Since the Battle of Nithingcombe twenty years ago, Bothild’s law had kept Irminric and his people prisoners of the North. Under blood red banners, the Frith of Queen Bothild was enforced by both Nithing longships and by a magical barrier summoned and ignited by Wuffa the Waerlog along the southern shores of the Middangeard Sae - no woman, man or child could cross.

 

And not all was well with the Meonwára in the north, the great river Hornwine had run dry and the sky remained cloudless, summoning neither rain or snow for the better part of a year. The goderes among Irminric’s people counseled that it was Aegir’s Draught that had done this damage: that all northern lands had been reduced to dust by a southern god’s thirst - they claimed that Aegir had taken his fill of the Hornwine and fled across Middangeard fat with water while Irminric’s people were left to starve upon the parched earth.

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Queen Bothild was unwilling to repeal The Frith even when hearing of the suffering or Irminric’s people. She ordered a small fleet of longships to meet and set fire to several wolf-prowed knarr that were attempting to cross the sea with woolens to trade for food. “Like Hama on the bridge to Heofan she keeps us prisoners in dust, our lands sucked dry by a drunken god!” the Meonwára cried. And gathering resolve they rowed up upon Bothild’s longships and destroyed them. Regrouping with several hundred ships, Irminric then sailed south and slid past the Dréocast shield. Many Meonwára perished in the flames, but many more survived the scorching and met the unprepared Nithing fyrd at Ypwinesfloat. The Nithings were defeated, Bothild’s castle was tumbled into the valley below and her fyrd was scattered west.

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Bothild survived, but in her flight she was captured by the Honeytooth clan and taken in secret to the court of Aethel, while the remnants of the Nithing fyrd pulled itself together under Thegn Eabea and their allies in The Dark Forest of Wuducombe. Before the Battle of Nithingcombe, Wuffa had propheisized to the Dréowudu, his people of the Dark Forest, that if the Wolves of The North were ever to run south they would eat up all the people of The Forest.

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Among the Honeytooth, the goderes did not blame Aegir the Mead-God for the north’s draught. They say Aegir only cares for his hunigbin (honeypot) and he has no need of drinking rivers! The Honeytooth were forced into vassalship by Nithing lords with several meadhalls burned to the ground and their best lands taken from. They do not want to see a return of the Nithings, and the Dréowudu have always accosted their more rustic thegns and ceorls in the western part of their country. But neither do the Honeytooth want to see new and more powerful lords of the Meonwára replace their Nithing lords. Now Bothild has been taken captive and this they see as a gift. Caught in the middle, it is time for the Honeytooth to make bold choices or disappear.

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PRONOUNCIATIONS

People

Bothild (Boat-HILD)

Eabea (EE – bee)

Irminric (ER- men – rick)

Aescer (ESH – er)

Aethel (ETH – el)

Aegir (EDGE –er)

Wuffa (WOOF – ah)

Scucca (SHOOK – ah)

Cyneweard (CHIN – wierd)

Meonwara (may – on – WEAR – ah)

 

​Clans

Ghoddic (GOAD –ik)

Hunigtoth (HUN – ig – toth)

Nithing (NIH – thing)

Dréowudu (DREAU - woo - doo)

 

Places

Middangeard Sae (MID – an – geared - SAY)

Ypwinesfloat (IP – wins – flit)

Nithingcombe (NITH – ing – come)

Aberwyvern (ab - ber – WHY – vern)

Aethlingstad (ATH – ling – stad)

Wuducombe (WOO – do – come)

 

POWERS in MIDDANGEARD

Waerloga (WEAR – low - gah)

Waerloga or warlocks are wise people who by knowledge of the runes can weave new realities into being with their magical distaffs. They may use one-handed weapons and no shields or armor. They may use a mana comet to deliver spells if they have a distaff in the other hand. The distaff can be used to parry but not to tag another player. The mana comet delivers magical spells to a target either like a flail or as a thrown projectile. Staves can be made in the armory or found out in the woods!

