Yggdrasil: A Norse Role-Playing Game

[Dirty Chai]

Poll Options

II - Viken, Norway (Chosen Setting)
Viken is the region around modern Oslo, Norway, including the Oslofjord and Skaggerak, and is the traditional heartland of an extremely broken and dangerous kingdom.
Norway is a mountainous land with long, steep coastlines; Independent Jarls straddle the farmlands available, while the mountains in the north are populated by hard tribes.
Viken itself is a potential hub of trade and communication in the Baltic, being a way point for other kingdoms besides Norway to cross to the west.

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In all the regions, only coastlines are mostly developed. Even on Denmark's islands, the inland areas are covered in thick forest which must be removed to become arable.
Norway is also covered in mountains, but has numerous fjords to help transportation.

Yggdrasil is a TWC Community RPG focused on intrigue and internal war set in Old Norse Scandinavia or "Scandia."

Norse society was built around familial bonds for survival, and relied on extended families known as clans ('ætt's) to keep the peace.
Because of the values of this society, feuds and vendettas are common, and the laws of the Thing (an assembly of all free men) can rarely prevent them.
This is a major core concept of the game, and is the fulcrum of all internal role-playing in the kingdom.

The game will progress a year in time every two weeks; That is, the first real-life week of the in-game year is the Autumn and Winter, and the second week is the Spring and Summer.
Winter is a good time hold feasts, ceremonies, and rituals, and thus perfect for politics and intrigue.
Summer is for war-making and raiding and is the best time to sail the seas.

Character Rules

A player may have 4 main characters maximum, but as many auxiliary characters as necessary. All main characters are allowed to begin as thegns, though lower social orders are allowed as well. Main Characters Main characters are characters that can carry traits, own property, and hold finance/income. They age a year every two weeks (or when you have designated their birthday), and receive death rolls every year after the age of 40. Auxiliary Characters Auxiliary characters cannot carry traits, cannot own property, and cannot hold finance/income. They age just the same as Main Characters. Death Rolls are required after the age of 40, just as with Mains. They may become Main characters if they were already in existence for at least a few weeks and the player has room for more Mains. A good example would be a child coming of age, and then becoming a Main. They have the power to bear witness to events. Retinues Certain ranks afford a character a certain amount of retainers, free of charge and upkeep. They do not stack. - Kings have retinues of 20 Hirdmen - Jarls have retinues of 15 Hirdmen - Chieftains have retinues of 10 Hirdmen - Thegns, Housecarls, and Princes have 5 Hirdmen - Freemen have 5 Leidangr Perks Perks are gained and rewarded for success at particular actions or events. Ex. Surviving a battle might give +1 to Battle Rolls to a character. Landholding A player may only have 1 main character that holds land when that player first enter the game. The other main characters must either live off of that character or be landless at start, but may gain or obtain lands later through role-playing. - A ‘landholder’ is a character that own land property. This character controls the finances of that property, and commands its resources. - The characters who live under the landholder’s roof, take service with the landholder, or are otherwise dependent on the landholder, are known as ‘retainers’, ‘servants’, or ‘relatives’, depending on the situation. - Landholding is not tied to titles such as titles or ranks such as King, Etheling, Jarl, etc. - Landholding does enable one to become a Thegn from being a Karl if they were not already a Thegn or higher before landholding. Children, Age, and Death - Children are born into existence with Birth Rolls. - Noble-born child characters come of age at the age of 12. Karl or Thrall child characters come of age at the age of 16. If the child character was an auxiliary during his/her minority, they may become a main character at coming of age if the player has room for them. - Characters, no matter whom, become older every in-game year. - At and after the age of 40, characters, no matter whom, get ‘death rolls’ at the beginning of every in-game year. If they are rolled to die (of old age, sickness, whatever), they must die sometime within the two weeks of that year. Birth Rolls One per year 1-5: Complications -Secondary roll 1-9: child dies 10-14: child and mother die 15-19: mother dies, child lives 20: Catastrophic failure (see below) --Tertiary Roll 1-8: Child dies, mother barren 9-15: Mother dies, child has defect (dwarfism, useless limb, etc) 16-20: Child has defect, mother barren 6-20: Successful birth Child Deaths One roll every five years until age 15 for a total of three opportunities of death: 1-3: Death 4-20: Life Gifted Rolls Roll 1/50 for every child born. Gifted children will not have any death rolls for their childhood as well as the player's choice of one of the following skills: 1. +1 to every roll they every get 2. A request for something different, mod approved. Other Options N/A yet Heirs, Wills, and Inheritance When a main character dies, the player may post a will detailing what happens with that character’s property, money, and/or hereditary titles, within 24 real-life hours of that character’s death. Only main characters connected to the deceased character by blood or friendship are eligible for inheritance. - Characters connected by blood must be either created at the player’s start or born into existence. Auxiliary children/relatives turned into Mains count. Any main characters connected by marriage count. - Characters connected by Friendship that are eligible to inherit cannot be of the same player. Friendship inheritance may only to be other player characters. Inheritance/wills can and may be ignored by certain circumstances, such as the looting of a corpse or the capture of the deceased’s lands.

