Talk:Chapter 02 (Story Arc)

OOC Info

(Same as Main Page) The OOC plot line is provide to players so that they have a general overview of what the plot line involves and what likely solutions are available. We provide this because the in character rumors are not always clear enough to fill in the 'what the heck is going on' challenges. We will try to avoid spoilers in this section, but it is better that everyone is on page so the role-play moves along.

As the seas become more and more impassable, northern crews of pirates, reavers, and smugglers seek secure places to hole up during the winter months. One such crew seems to have moved in on the Saebjorn territory, far too close to Hofborg for comfort. The elders of Hofborg have a good idea of what to expect; as this isn’t the first time this has happened in recent history. If asked they will tell tales of attacks on caravans, political kidnappings and black market smuggling.

Goals for this story arc

There are some of the goals I'd like to accomplish for the next chapter. First, I want to released the Outlaw Refuge home which is linked to the basement of the wharf rat on one end, and the fjord in Dragonhome at the other end. I want to get this opened fictionally as soon as possible because players are very anxious to grow that area of the town and I don't want to loose momentum. This could be handled with a simple one-off event next friday that rolls into the larger chapter, more like a prolouge event.

Then I'd like to return to our roots with the Saebjorn and help really ground the fiction for Brygge-bottom with our players.

• I'd like to have the saebjorn do things where they are not playing hero or being the good guys.
• I'd like to see if we can highlight where the "line in the sand" is between our "bad guys" and some truely BAD guys is.
• I'd like to see if we can highlight where the town guard and the crew diverge, or where they join together.

Rando Ideas

• Maybe there is the introduction of werewolves in the area. We have no fiction for that, but it might be nice to establish that there are WW near enough to be considered.
• Maybe at one point the "other crew" offers to "host an event in the OR" for the Saebjorn, and it's WILD, and then the town guards maybe raid it? (might be the wrong point to set, *frowns*)
• Maybe the town guard starts searching people for illicit drugs?
• Maybe the crew imploys a witch that the magic/temple people need to deal with.
• Maybe our new giant clan friends on the coast show up and help with a fight.

We have the Tyerlings still at the mother house. What happened to them, do they go home? Do we help them rebuild? Chapter 1 wrap up

Something for each Group

• Temple -
• Saebjorn -
• Townies -

Something for each time frame

• Morning - Possible DMs for this time frame are Seal, Ysara and Malraz.
• Evening - Seal is our main DM, Ysode and Bobby can DM, but Bobby can't on Friday and is working on our next antiquarian plot, but we could suggest a tie in.
• Late Night - Ysode is our main DM for this time, it's occasionally too late for Bobby.

Plot Progression

The list of events outlined as we know what they are.

Ideas to Insert

Goals Weekend of 1/20

• Establish history of the lands around Hofborg, and how that history affected the development of a smugglers/vagabonds' ring.
• Begin brainstorming the nature of reavers/pirates/vagabonds in this region. Who pays them? How have they operated for the past few centuries? How is Hofborg changing that status quo?
• How will this ring of reavers/pirates/vagabonds affect the development of Brygg Bottom? Further, how iwll it affect the development of Hofborg itself? (Big picture ideas, nothing concrete yet)

Lore

HISTORY: Ever since Solitude was founded as a city, the waters west of Solitude have been important. However, the last time any sort of large, organized authority kept them safe was when the Cyrodiilic Legions marched in Skyrim. Imperial authority has long since collapsed, with Solitude now maintaining authority over these waters. Now, these waters are extremely difficult to navigate. Though powerful, the Blue Palace does not have the resources to send longships to patrol the waters. Instead, it unofficially bribes reavers, pirates, and smugglers to keep the waters open to trade.

In the past, Hofborg was little more than a tiny backwater, too small to really draw the ire of reavers, pirates, and smugglers. Its growth has changed that. Many of these dubious vagabonds have started venturing to Hofborg with the intend of expanding certain certain "enterprises." While most of these people see opportunity, there are musings of a small group of disgruntled reavers. These reavers fear that Hofborg's rise could bring an end to the long centuries of free reign. Worse, the payments from Solitude might stop.

Is the above actual canon or is it Fanon?

A bit of both. Though, I will probably change this now that I have more details about Hofborg's history. Once I get to that, I will move the bit above into archive.

REAVERS/PIRATES/SMUGGLERS: The waters near Hofborg play host to an assortment of crews each with different agendas. Some are interested in legitimate trade, some are interested in smuggling illicit goods, and others are interesting in attacking 'targets of opportunity' that will not draw the Blue Palace's angry eyes. With the rise of Hofborg, many of these crews have opted to conduct business at its docks.

Notes From Lara regarding Hofborg

So Hofborg is about 200 years old, but until the arrival of The Saebjorn, the village size was somewhere between 50-100 with only a handful of warriors, perhaps a dozen or so Read Jorns. And not highly trained warriors like our player characters are. However the outlaw refuge has probably been around much longer. Here is what history has been written for Odd's End. As I mentioned before its has a currently collapsed entrance in the basement of the Wharf Rat and comes out far down at waters level in Dragonhome. That fjord is wide enough for some of the smaller long ships.

The crew only arrived in Hofborg Oct 1st, so its possible some of the smugglers don't even know we have now closer to 150-200 people. (My population estimate is 50 npc villagers, 40 npc Saebjorn oarsman, and then 50+ player characters.) But remember The Saebjorn is probably one of REAVERS/PIRATES/SMUGGLERS crews as they have been operating from Vardenfell to Wrothgar for 20 years. I would like to establish this fact in the plot line, to give some gravitas to the back story with the players. Perhaps the npc arrive either directly know Baene, or at least know of him, and the name of The Saebjorn is known in these circles. And be good to be a little respect or feared but not top dog. However, this plot might grow into that happening over the course of the coming year.

So this opens up some of the follow possible "starting events":

• An old friend comes to see Baene to see how his "aquisition" of the town is going.
• A crew having no clue we've arrived just rolls up on the docks like they did last year intent on some pillaging.
• A crew comes into Odd's End from the Dragonhome side and causes problems.

Idea for next week (introducing Brygg Bottom)

I gravitate towards what you suggested. Introducing an old friend/associate of Baene. Grjoldr the Sea-Wolf. He is a comical individual, but is also a skilled sailor and has a fairly good relationship with Baene. He would arrive during the introductory event and provide some context for what is happening in our neck of the woods.

Winter Moorings

The winter is proving to be the harshest in decades. After Grjoldr arrives, he tells those present about a number of ships which are moored for the winter. One of them, Grjoldr noted, docked no more than twenty miles away. Grjoldr notes that this crew were less than friendly, and indeed brandished weapons when he tried to approach.

Archive

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