A test of courage and valor . . .

[Arne]

Arne brightened at Holmg?r?r and Valka's counsel, and exclaimed, "Yes . . . yes, a very good idea!  All are shown honor, and no one is offended.  Good!"

[Valka]

Valka nodded enthusiastically. "Ohh let us do that, then!"

[GM Craig]

[OOC: So, you guys get married on your own, and have a feast for Pentacost? Who are you planning on inviting?]

[Arne]

OOC:  For the feast?  I'd imagine everyone within our camp, plus Sirs Rodric, Cedwyn and wives.  With a forewarning about the rowdiness of pagan celebrations, of course, so they're given an honorable way out if they wish to decline.  Hell, maybe even send an invite to Merlin, although I have a feeling he would decline.

Would it be considered a faux pas to invite Earl Roderick?  After all, he was the one that allowed us to stay in his territory.

[GM Craig]

You can invite whomever you wish. Holmg?r?r recommended the marriage be just among your people, so the rites are not a problem. Then invite people to a celebratory feast afterwards.

It would make sense to invite Sir Rodric and the Lady Habren to both, as they are close. if you invite others and they attend, their Christian sensibilities may be affronted by the celebrations that would be part of the marriage. Holmg?r?r's advice was keep the list of the wedding small, and have a more expansive list for the feast, but the details are really up to you. Invite whom you please.

Were you knights, any marriage would require the blessing of the Earl. You are not knights, so it makes sense to invite him. He may not come, or send a representative. There would be no insult either way.

You could invite Merlin. He is well-known as a pagan, though not a follower of the Northmen cults.

It's all up to you. Holmg?r?r just made a recommendation.

[Valka]

To the wedding Rodric and co plus Merlin as they apparently don't need to travel. To the feast both Knights for sure. The Earl and Merlin should be invited to the feast.

The only problem with inviting the Earl is that he'd likely stay at Rodric's Manor and would probably put a burden on him. So we'd probably need to speak with him and wifie about all of this.

[Arne]

Regarding the marriage . . . I just wanted to clarify here.  So it would make sense to invite the earl?

[GM Craig]

Not to the marriage. He's likely unaccustomed to a Freyan marriage ceremony.

[Valka]

Last question. Would both ceremony and feast be same day? Or was she suggesting separate days? If it's same day then we'd invite Cedwyn too since he'd have to travel just once.

[GM Craig]

She wasn't thinking the same time. The marriage rite will have rituals that last into the night. Having the feast some time later (or even within a day or two actually) would be better.

[Arne]

Okay.  So, for the marriage, I was thinking that Sir Rodric and his wife would be invited, as well as Sir Cedwyn and his wife . . . although both would be forewarned ahead of time as to what the marriage rite entails.  Merlin would also be invited.  And . . .  if it wouldn't be considered offensive to all sides, we wouldn't expect gifts to be brought to the wedding (if indeed that sort of thing is usually done).  The people being invited have done a lot for the Nords as it is, and I wouldn't want it looking like we were trolling for presents.   

The feast?  Same as above, but also Earl Roderick (or a representative if he couldn't go), as well as our people, of course.  And again, with a forewarning to the non-pagans of what to expect.  I'm guessing we could have the feast a day after the wedding.

[GM Craig]

Ok, I opened the thread. This will be for you guys to run. I'll play NPC's as required.

[Arne]

Oh crap, I don't have the faintest idea where to start . . . 

I found this site which might be useful to give a good guideline for when we're ready to IC post (even though it's about 400-500 yearspast the current timeline):  http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/wedding.shtml

[GM Craig]

It doesn't have to be a big deal. Think simply pagan hand-fasting - you declare your intentions before the crowd and Freya. The priestess confirms things, and you're done. Then come the fertility rites. The wedding does not have to be complicated.

What I need from you is the invitations, how they are delivered, and that sort of thing.

[GM Craig]

The rules actually encourage players running certain aspects of the game. For example, to attain a certain noble rank, it is required for a player to GM some activity like a hunt or a feast. The higher you get, the more that sort of thing is required by the rulebook. The author wants players to participate in the game directly, not merely as consumers.

The wedding between two players is a perfect opportunity for you two to run the wedding how you like. Take turns, or one of you can run it. It's not a big deal, and don't be intimidated. Keep it simply, or chose to introduce a plot twist or something - totally up to you. You can even do it like a "make you own adventure" concept where someone builds on what the previous person posted, like some story RPG games work.

So, deliver invitations to whom you wish. The Earl will not come, but depending on the delivery, he may send a representative.

We'll cut to black for the fertility rites, or at least take it off the public boards.