Bloodletting

Duels Simply, each player has 20 health points. For every 4 survival points, a player can have 1 extra health point. Then Roll "rounds" these in order: 2 D20 [(Higher Roll - Lower Roll) / 2] + Weapon/Traits of Winner - Armor/Traits of Loser = Damage to Loser ; 1 D20, 50% chance of damage to Winner also; If Damage is done: 1 D10, 10 is 100% same as Damage to loser, while 1 is 10%. Take this number and apply halved Weapon/Armor/Trait numbers to it. (We round up if you get a decimal) Then you let the players RP it and decide whether to continue or not. Worse case scenario, the loser player loses 10 health in one round. You keep doing these "rounds" until one player dies, submits, or otherwise "loses". War Soldiers Hirdmen: 3 Points- Household Warriors, Companions, 'Professionals'; These men are trained fighters, and should be the strength and leadership in any battle. They serve as retinues , household guards, and friends of chieftains, and as the professional warriors of kings. Leidangr: 1 Point - Levied farmers and craftsmen from all over, these men are given a spear and/or hand-axe and then ordered into the shieldwall by their liege. Bowmen: 1 Points - Hunters and woodsmen alike levied like the Leidangr, but acknowledged for their *Bowmen cannot make up more than 15% of any force. **See Skirmishing Rules for usage Lancers: 4 Points - Mounted warriors *Lancers cannot make up more than 15% of any force Levies Levies can be raised by owners of Towns and Farms.Levies cannot be raised for more than two weeks, and will not leave the home region in winter. The levies will simply leave after two weeks, or will refuse to go far in winter. Farm Levies: Small Farm - 40 Leidangr Large Farm - 70 Leidangr Estate - 100 Leidangr Town Levies: Town - 100 Leidangr Haven - 150 Leidangr City - 200 Leidangr *Temporarily, If only a portion of the needed farms are currently supporting the Town’s needed quota, then the Levy will be cut to match the fraction; Ex. ¾ Small Farms = 75% of Levy. Battles Player Set-Up Players must post the layout of their army in the field of battle. This must be divided into three mandatory and one optional component. Mandatory sections are the Left Flank, Center, and Right Flank. These are the three sections that will engage the enemy army. Skirmishing Before the clash of battle, Bowmen in each army may skirmish against their foe. Bowmen may not make up more than 15% of any force. A D10 is rolled for both groups of Bowmen, representing the percentage of the arrows the Bowmen fire; IE, a 10/10 roll means that 100% of the Bowmen hit their mark. A D3 is rolled, this one representing how many shots the Bowmen get; IE, 3/3 means that the Bowmen hit three times. Ex. 10/10 and then 3/3 for a group of 10 Bowmen means that they cause 30 casualties to the enemy infantry. Unless specifically ordered to only fire on one specific area or group, the casualties are spread out evenly across the flanks of the enemy. Rolling the Battle The Moderator will roll with the following formula for each of the Left, Center and Right combats. Bear in mind that Player 1's Left will engage Player 2's Right, and vice versa. * * * [Score of Soldiers] * [d10 Roll] = Score. Repeat for both sides. Winner with the highest score. Winner dead: ( [Lower Score] / [Higher Score] ) * [Loser's Number of Soldiers]. Dead capped at 15% of [Lesser Force] Loser dead: ( [Higher Score] / [Lower Score] ) * [Winner's Number of Soldiers]. Dead capped at 25% of [Lesser Force] * * * The winner is the player that has two of three sections victorious. Remember the reserve capabilities above: if Player 1's left flank loses and his reserve intervenes, a new battle between Player 2's victorious right and Player 1's advancing Reserve will be rolled. The Aftermath of the Battle If you win the battle, an enemy rout happens depending on whether you have an cavalry or not. If the winner does have Lancers: Roll d10*# of Lancers for routing casualties of the loser. If the winner does not have Lancers: The defeated army gets off without any more casualties. Retreating from Battle - A defeated army will retreat to the nearest friendly fort or town. Once there it cannot move for 6 hours. - A defeated army is not permitted to inform other nearby friendly armies of its fate or location of their victorious foe until 6 hours have passed, whether or not they have reached a friendly keep. This is for balance and sportsmanship purposes. - A victorious army may not move for a period of 6 hours. Post-Battle wounded rolls For example, say A/B/C/D are fighting E/F/G. One character to each flank & one to the center, with D also being assigned to the right flank of Army 1 with C. A would then be matched against E, B VS. F, C VS. G, and D would have his fate rolled. The aftermath of battles were a confused state, therefore your character will be given a D20 roll by a mod to determine your individual outcome. (only if a character isn't engaged in a duel) Killed In Action – 1-2/20 (if a 1 is rolled your