Storytelling by the fire - Gunnar's Hold

This original post will always contain the most up-to-date info. Updated 10/11/07
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Tyr the Skaald and Egil Fireteller have kindly granted me permission to tell some of their tales to all who care to listen! Come to Gunnar's Hold and hear tales of Norn glory and prowess! I maintain my most current storytelling schedule on my website:

Storytelling Event Schedule and Tales told by the fire

All times listed are Pacific and I hang in American District 1. I always advertise these free storytelling events in local, and put a listing in the party window. Just PM me for an invite into my group. I suggest turning off local chatter and turning on emotes during the story for the best enjoyment.

Each tale takes about 10 to 15 minutes-ish, and may contain PG style humor and references. Here is the current list of stories (see the website):
|| Gunnarsljoth!
|| Siftyr!
|| Nifling Angtyr!
|| Rime of Norngest!
|| Raven and the Eagle!
|| Lerao the Ash!
|| Time and Tide!
|| Huntsmen!
|| The First Wendigo!
|| Other Written Stories (check website via link above)
|||| The Bears Albescent - two bears terrorize Ascalon in the months prior to the Searing
|||| All Good Things - the origin of humans on Tyria
|||| Amalgam - a story I wrote long before other players knew there were six gods

My in-game toon is Gi Shin Toi Dan, a ritualist and Northern pioneer. Come, bend a knee by the fire and listen to a story.

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Some excerpts for the curious:

Gunnarsljoth! Two implacable Norn square off
Quote: In days long past, this hearthstead-liege strode across whole mountains in single strides, was known far and wide for besting the Jotun hill giants. On this day, so long ago, he decided to visit a land he had never seen - the Bjora Marches. As you may know, to reach that desolate mountainside from Norrhart, you must cross the Bridge. It is at this Bridge that Gunnar found himself facing another Norn, Othin the Greybeard. The two stood on opposite sides, and as with all things Norn, one must best the other for the right to cross first, whether by weapon or vicious word it matters not. Siftyr! Sif Shadowhunter devises a cunning plan to spare herself a fate worse than death
Quote: The warriors over the mountains flew, through the unknown lands of the Lake towards Knefrudhalla in what is now Jaga Moraine. The whole Shivers forests trembled where the warriors ran, over the all-snowy plains they sped. Eventually Knefrud’s land they saw, and the high watch-towers of stone. Sif had planned for maids to sit without to watch for Gunnar, to warn him of Knefrud, but Knefrud had other plans! The cruel Norn learned of the messengers of Sif, and so it is with no warning to Gunnar as he entered the hall, no warning that Knefrud would betray the honor of Gunnar’s visit. Truly an unhonorable Norn! Nifling Angtyr! The true tale of Nifling the Chained
Quote: Nifling threw himself upon the battlefield every day, and those followers who died were returned from the soil as walking dead – the first evil borne of the sword! Norn who sought challenge fell to Angtyr’s poison, and Nifling grew more murderous – not to best a Norn in honorable challenge but for blood to flow unchecked into the very rocks so the dwarves knew he was coming again to their dark warrens! Rime of Norngest! Nothing can be worse for a Norn than to know his fate beforehand
Quote: Egil had a nightmare, and it was thus: In the starkest landscape of blizzard and clefted sky, he stood. Among tall pines thicker than wolf’s hair and that scraped even the underside of the clouds, in this small plain between stands of pine and oak, he stood in a world he had never before seen. Nothing beyond a pathway of trees could he see so thick the blizzard and so mired his mind– a bellowing spun him to face a thundering white bison, and his body was sheared away at is passing! Raven and the Eagle! The Norn's first great myth
Quote:

