Winds of the North Playtest Session pt2 (Eyjolf, Summer, Year 1)

When last we saw Eyjolf, he had built the Smokehouse and made a nice Discovery to add to his map. He had stockpiled some Wood but still needs Iron for the Smithy. And he had been debating whether to join in the Summer Raids or stay home and perhaps do more Exploring. Eyjolf’s adventures continue!

Month 1, Summer

Eyjolf goes to the summer festival and sacrifices his Goat to the gods for a chance at bonuses suited for raiding. He’s a bad farmer anyway so the goat was useless to him. It doesn’t give him a bonus to his sacrifice since it’s a cheap animal, but he manages to get the attention of the gods and marks his Wisdom once with a bonus he can spend. Somehow his luck worsens and he rolls a 1 in the mock combat, the only result that gives him the worst outcome and he takes 1 damage…

Eyjolf then heads to the market to sell his Oil to hopefully afford some Iron needed for building the Smithy. No event rolled. Eyjolf then makes a decent deal and sells his Oil for 70% of its normal value, making 18 silver. It’s tough not spending all of it, but he had to hand over 4 Food because he couldn’t pay the fee to enter the market. Keep silver on you! He buys his 1 Iron and leaves before he is lured into spending all of his money (he also only has 2 transactions left due to his low Wisdom).

Now with his Iron, Eyjolf starts construction of the Smithy. Sort of. It’s technically started, but he has made 0 progress. It’ll be slow going, but it’ll get built. Since it used most of the Wood supply, he goes to cut some more. With a little free time available, he heads out to Explore next and finds an abandoned farm where he helps himself to some Wood and Hides. And as luck would have it, he uses the new supplies to successfully craft a Shield! He’ll probably just end up selling it, but it’s something.

The clock is ticking on Month 1, and he wants to Raid. Summer is also prime fishing, so he heads out before the big raid. He brings home a bunch of Meat he won’t get to use but also 3 more Oil. The Meat will go to waste once he leaves to Raid since he will be gone for the next couple of months.

The Raid

Since Eyjolf has no Ship or Supporters, he joins someone else’s raid. He gets an event as they head out; a swirling maelstrom threatens them, but he successfully navigates everyone to safety. He only has 1 Seamanship but opts to join the Scouting since the chance of total failure is low for him. But he actually gets a decent roll and increases his Rank to 2.

Time for the attack! This is what Eyjolf has been waiting for. At the start of each combat round, you select which weapon you wish to use. So, taking his Hunting Spear which 2-handed, his new Shield will have to stay slung over his back (just like his mini!). Unfortunately, he loses the initiative and the Villagers get the first hit on him, 2 damage. HP is getting a bit low (3/6). But his turn to attack and Eyjolf skewers the Villagers on his Hunting Spear with its +2 Damage. However, now wounded, he opts not to take on a tougher opponent. He did his part, no point trying to show off (especially if one bad roll could knock him down to 0).

During the Regroup, Eyjolf’s low Wisdom and weak roll only total 5, but he uses his bonus from the festival to get +1, just enough to give him one last bump to Rank 3. For his rewards, Eyjolf earns 26 silver, 2 Hide, and he takes 8 Food (though he had the option of a Thrall, his house has no room for more people). He now has a juicy 35 silver to take to market, possibly to hire his first Hirð member.

Month 3, Summer

Now at home for the final Week of Summer, Eyjolf needs to replace all of his lost Meat and goes fishing one last time. With a good roll, he brings home 5 Meat and another 3 Oil. The next market trip will be very exciting. With his only 3 HP remaining, he tries to Recuperate but fails. Time for the end of the Month. He’s now up to 7 Preserved Meat, a growing stockpile for the coming Winter. The Smithy gets 1 free construction box for having 5 Household members. Then Eyjolf gets an event! The house is woken by a tiny old man, a house spirit. Eyjolf offers him 1 Food and receives 1 Happiness (bringing us to 2) and 2 Recovery Points! Happy day, Eyjolf is back to 5/6 HP!

The Fall comes next. The time of Harvest. Eyjolf will need a Tool before that, though, otherwise, he risks losing his crops. And with his money, it might be time to add to the Hirð. But that does mean another mouth to feed.