character is killed and a 2 is mortally wounded) Wounded - 3-7/20 (there will be a further roll to see what type of wound) Captured - 8-12/20 (you are captured by the other side and must be ransomed or escape) Free - 13-20/20 (you get through the battle without being captured or wounded) - Wounded If it is rolled and you are wounded during a battle there shall be another roll under this category to see where the wound is. This roll will only give you a general area, after that it is up to you to RP it. Head wound - 1-5/20 (you have taken some sort of wound to the face or head) Arm wound - 6-10/20 (you have taken some sort of wound to the arms or hands) Leg wound - 11-15/20 (you have taken some sort of wound to the legs or feet) Torso wound - 16-20/20 (you have taken some sot of wound to the back, stomach, chest area.) In the event that the overall leader in command, or one of the section commanders is killed, a negative modifier may be added to the army/army section who losses a commander. The size of the modifier will be determined by moderator discretion. A more central, militarily accomplished character will be more of a loss and blow to morale than an incompetent commander. Murder The Ways to Kill Anonymous Assassination Pick your target Be sure to have a good reason for the assassination. This reason must be relevant and not OOC based. Moderators reserve the right to reject any assassination request if there is no valid reason that you wish to kill the target. PM a moderator stating: The Reason, The Location, The Target and the Items you wish to use. Any character traits aiding assassinations should also be detailed. The mod will post the rest, detailing the attempt, whether it succeeded or failed (and if so, whether you got captured). Your identity will not be released. The time stamp of the PM will freeze the moment in time. If a character leaves the thread after a moderator responds to the assassination request, it still applies retroactively. Open Assassination Pick your target and get in the same thread as them Post requesting an assassination on your target. Ensure you post what equipment and traits regarding assassinations you have. If possible and time permits, notify a moderator with your reason for the assassination. The mod will post the rest (success/failure, whether escaped) The time stamp of the PM will freeze the moment in time. If a character leaves the thread after a moderator responds to the assassination request, it still applies retroactively. Secret Open Assassination Pick your target and get in the same thread as them. They must acknowledge that they are alone. From here, follow standard open assassination steps. If possible and time permits, notify a moderator with your reason for the assassination. A mod will post the result. If successful, you are free to leave. If not, an escape roll is done, in this case a simple 10/20. The time stamp of the PM will freeze the moment in time. If a character leaves the thread after a moderator responds to the assassination request, it still applies retroactively. The Rolls and Chances Depending on your rank and location, the chances of being assassinated differ. At your Home (the thread you use to receive visitors) Nobles: 2/20 Freemen: 5/20 In a neutral house (any other home thread except yours and the assassins) Nobles: 4/20 Freemen: 8/20 In the assassins home (the thread he uses to receive visitors) Nobles: 15/20 Freemen: 17/20 Any other indoor situation (ie a RP that takes place inside, like a wedding) Both: 10/20 An outside situation Both: 13/20 Group Assassinations If more than one person wishes to murder someone, the assassins may work together. Each extra person wishing to assassinate will add 1 to the chances of success. This comes at a price however, as groups are easier to catch than a lone ranger. If the group is attempting a closed or open assassination, each extra assassin takes one from the escape rolls, making it more likely you get caught. Armour If a target is wearing armour, the modifier of that armour becomes an anti-assassination modifier, however the target must have posted he is wearing armour, unless he is on a battlefield, in which case he is assumed to be wearing armour. Escape All escape chances after an assassination (failed or successful, unless it is a secret open assassination) start at 20/20 (meaning you will always escape). Depending on the situation, certain modifiers reduce the chance of escape. These are: If using a melee weapon -1 If in a home thread -2 If in an enclosed area -1 Every guard present -1 Every neutral player present -1 Mods may, at their discretion, take up to -3 Failed Escape If you fail your escape roll, you are at the mercy of your captor. If you yourself attempted the assassination, you may as well start kissing the feet of your captor and hope they forgive. Battlefield Assassinations If a commander is killed on the battlefield, morale takes a hit. Reflecting this, is a noble character gets assassinated on the battlefield, they