: No
> Rex as Skirfir Uvaldi | Female | Dvergr (Stoneborn)| Gothi (Smidr) (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 10 | AC: 18 | Current Speed: 25' | Initiative: +1 | Darkvision: Yes
> Stirling as Ralfwin Edwinsen | Male | Mithal | Gothi | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11 | AC: 16 | Current Speed: ??? | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No