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Waerloga Spells

Powers are delivered with a mana-comet. Once a comet is tossed, the mana has been spent for battle and the seer must depend on their sword. All warlock spells go through armor.

• Wither  When a target is struck its strength and vitality is instantly drained sending the target back to spawn. It cannot penetrate shields.
• Fryst  The target is frozen in place and cannot move or be struck. Fryst goes through armor and shields. The effect last for 15 seconds counted loudly by the warlock.

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Goderes (GO-duh-ruhs)

Are warrior-priests of the old goddesses of the Ghodds. They can bestow blessings on members of their Fyrd or warband once per round. Goderes can wield one-handed weapons, can wear armor and can carry shields. They must sheath their weapon and carry a symbol of their diety in one hand or have it emblazoned upon their armor to bestow a blessing upon a member of their Fyrd with a free hand. Make your symbol in the armory and design blessings to adorn it with!

An advantage of placing a deific symbol on a staff is that it confers protection from the living dead to the the godere's entire band. A symbol on a chestplate only protects the godere.​

 

Godere Blessings

Blessings are delivered with a 5 or 10 second count and can be used only once per game when the Godere’s symbol is held aloft or word on their chestplate.

• Allow Passage allows a godere to place a hand on a húskarl’s shoulder and allow them both to pass enemies unharmed for 10 seconds as long as they do not attack or pick up objects.
• Berserk Rage allows a godere to make a warrior invulnerable for 5 seconds after touching their shoulder. The warrior must then respawn.
• Raise Dead allows a godere to raise one fallen warrior (but not one who fell from Beserker Rage) by placing a hand on that warrior for 10 seconds.
• Speak with Dead allows a godere to speak with ghosts at will with no use of a blessing. This power can be used at will and at any time and is not limited to one use per game!
• Ward Off Dead keeps the living dead from coming within 30' of a gordere wearing their symbol. If the symbol is held aloft the godere's entire accompanying band is protected so!

 

DIPMOMATIC MOVE & EVENT CARDS

Each team will be given a hand of eight Dipomatic Moves or Events that they can choose to play. The team with the most victory flags in any round may play one card the next round if they wish. An event or diplomatic move played will have an effect on the map and the decisions available to other teams. Some cards are conditional, meaning you can’t use them unless the conditions of the game are in place for them to be used.

Below are some examples of cardplay. Each would have a specific effect in the game for one turn, ie. making it impossible to attack or even move within a certain territory that turn, bestowing a team with certain powers or powerful allies for a turn, or even bestowing ignomy on a clan affecting its prowess in battle or magic!

• Bothild is Released! (Meonwára or Honeytooth)
• Bothild is killed! (Meonwára or Honeytooth)
• Cyneweard son of Irminric weds Aethelflaed daughter of Aethel (Meonwára or Honeytooth)
• Wuffa of the Dréo is Assassinated! (Nithings)
• Scucca is Summoned! (Nithings)
• Aelfgar the Beloved Dies! (Nithings)
• Aegir is Renounced! (Honeytooth)
• The goderes of Aegir convert Irminric! (Meonwára)
• Aethelflaed is taken captive by the Meonwara! (Meonwára)
• Cyneweard is taken captive by the Honeytooth! (Honeytooth)
• Aethflaed runs away with her love Hilda! (Honeytooth)
• Cyneweard alopes with his love Wealdmar! (Meonwára)
• Bothild reounces Aegir! (Nithings)
• Eabea, daughter of Bothild sues for her mother! (Nithings)
• The Bracelet of Hartii Knights sues for Eabea, Irminric or The Heorthgeneats! (any clan)
• Iztani ships are spotted off the coast! (any clan-choose Déo Coast, Iron Coast or Grey Coast)
• The wild Khodé raid some of your outlying villages! (Any clan!)