cause a hit to the rolls according to rank. King is assasinated -5 to the armies battle roll Jarl is assasinated -3 to the armies battle roll Chieftain is assasinated -2 to the armies battle roll Looting and Raiding Looting This is for when one character or set of characters seizes or raids the holdings of another character. Assuming any defenders were already killed (both levies and hirdmen): At least 25 men must be alive and present to loot. D20 for percent, 20/20 being 100%. However, looting is capped at 80% regardless. For every 25 men after 25 (ie, 50, 75, 100) present in the looting, add +1 to the D20 roll result. The result is a percent of the income from that holding for that week. If the holding is the definitive personal residence of the defender, and their treasury is without a doubt in this residence, then another D20 roll can be done for the percent of this treasury when looted. Ex. A small farm that provided 250 silver a week is looted by 75 men. The D20 roll is 9, and 11 with the +2 from having an extra 50 men; that is 55% of 250 silver. Thus 137 silver is looted. Raiding Abroad in Summer When considering to raid or travel abroad, one must first consider the time it could take to reach these places and still come back in time during the summer. If one sails too long abroad and summer is over before they return, they should seek to find shelter for the winter or they will likely perish. Each destination has 'stats'. The first stat is Time; for example, a 2 means that 2 real-life days are required to reach this location, normally. A D20 roll is done to determine the winds. 1-5: bad wind - 50% more time. 5-15: normal wind 15-20: strong wind - 50% less time. Still using the Time stat, we also determine the chances of disasters while sailing, such as storms. Take the Time stat, and, out of a D20 roll, it represents the chances of a Disaster. Ex. a Time stat of 2 gives you 2/20 chance of Disaster. If a Disaster is rolled, then another D20 must be rolled, with these possible results: 1-2 - Entire fleet sinks 3-5 - 50% of fleet sinks. If only one ship, lose 50% of crew. 6-9 - 15% of men on voyage die. 10-20 - Everyone lives, everyone survives. Voyage continues without issue. Next, we have the Defense stat. A D20 is rolled, with a -1 added to the result for every raid or other hostile action on the chosen location in the past 10 In-Game years. 1-2 - A huge native force. Defense Stat *30 equals defending number of Hirdmen and Defense Stat *40 equals defending number of Leidangr. Bowmen numbers and Lancer numbers are both Defense Stat *10 3-4 - A large native force. Defense Stat *20 equals defending number of Hirdmen and Defense Stat *30 equals defending number of Leidangr. Bowmen numbers and Lancer numbers are both Defense Stat *10 5-6 - A significant native force. Defense Stat *15 equals defending number of Hirdmen and Defense Stat *20 equals defending number of Leidangr. Bowmen numbers and Lancer numbers are both Defense Stat *5 7-8 - A small native force. Defense Stat *10 equals defending number of Hirdmen and Defense Stat *15 equals defending number of Leidangr. Bowmen numbers and Lancer numbers are both Defense Stat *5 9-20 - The raiders face no defenders. Finally, there is the Loot stat. A D20 is rolled to determine the loot strength. A -3 is added to the result for every looting of the location in the past 5 In-Game years. 1-5: weak loot - 50% less 5-15: normal loot 15-20: rich loot - 50% more Miðgarð - Raiding against other Norsemen inside Midgard is highly dishonorable and may come with heavy consequences. Þrœndalǫg (Northwestern Norway): Time-3, Defense-4, Loot-1000 Rygjafylki (Southwestern Norway): Time-2, Defense-4, Loot-1000 Jylland (Land of Jutes): Time-2, Defense-3, Loot-900 Danmörk (Danish Islands and Skane): Time-3, Defense-4, Loot-1200 Austgautaland (East Geats and Gutes): Time-3, Defense-4, Loot-1000 Svíþjóð (The Swedes): Time-3, Defense-4, Loot-1200 Vends Vendland (West Slavs): Time-3, Defense-2, Loot-900 Kurland (Balts): Time-4, Defense-2, Loot-900 Austrlönd Finland (Finns & Tavastians): Time-4, Defense-1, Loot-500 Garðaríki (East Slavs): Time-5, Defense-3, Loot-1000 Valskr Valland (Franks): Time-4, Defense-4, Loot-1800 Englaland (Anglo-Saxons): Time-4, Defense-2, Loot-1600 Irland (Goidels): Time-5, Defense-2, Loot-1000 Skottland (Scottish Gaels): Time-4, Defense-1, Loot-800 Spania (Hispania): Time-7, Defense-4, Loot-2000 Langbarðaland (Italia): Time-10, Defense-4, Loot-2500 Miklagarðr Miklagarðr (Byzantium): Time-10, Defense-5, Loot-4000 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Through sufficient role-playing and effort (and likely tons of silver as well), the travel times and other risks (excluding Defense) can be reduced by 'evolving' the longship. Historically, the longship (as we know it popularly) evolved from the early 300's AD all the way up through the Norman period of the 1000's. Times are reduced, weight capacity is increased, and survival of storms becomes more easier.[/FIELDSET2]

