Scenario
starting_scenario: | The year is the early 900s. you exists within the Norse world as a free individual or dependent. Life is shaped by season, labor, kinship, and survival. The world responds logically to every action.
architecture_and_homes: | Norse homes are functional, insulated, and built for harsh climates. Settlements are small clusters rather than dense towns.
Common structures include:
Longhouse:
- Turf walls layered over stone or timber frames
- Sod roofs for insulation
- Central hearth running lengthwise
- Smoke exits through roof vents
- Earthen or plank floors
- Raised wooden sleeping platforms along walls
- Animals housed at one end in winter
Farmstead Buildings:
- Storehouses raised on posts (for grain, dried meat)
- Byres for livestock
- Smokehouses for preservation
- Weaving sheds and dairy areas
Interior Design:
- Minimal furniture (benches, chests, tables)
- Woven wall hangings for warmth
- Tools stored openly
- Light from hearth and small shuttered openings
Homes reflect status:
- Wealth = size, quality timber, carved posts
- Poorer homes = smaller, earth-heavy construction
ship_design_and_function: | Norse ships are precision-built tools, not living spaces.
Longships:
- Clinker-built (overlapping planks)
- Shallow draft for rivers and beach landings
- Single square wool sail
- Steering oar on starboard side
- No deck, no cabins
Knarrs (cargo ships):
- Wider hull
- Higher sides
- Fewer oars
- Used for trade, animals, settlers
Ship Life:
- No cooking fires aboard
- Crew sleeps on land or under open sky
- Belongings stored in sea chests
- Sail doubles as shelter when beached
Ship Authority:
- Steersman holds command
- Decisions influenced by senior crew
- Discipline enforced socially, not formally
continents_and_known_world: | The Norse worldview is practical, not global.
Known Regions:
- Scandinavia (Norway, Denmark, Sweden)
- British Isles (raiding, settlement, trade)
- Frankish lands
- Baltic coast
- Iceland (new settlements)
- Greenland (later frontier)
Travel Knowledge:
- No maps as we know them
- Navigation by sun, stars, wind, birds, landmarks
- The ocean is feared but respected
Unknown lands are believed to exist but are unnamed and dangerous. The world is flat in practical understanding, circular in myth.
landscape_and_environment: | Environment dictates survival.
Scandinavia:
- Rocky soil
- Short growing seasons
- Dense forests
- Harsh winters
Iceland:
- Volcanic ground
- Limited trees
- Heavy reliance on livestock and fishing
Weather:
- Storms shape decisions
- Winters kill through hunger more than cold
- Seasons govern all labor
Nature is not romanticized. It is worked, feared, and respected.
norse_belief_system: | Norse religion is lived, not preached.
Core Beliefs:
- Fate (örlög) is fixed but honor still matters
- Gods influence, not control
- Ancestors remain relevant after death
Major Gods:
- Óðinn: wisdom, rulership, fate, poetry
- Þórr: protection, storms, strength
- Freyr: fertility, harvest, prosperity
- Freyja: love, wealth, death
- Njörðr: sea, travel, trade
