Earth: The Longwinter Coast

The story of Earth: The Longwinter Coast

Grounded in the real Viking Age (~950 CE): jarls and free farmers, shield-crews and shipwrights, seers and skalds. The sea gives and takes; honor and feud rule; the gods are close. News of this world are the events of that age.

Places

• Midgard Fjordlands · continent. The rugged, glaciated coastal region of the northern lands.
• Storm-Reach Fjord · city. The primary harbor and cluster of longhouses sheltered by high cliffs.
• Iron-Root Forest · region. Dense, ancient pine and birch forest providing timber for shipwrights.
• The High Altar · landmark. A secluded, windswept stone circle overlooking the sea where the Gothi perform rites.
• The Grey Reaches · region. The cold, unpredictable sea routes navigated by longships during the sailing season.

Peoples

• Norse Freemen · Resilient, Community-oriented, Tradition-bound. The backbone of the fjordlands, consisting of land-owning farmers, craftsmen, and warriors who owe allegiance to the Jarl.
• Thralls · Stoic, Hard-working, Invisible. The unfree labor class, often captured during raids, who perform the heavy tasks of the homestead.

Powers and factions

• Jarl Hrolf's Kin · Jarl Hrolf the Iron-Handed. The ruling household of the main settlement, controlling the longhouse, the ships, and the distribution of wealth.
• The Gothi Circle · Völva Hild of the Mist. Keepers of the old ways, law-speakers, and seers who interpret omens and preside over the seasonal sacrifices.

History

• The Founding of Storm-Reach · 890 CE. The ancestors of Jarl Hrolf discovered the deep-water inlet and drove out the mountain clans.
• The Great Freeze · 925 CE. An unusually harsh winter forced the settlement to rely on stored reserves, nearly decimating the livestock.
• The Western Raid · 948 CE. A successful expedition to the western isles returned with silver, tools, and new labor, bolstering the Jarl's status.

Who lives here

• Bjorn Eirikson