Economy

Currency in the RPG goes as such: 1 Gold Piece is worth 2 Silver Pieces. As such, something that costs 4 Gold may also be valued at 8 Silver. Landholding Landholding is for thegns and higher ranks. When a thegn obtains land, he becomes a hersir. One may obtain land to become a thegn (and a hersir). Types of holdings include farms, towns, and forts. At the start of the game, a player may start with only one thegn who holds 1 farm. If at least 3 players join together with characters as part of the same Clan, they start with a Fort as well, with one of the characters being a Jarl and the leader of the Clan. Farms A farm is plot of land made arable for agriculture, filled with fields and small hamlets. Agriculture is the base of the society’s economy, and so farms are the main source of income for nobles. Farms require Thralls to work them. Farms and Thralls are purchased in the Farmland thread. Thralls cost 50 Silver a piece. Each Thrall adds 25 silver income to a farm. Small Farm: Cost 1,000 Silver May be worked by 10 Thralls in total. Provides a Small Home and a few buildings for RP purposes. A character may only have eight of these. Large Farm: Cost 2,500 Silver May be worked by 50 Thralls in total. Provides a Large Home and a few buildings for RP purposes. Requires four small farms. A character may only have two of these. Estate: Cost 5,000 Silver May be worked by 120 Thralls in total. Provides a Large Home surrounded by a gate-less palisade for defensive purposes. Requires two large farms. A character may only have one of these. Towns A town is a village or city. Towns are the centers of population and trade. All player-created towns start as villages. It requires supporting farms. Supporting farms can be owned by players other than the player who owns the Town they support, but the players who own the farms must agree to support the Town. It costs 10,000 Silver to establish a Town, and significant RP judged by moderator discretion to found a town (and in places where it seems logical, such as in the middle of possible trade routes). It costs another 5,000 to upgrade the Town to a Haven, and then another 10,000 again to upgrade the Haven to a City. Town: Costs 10,000 Silver to establish A Village requires two supporting small farms or equivalent. Haven: Costs 5,000 Silver to upgrade A Haven requires four supporting small farms or equivalent. City: Costs 10,000 Silver to upgrade A City requires eight supporting small farms or equivalent. Taxes: Taxes are how one reaps income from a Town. Every week, the player who owns the Town, if they want to Tax, should request a Tax roll; A moderator rolls a D20, and the result out of 20 represents the percent of the possible tax that was raised. Ex. 10/20 Roll means 50% of the possible tax. Hirdmen can be deployed to Increase Tax revenue, but will not be available for usage for that entire week. Every 10 Hirdmen deployed to Increase Tax add +1 to the resulting D20 Roll. Town: Possible 1,000 Silver Haven: Possible 1,500 Silver City: Possible 2,000 Silver Forts A fort is a small area of land made strong through the use of walls and towers. A fort in this RPG usually has circular walls, four gates, and one or a few halls inside the walls. Forts are primarily the residences of powerful chieftains, but are also used to solidify one’s control over an area, protect a resource or people, and/or defend a strategic location. It requires supporting farms. It costs 4,000 Silver to establish a Hall, 5,000 to upgrade a Hall to a Fort, and then 8,000 to upgrade a Fort to a Burh. Hall: Cost 4,000 Silver A Hall requires one supporting small farms. Provides 20 Hirdmen, free of upkeep. Fort: Cost 5,000 Silver A Fort requires two supporting small farms. Provides 50 Hirdmen, free of upkeep. Burh: 8,000 Silver A Burh requires four supporting small farms or equivalent. Provides 80 Hirdmen, free of upkeep. Soldier Hire Hirdmen: - Cost: 25 Silver each - Upkeep: 10 Silver each Bowmen: - Cost: 20 Silver each - Upkeep: 10 Silver each Lancers: - Cost: 30 Silver each - Upkeep: 25 Silver each Remember, both Bowmen and Lancers cannot make up more than 15% of a force by themselves.

Ships

Ships in the pre-Christian Scandinavian world were the primary method of transportation, most locations being set upon the coast with the inland regions being covered in thick forest and wild mountain ranges. There are 3 types of ships: Knarr: 32 oars, can carry 40 men. Requires minimum of 10 men to man. Smallest of longboats and mostly used to trade across the seas. Fast Speed. Snekkja: 40 oars, can carry 50 men. Requires minimum of 25 men to man. It is the most common vessel in Scandinavia, likely used for everything in the ocean. Medium speed. Skeið: 60 oars, can carry 75 men. Requires minimum of 40 men to man. These are the largest of the longboats, probably used primarily for large expeditions and raids. Slow Speed. Ranked Retinue Ships These ships are part of the default possessions of characters who hold these respective ranks: - Kings get 1 skeið and 4 snekkjas - Jarls get 1 skeið and 2 snekkjas - Chieftains get 2 snekkjas - Thegns and other nobles get 1 snekkja - Freemen may have 1 knarr Ships from Holdings Owning one of these holdings provides the respective vessels stated below. Ex. A thegn who owns 2 small farms has 4 knarrs (+his retinue snekkja) Farms Small Farm: 2 Knarrs. Large Farm: 1 Snekkja Estate: 1 Skeið Towns Town: 1 Skeiðs, 4 Snekkjas Haven: 3 Skeiðs, 5 Snekkjas, 8 Knarrs City: 10 Skeiðs, 20 Snekkjas Forts Hall: 4 Snekkjas Fort: 1 Skeið, 6 Snekkjas Burh: 2 Skeiðs, 10 Snekkjas

Campaigning and Movement

As Viken itself is so small, it takes about one IC day to walk from one end of the Fjord to the other on a good day. Thus, there is no need for a movement map; it's rather pointless. Instead, when one character marches on another, give them at least 1 RL day before you declare that you are outside their walls. Because the land is so small, enemies will usually know of each other's hostile movements immediately (within the bounds of what's reasonable). To suddenly just appear outside someone's home with an army is powergaming, and will not be tolerated.

