The Mead Hall (OOC)

[Ace Bronson]

1 hour ago, Zaathun said:

Adding on - I seem to be having problems getting the discord invite atm, but it's possible that it's because I'm on mobile - I will be back on my PC roughly 20 hours from this post!

You can try it again with this. Not sure if they expire. https://discord.gg/4T8qqFuj

 

@Abalon will also be joining us, welcome! They are deciding between a barbarian or a fighter to play.

[Svartalf]

BTW, I may see more to the situation than there actually is, but was Sjoldir called Heorot in the past?

Edited September 2, 2023 by Svartalf (see edit history)

[Sovereign Sojourn]

On 8/27/2023 at 4:08 PM, Ace Bronson said:

Alruna and Ranulf are both Raven Clan. I'm not seeing as obvious of a connection between the two of them. It's possible they could be related though Alruna comes from a family of Thanes and Ranulf is a Freeman. I'm open to ideas. Something to at the very least give them reason to be heading to Sjoldir together.

First off, apologies for everyone for the delay in my first post, I just launched my own game earlier this week and then work hit me like a dump truck for Thursday/Friday. Nice thing is, NOW I have the next five days off so lots of time to catch up!

Secondly, I think Ranulf and Alruna could simply be clansfolk, they are two individuals who are probably roughly the same age and hail from the same place, so they could just know of each other through the grape-vine, as it were. Alruna is certainly meant to be very well known as a figure within the clan given her status as a religious leader. As for why Alruna was coming to the land, her most likely motivation would be something like "saw a dark omen in her dreams" or some sort of other religious revelation that told her this land was in trouble. Since she already has experience travelling, she would think little of venturing out right away.

Either Ranulf could have his own reasons for going, or perhaps, if @Zaathun is open to this idea, he could be there specifically to protect Alruna, again citing her importance given her priestly status. She may or may not be directly paying for his services, would that make sense or be inappropriate?

[Zaathun]

That sounds great! He's not the classic big burly protector, but unlike most of them he can hold a conversation about magic as well!

Also the Seer's Tea can find better use now!

[Svartalf]

Magic? where I come from, witches are executed as soon as known for what they are, and their kin are not encouraged to pursue bloodfeud over it... not that they are going to get weregild or something, witche are arg, and so have no mannhelgr.

[Sovereign Sojourn]

13 minutes ago, Svartalf said:

Magic? where I come from, witches are executed as soon as known for what they are, and their kin are not encouraged to pursue bloodfeud over it... not that they are going to get weregild or something, witche are arg, and so have no mannhelgr.

😉Men from lesser clans are often baffled and frightened by the power of the seiðkona. After all, she knows your destiny and might learn the date of your death before it arrives. She might even deny you one fate and place another at your feet. If you cross her. :)

A völva is a holy woman among the Hrafning, who are first among clans as keepers of lore and seekers after divine wisdom. Her kind are considered the interpreters of Godswill, speakers of words of Odin's intent. And she does not require a man's law to protect her, because the seiðkona are under the protection of Folkvar the Wise, Jarl of Hrafning. There isn't a man in all of the Raven Lands stupid enough to brazenly assault one of Odin's holy women.

Of course, the way Alruna thinks... you're perfectly welcome to try burning her for witchcraft. As far as she's concerned she's also got the full backing of Odin. She isn't shy. 😇🥰 She'll pay the weregild either way! She promises!

 

[Svartalf]

Holy of Odin? Fah, I'm a proper worshipper of the Allfather. He gives me the rage to vanquish my foes, and he gets his pick of the fallen; and of course, He gives inspiration should a skald decide to make a visa about my exploits.

[Xssisha]

Hi group. Just thinking out loud here. With the mental state of this poor woman being what it is likely to be (ptsd), I am not sure what abilities we all have to draw i formation from her, but as the witness to what killed her family, she holds information that could mean the difference between success and failure. I can use Cure Light wounds to alleviate some of the physical suffering, but not a lot Hjarlof can do to help her mentally.

