March Novel Essential Information

Novel Title: Troubled Waters

Time Setting: 1391, Sixth Age*

Genre: Fantasy

Minimum Word Goal: 90,000

Timespan: August–November

Location: Virki Island, Kingdom of Ena, Ureonaiea

Main Characters: Hallbjörn Óðinnson, Bergljót Leifursdóttir

Background Information:

The northernmost of the three Kingdoms of Enanea, Ena possesses the largest island in the Enanea Islands, but yet the smallest land area and population, as her sister kingdoms, but yet has not been considered lesser than her sister kingdoms of Nea and Ane because of it, as Ena produces comparably as much in exports as her sister kingdoms, and not of any lesser quality than they.

In fact, since 1379 Ena has become something of the most popular kingdom in all of Ureonaiea, although what the other kingdoms of Ureonaiea see doesn’t by any stretch tell the whole story.

King Ármann I ascended to the throne in 1379 upon the death of his father, King Jónas II, because his older brother, Prince Vilhjálmur died in a hunting accident before he could ascend to the throne.

Jónas had possessed severe misgivings about his second son ascending to the throne, and many who knew of those misgivings see that their late king was wise to have them about his second son.

King Ármann is something of the ‘party king’ to Ureonaiea, regularly hosting or attending lavish parties where he drinks heavily, woos women, and otherwise suggests that Ena is a rich nation.

In truth, since Ármann’s coronation taxes have crawled up and are currently sitting at a staggering 25% of all income — which has led poorer or more rural-dwelling citizens to take up item-for-item bartering as opposed to doing cash transactions.

Additionally Ármann has passed laws that no one can have fancier or more lavish parties than he does, nor can they claim to be better than him at anything — even if they truly are better or know he would never do the thing — and giving him the right to take whatever he wants from his citizens without paying them for it.

In order to get what he wants for himself — such as jewelry, precious metals, fine woodwork, quality textiles, prime cuts of meat, and good fruits and vegetables — Ármann sends his army to fetch it for him, taking things by force if necessary, even if they have to kill someone to get it — although they are tried, but usually pardoned.

The army, thus, is known to those outside of the capital of Óðinnborg as the Ræningjar, or the Raiders, as they often not only take what Ármann seeks for himself, but they take other things for their own use or enjoyment without offering any payment.

Thus there is a great resentment among the people of Ena towards Ármann, with many young men to organise into groups of Young Revolutionaries intent on killing King Ármann and replacing him with his brother Hinrik who is respectably married with children; King Ármann, by contrast, is unmarried, and is not above forcing women to spend the night with him against their wills.

King Ármann’s treatment of women earns him much dislike even among the bourgeoisie of Ena — the majority of whom live in the capital — who largely benefit from the high taxes, lavish parties, and all manner of other extravagance that King Ármann flaunts to Ureonaiea.

The bourgeoisie are disgusted by his treatment of women partially because it was not the practice at any other point in Ena’s history, and also in part because he doesn’t like it when the women he uses get married to other men.

Additionally, they don’t like how he will sometimes threaten their families with ruin or death in order to get the right to any women he wants — even women who are happily married to other men.

Needless to say, for as fun as Ena looks to the outside world, there is much trouble in the little kingdom.

Hallbjörn is the youngest of two sons and second-youngest child of seven; his father is the King’s Own Horse-Breeder and his mother is the sister-in-law of the King’s Own Shipbuilder.

Although he is the second son, he is widely considered to be heir to his father’s prestigious title and expansive estate because he is a significantly better horseman than his brother, not to mention he has a greater interest in horses.

His brother, on the other hand, prefers women, and lives a lifestyle much like that of King Ármann himself, while Hallbjörn would much rather spend time with the horses and out in the quiet of nature than at the parties full of people, conversation, and dancing.

Recently the King of Deuschbren came to visit Enanea and King Ármann had an equine demonstration put on for him. The quality of the horses impressed the King of Deuschbren and he arranged with Hallbjörn’s father to exchange some of Deuschbren’s for some of these horses.

As his father had parties to attend and other business to tend to, Hallbjörn was chosen to accompany the horses going to Deuschbren and take possession of the promised horses in his father’s stead, so he has set out with the horses on the EK Ágæti for the week-long voyage to Deuschbren.

Bergljót is the ninth child of sixteen and third daughter of seven; her father is the town tanner and her mother died in childbirth five years before — and the child she managed to bring into the world followed her to the grave within a week.

As a result of her mother’s death and the fact that their oldest sister was already married Bergljót’s sister who is just one year her senior has become the mother-figure to the little ones, a role she takes seriously to Bergljót’s great frustration, as she doesn’t like her sister’s bossiness that seems exceedingly directed at her.

In part because of her sister’s bossiness, and in part because she’s now old enough, Bergljót would love to be able to get married, but unfortunately she knows all the young men on Virki Island and doesn’t really see herself marrying any of them, not to mention the high taxes and marauding Ræningjar are proving to make the future look bleak with King Ármann not likely to die anytime soon.

It’s hard for Bergljót to be content with how things are, and she finds herself inclined to sympathise with the Young Revolutionaries, believing that life would be much better if they could get rid of King Ármann now instead of waiting for him to get old and die — after all, there are concerns that he could end up siring a son with one of the women he forces himself on and changing the laws so that son can become king, which surely would only make the troubles continue — but she dares not make these sympathies public as she’s sure her father and sister would be incredibly scandalised by them, being as the Öldungar believe that King Ármann will get his due naturally and no other women sympathise with the Young Revolutionaries’ cause.

*Does not correlate to 1391 AD, is typically rendered as VI1391.

Pronunciations:

Virki: verkee

Ena: eenah

Ureonaiea: yuhrohneighah

Hallbjörn: hallb'yorn

Óðinnson: ohdihnson

Bergljót: behrghleeoh

Leifursdóttir: leefuhrzdoughteer

Enanea: eenahn'yah

Nea: kneeah

Ane: ahn

Ármann: ahrmahn

Jónas: yohnahs

Vilhjálmur: vihlh'yahlmer

Óðinnborg:ohdihnborg

Ræningjar: ryeningyahr

Hinrik: hihnrihk

Deuschbren: dooyshbrehn
Öldungar: ahlduhngahr

Novel Begins: March 4.