Forum Structure

Finances
All player accounts

Holdfasts and Hofs
All home threads

Miðgarðr
Adventures and other cool things

The Ragnarök
Where all battles take place; "Brothers will fight and kill each other .. An axe age, a sword age.."

Sagas and Runestones
Archival forum

Moderators

Skjöldr
Lucius Malfoy
Honors Bastion

[Dirty Chai]

Society

Society in the RPG is based on loose interpretation of the poem Beowulf and the Scandinavian and Germanic culture during the Germanic Heroic Age and the Viking Age. Ranks and Titles The societal ranks and titles of the RPG’s world represent a character’s place in society in relation to his fellows, and how respected or known he is. They are not tied to landholding or property, but often are in loose effect. The ranks themselves bring no income. Hierarchy: King/Queen Prince/Princess Housecarl Jarl Chieftain/Chieftess Thegn Freeman Thrall King A King is the leader of a kingdom, and there can usually only be one of these in the RPG. He represents the utmost authority in his kingdom, but is theoretically chosen by his people. Queen is the female version of the title. The ruler of a kingdom is usually male, but a female ruler is possible under exceptional circumstances. Prince An Prince is a noble eligible for kingship, usually of the royal dynasty. An Prince can be preferred as the heir to a king, but no single Prince can be made to be the only possible successor if there are more than one Prince. Female counterparts are referred to as Princess. Housecarl A housecarl is a thegn serving as the close bodyguard and/or elite warriors of a Jarl, King, or other high noble. They guard their host and master, and often do his bidding for him as champions. A King’s housecarl cannot be a Jarl at the same time. Jarl A jarl is a chieftain, and a ruler of a land smaller than a king. Under a king, a jarl is a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king’s stead. Jarls are either appointed by kings or gained through popular demand or merit, and is a normally hereditary title like kingship. ‘Jarl’ is used for both male and female incumbents. If independent, they are sovereign lords just as kings are, but without the inherent benefits of kingship. Chieftain A Chieftain is a thegn who owns a holding of any type. Although a Chieftain may still be referred to as a Thegn, the difference between a Thegn and a Chieftain is definitively the ownership of any land. Becoming a hersir in Germanic society has the connotation of being able to lead one’s own raids and armies, but a hersir would be wise to heed whoever his liege is. The female version of Chieftain is Chieftess. Thegn A thegn is a noble, often a warrior or courtier. They are any and all nobles, except for kings, jarls, and chieftains. When they gain a holding, they become Chieftains. ‘Thegn’ is used for both male and female, though ‘Noblewoman’ may sound better for females. A freeman may become a thegn if they either obtain land and become a Chieftain or are elevated to nobility by a King or Jarl. Freeman A Freeman is a commoner, free from forced servitude, but may still be a vassal of a king or jarl. They are common freemen, and provide skilled labor/profession in society. Thrall A thrall is an unfree servant, essentially a slave. They are the lowest social order, and provide unskilled labor in society. Thralls are brought into slavery through debt, being children of previously enslaved thralls, or through being captured losers of war. Thralls are important in economy, being captured in summer raids by vikingr, and then sold at markets. Thrall is used for both male and female. Thralls may become freemen if they are given freedom by their master. The Þing The Thing is an assembly of all free men in a land or region, a balancing structure necessary to reduce tribal feuds and to avoid social disorder. It is at the Thing that disputes and issues are solved and where political decisions are made. A Thing is held at every major level of society, from the level of clans to the level of kingdoms. A lesser Thing is represented at the greater Things by its more important attendees. (Usually, the RPG will only have a Kingly Thing, where all players may attend, given they are freemen or nobles) The Thing meets at regular intervals, legislates, elects both Chieftains and Kings, and judges according to the law, which is memorized and recited by the "Lawspeaker" (the judge). The Thing's negotiations are presided over by the Lawspeaker and the Chieftain or the King. In reality the Thing is dominated by the most influential members of the community, the heads of clans and wealthy families, but in theory one-man one-vote is the rule. The Thing occurs on a small piece of land known as the Thingstead, usually a hilltop ringed with stones or runes. Kings and Jarls are not above the laws of the Thing, theoretically. Lawspeaker The Lawspeaker can be any ‘wiseman’ knowledgeable of the laws of the people and the gods, appointed to the role for a specific Thing. It need only be temporary for a particular Thing gathering, but a Lawspeaker can also be chosen more than once. How It Works Simply bring up a topic, argue about it, debate it, have the Lawspeaker clarify or reiterate the laws of the land if need be, and then vote on it. Clans The Clans is a social group based on common descent. Clans are bound together by blood, honor, or both, and clansmen are expected to avenge one another. As such, the Clan is the primary source of law-keeping in society, under the Thing. However, in olden times, blood feuds would begin between the different lineages, and so the Thing now exists to