 

Basically hoping to just get her talking and see what we can get.

[Sovereign Sojourn]

Alruna's initial reaction would be to start trying to discern if she is still under a malign influence

a.k.a., Detect Magic.

I don't actually have her built as a healer but as a buffer/debuffer, so not much she can do beyond granting her a single temporary hit point... which might make her feel better? More potent healing may be in order, but Alruna cannot help Hjarlof.

Edited September 3, 2023 by Sovereign Sojourn (see edit history)

[Eborne1]

Not in Goran's wheelhouse. He'll likely remain outside.

[Ace Bronson]

Either of both of those spells are fine to use. Your rationale both make sense. Feel free to post a description of your actions and I will describe the results. This is a good opportunity to talk about what we want the magic to look and feel like in the game. It will likely be different for different characters and circumstances. For instance, I would imagine skaldic cure spells would be a lifting of spirits through a song or poem. Remember, I'd like to treat hp more like morale and minor bumps, cuts and scrapes. So singing a gentle song to her (casting a cure spell) could indeed lift her spirits though we wouldn't see wounds magically healing before our eyes. A heal skill check and spending some time with clean wraps, herbs, etc. would show an improvement in wounds in a more conventional sense. Does that make sense? For Alruna's detect magic spell she might do something overtly magical in the sense of muttering incantations or entering a trance, etc. That seems more on targets for a seer.

[Xssisha]

Thanks for the insight. I will see what I can dream up. 😁

[Sovereign Sojourn]

43 minutes ago, Ace Bronson said:

For Alruna's detect magic spell she might do something overtly magical in the sense of muttering incantations or entering a trance, etc. That seems more on targets for a seer.

 

Oh I am 100% on board with your vision for magic in this low-magic setting. Alruna's "magic" carries little to no visual cues, she enters trances, recites incantations, creates wards against evil spirits that include odd little physical totems and decorations she might hang off her comrade's clothing. It's also my intent with her selection of spells and hexes, all of which are designed to inspire her allies to greatness and make her foes terrified beyond comprehension. The most magical thing about her might be her Contact Entity ability, which is meant to represent her ability to ask questions of the Norn. Not something she's likely to even do unless the situation turns more dire and again, mostly a ritual/trance situation.

[Ace Bronson]

37 minutes ago, Sovereign Sojourn said:

 

Oh I am 100% on board with your vision for magic in this low-magic setting. Alruna's "magic" carries little to no visual cues, she enters trances, recites incantations, creates wards against evil spirits that include odd little physical totems and decorations she might hang off her comrade's clothing. It's also my intent with her selection of spells and hexes, all of which are designed to inspire her allies to greatness and make her foes terrified beyond comprehension. The most magical thing about her might be her Contact Entity ability, which is meant to represent her ability to ask questions of the Norn. Not something she's likely to even do unless the situation turns more dire and again, mostly a ritual/trance situation.

That all sounds great! I really appreciate your attention to detail in that regard and that you (and everyone else) seem to appreciate what we're going for here.

 

On a separate note, not sure if you saw my last message. Can I lure you over to discord? It's super simple. It just provides an easier, more intuitive place for us to banter back and forth and people are more likely to see notifications for it to see that something is going on. I believe it will serve us well in building community through better communication and therefore make it easier for us to keep the game active and on track. I just hate to have you missing out on what's being discussed there.

[Sovereign Sojourn]

4 minutes ago, Ace Bronson said:

On a separate note, not sure if you saw my last message. Can I lure you over to discord?

I did not see your message, which is weird. No notification? Hm.

Umm... I can go check, I think I have an old account I can recover. But I mean... I'm not likely to check it any more or less often than Myth-Weavers and I'm not like, "trained" to check Discord every day, it's not something I am used to using at all. So hopefully I won't forget?

I will check and see if I can find the log-in...