keep the peace between the peace-keepers. And so, the Clans now tend to stick together at Things. The Norse Clans of history were not bound by a certain territory ruled by one chieftain, but by blood relation and oath, where neighbors and equals often considered themselves part of the same clan, and thus allied against the other clans around them. However, land disputes between Clans were likely still the main cause of conflict, bringing about the stereotypical murder-fests we know of today known as the blood-feuds. Clans are descended from a common ancestor or two, and are thus named after an ancestor. Ex. The Waemundings, the Scyldings, Ynglings, etc. However, a newcomer may be brought into an Clan if formally accepted into it at a Thing, though this is rare and done as a symbol of great friendship or gratitude. (It would mean swearing to avenge and protect the newcomer) Blood Money and Blood Feuds Weregæld When a crime is committed by an individual against another individual where the offended individual has family or is part of an Clan, Weregæld (bloody money, blood price) is demanded of the offender. The price graduates depending on the heinousness of the crime, and the standing and gender of the offended. Weregælds paid for offending or murdering women are twice as much in price, and tripled against Völvur (sorceresses). The Weregæld is in place to stop Blood Feuds, but does not stop them completely. Weregælds can be demanded/discussed at a Thing. Germanic law does not distinguish between the modern ideas of manslaughter and murder. Blood Feud Blood Feuds can occur when an offender refuses to or cannot pay a Weregæld demanded of him/her. A Blood Feud is an all-out war between two Clans over an offence given to one of them by the other or some other dispute. Alternatively, a Blood-feud could be between a lone individual and an Clans, given the offending individual has no kin. Blood-feuds usually play out in successions of murders and duels, where a murdered individual was expected to be avenged by his/her closest male relative, causing a string of death that leaves both sides bloodied. Weregælds can increase because of the blood-feud murders. Blood feuds don’t usually end until the Thing steps in, or the two opposing groups decide to miraculously make peace. Holmgang Holmgang means to ‘island walk’, and is a duel that is recognized as a way to end disputes under the eyes of the Thing or many proper witnesses. At least in theory, anyone offended could challenge the other party to holmgang regardless of their differences in social status. This could be a matter of honor, ownership or property, demand of restitution or debt, legal disagreement or intention to help a wife or relative or avenge a friend. Holmgangs were fought 3–7 days after the challenge. If the person challenged did not turn up for the holmgang, the other man was considered just in his challenge. If the offended party does not turn up for the holmgang, they are deemed a niðingr or villain, and could have been sentenced to outlawry. In effect, if they were unwilling or able to defend their claim, they had no honor. Sometimes a capable warrior could volunteer to fight in the place of a clearly outclassed friend. If a dispute is settled by a Holmgang (one of the sides actually fought and won), then it is considered to be put to an end or solved. However, this does not prevent Blood-feuds from ‘illegally’ continuing. In the same vein, it can ironically start Blood-feuds instead of stopping them. The character challenged to Holmgang may use a Champion (any willing main character) to fight for them, if the witnesses or Thing decide it is fair to do so. The Challenger must fight for themselves. Outlawry, Villainy, and other Forms of Punishment Outlawing and Villainy are concepts in Germanic society that are important to keeping the peace and law. Outlawry A law-breaker could be outlawed depending on the heinousness of his/her crime. That is, they are placed outside the protection of that land’s laws by the Thing. They are free-game for murder and other crimes until Outlawry is repealed. It is considered as good as death, and often forces those afflicted with it into exile. Villainy and Unmanliness Villains are not a law institution or tradition, but rather a concept in Germanic society. Villians, or nīðings, are men of proven or accused lower honor and are thought of as being deceitful, cowardly, and overall lesser than those around them. They have no ounce of goodness or bravery in them. To accuse someone of such status is a serious thing, as it holds status similar to or worse than a modern swear word that you wouldn’t use in public. It can cause a Holmgang or worse. Other serious slights to an individual group can have similar effect, so one must be careful with their words. Ergi, meaning unmanliness, is just as serious. Unmanliness is a social taboo for males in Germanic society, but it only encompasses cowardice and sorcery. Other Forms of Punishment Forms of punishment besides Outlawry can include execution, confiscation, injury, penances, etc, based on the level of a crime, dispute, or offense. Seiðr, Spá and Galdr Sorcery and Prophecy have special place in the religious beliefs of the Norse, but are dominated by females since sorcery and prophecy bring the taboo of unmanliness down upon male practitioners. A female who practices this is known as a Völva (plural Völvur). A male who practices this is known as a Seiðmenn. Practitioners of Seiðr should not be ignored easily, as the seeresses have often important things to say, and are man’s connections with the gods of Asgard.

To Do List

- Sieges and other defensive stuff
- Trade and Merchantry
- Map(s) & Movement +Winter Effects
- Society Revised
- Superstition & Sorcery

[Lucius Malfoy]

Sign me up as a mod and interested player!

[Ace_General]

Sounds cool. Theres a bit of other RPGs that might happen so time might be an issue, but Im in. Go east and found the Kievan Rus! Or sail down the Oder or Vstula and start my family tree. The genetics of the male line of my polish noble family is Scandinavian after all

Would be cool to create a Slavo Viking kingdom based on Autocracy, Jesus, Alcoholism, and the Removal of Kebab

[Zectorman]

Interested. Would be interested in seeing one kingdom expand or break into multiple kingdoms.

[Lord Dread]

Also interested

[removeduser_456328]

Sign me up, sounds good.


Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Adamat]

You know I'm in

[Pinkerton]

Totally in

I'd recommend putting a limit on how many properties you can own

[Trot]

in

[Ace_General]

Anyone else with me to launch a viking Invasion of Eastern Europe and found the Kievan Rus and Rurik Dynasty? And would it be ok if I played an independent clan between the Geats and Danish Skane.

Also, interesting thing I read was that the Jomsvikings were as much polish as Scandinavian,

[Dirty Chai]

Anyone else with me to launch a viking Invasion of Eastern Europe and found the Kievan Rus and Rurik Dynasty? And would it be ok if I played an independent clan between the Geats and Danish Skane.

Also, interesting thing I read was that the Jomsvikings were as much polish as Scandinavian,

The Gardariki would be more believable. Or rather, a settlement along the Pommeranian coast would be more preferable.
I won't stop colonies if they are successfully made, but I'd really prefer for people to not go so far away.

[Xion]

Interested.

Probably will attempt to be a seer or something to do with sorcery.

[Ace_General]

The Gardariki would be more believable. Or rather, a settlement along the Pommeranian coast would be more preferable.
I won't stop colonies if they are successfully made, but I'd really prefer for people to not go so far away.

Gardariki was the norse term for the cities of the Keivan rus and is actually related or prehaps even the root of the Russian word "Gorod" (город) which directly translate as city but is more in line with the Greek word Polis

And involvement in Rus as opposed to the wendish lands would actually paradoxically be eaiser. The wends were actually familar with viking tatics and fairly well organized and gave as well as they got from the vikings. The Slavs sacked several cities in denmark and when the Kingdom of Poland was formed the king of denmark realized his losses and formed an alliance with the poles and thats how Cantue the great was half polish. If you tried to make a settlment on Wendish lands, unless you formed an alliance with a local chief, which was very rare, you would get ran out because away from the sea without the element of surprise and strategic mobility, the vikings would be at a disadvantage facing the more populous wends. And given the calm waters of the baltic, the vikings did not have a major nautical advantage over the Slavs/wends, in fact several danish cities were sacked bythe ancestors of the poles and slavic pirates were a issue in the baltic up until the 1500s

I will write more about Russia and the Kievan rus Tommorrow, though in Russia, the vikings werent outright invaders and conquerers as much as traders, mercanaries, and very active particpants in the poltics of the cities of the Kievan rus, though there was more then a few viking backed coups and alliances between vikings and Russians to make the spreadings of the jesus and destruction of political rivals and driving the Bulgars and other non slavic people south

[Lucius Malfoy]

Can we wait on starting massive plans and just focus on one area? You go off with one or two people and that stretches the playerbase. Just for start locally and eventually build up to greater plans. Not say hey I am gonna run off Iceland alone, bye guys.

[Axis Sunsoar]

Definitely interested!

[Pinkerton]

I'll bang everything that has two legs

[Dirty Chai]

Interested.

Probably will attempt to be a seer or something to do with sorcery.

I suspected as much.

I have plans to make them play off of the superstition of Norse society.
The rules and culture guide will make it fairly clear that the average free man and most lords will be supersitious enough to take the words of the volvas seriously.
(Unless of course, that volva's reputation is ruined)

There were even seats in some Lords' halls reserved for Volvas called the 'Sorcerer's Seat,' and bad things would happen if anyone else sat there.

[allstate]

Would be interested. I like the idea of creating a Norse Pomerania.

[Dirty Chai]

Where would you get the settlers?
How will you fight against the local (significantly larger) population of Wendish tribes?
The reality is that colonies were made by exiles, outlaws, and people who had no room to live back home Scandinavia.
Most mend in with local populations within a few generations, if not the first or second.

I'm not saying you can't do these things, I'm just setting some realistic boundaries here.