The giant ran through the forest of pine and oak, the tree limbs bashing the raven across and throughout, bruising him against rough rocks and dragging him over stumps and stones and briery thickets. The raven begged for mercy, and the giant laughed and spoke: “I will free you if you promise to bring and feed me apples.” Lerao the Ash! Egil's prophecy of the coming of the Wild Quote: In the summer moons, Lerao was busy as if looking after the sunshine itself and the summer rains. He would sway in the wind as do trees and his laughter was the rustle of Aspen leaves in a gale. But in the winter, when the sunlight faded, Lerao seemed to fade as well. His playfulness gone, he turned to brooding. The dark Northern winters seemed overlong to this young Wild lord. Time and Tide! Egil's prophecy of the coming of a new age Quote: This is Egil’s prophecy of Time and Tide. The land of Tyria will continue in conflict and generational war. Hoped you for peace at last? How long have you fought? What evils have you vanquished? Rarely will there be time for peace for your children! The Ascension of Kormir brings no harbor for love and family and warm houses. The Aeons! Huntsmen! Norn short verse about the only beast to escape the Wild-Huntsmen Quote: The stag, Arierk, sprung from mossy bed when he caught the piercing hornish sounds, and the oak-boughs crash'd to his antler'd head - as he flew from the viewless hounds; and the falcon soar'd from her craggy height, away through the rushing night! The verge shook to its ancient roots, as did the pines in their snowy-place. The First Wendigo! Nothing I've told so far can prepare you for this horrific tale Quote: I will tell the tale of a Norn, the tale of the Dagoh, the tale of what is scribbled in unwashable blood on the rocks. What do the runes say? This is what the dying Norn wrote: “It comes for me. It has grown as tall as the trees, and still it aches with hunger. I am hopeless in the face of it. I am devoured." A horrible end! The tale is more so. These three Norn came together into these Far Shivers, plundering the land, taking more game than they needed in the hunt. Beasts fled before them, their swords and axes slew all that lived. They were so taken by the hunt in these lands they decided to build a hearthstead.

A rousing success this tale, Gunnarsljoth! I told it three times this night, under the watchful eye of Tyr. I could not handle so many invites!

"Great story, bard!" One patron by the fire said.

"Wow, awesome!" Said another.

I will tell this tale of Gunnar's early years again tomorrow (Sunday) randomly throughout the day, then formally at 7pm, 7:30pm, and 8pm Pacific Time. Come, bend a knee with me by the fire and revel in the glory of the Norn!
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The Bears Albescent

Cool idea, might try and show up a bit later if I can

A kindly reminder of a great storytelling event tonight around the fire at Gunnar's Hold! Gunnarsljoth! Hear the legendary tale of two impalacable Norn squaring off with words and weapons to best the other!

7pm, 7:30pm and 8pm tonight, and repeat again tomorrow with a special encore for later-comers at 9pm (all times Pacific).

My audience demanded it and so it was written, er, spoken!

I will be telling Gunnarsljoth! at 5:30 and 7pm tonight Pacific time. But at 7:30 and 8pm, I will be telling a new tale I learned from Tyr the Skaald, Siftyr!. I will story-tell an encore at 9pm, and the audience may vote on which they want to hear.

Gunnarsljoth!: Hear the tale of two implacable Norn from days long ago, one of them is Gunnar Poundfist himself! Who will best the other in this tale of vicious insults and sharper weapons?

Siftyr!: Why did Sif Shadowhunter refuse to build a hearthstead upon the bodies of Norn? What lurks in her past? How is Gunnar involved, and why is Magni called The Bison?

All tonight around the fire at Gunnar's Hold, American Districts. Look for updates here on GWG, here too, and the party window. PM in GW for an invite!

Finally, a more proper website to show scheduling and available stories, etc!

Norn Storytelling: Player Event!

Quote: Originally Posted by SotiCoto Ol Murrani...
I have not heard you relate these tales, but I am curious. Heard you them word for word from the mouths of those they speak of.... or are the words your own?
And have you any other tales to tell?

Mayhaps you could ask for optional donations for the telling, and I'm sure plenty would be willing to oblige. Afterall... with the coming of many strangers from the southern lands, the ways of trade are becoming more prominant...

Plus... which districts? The American ones? I'd have to take a try at this myself since I've become too distanced from the roleplaying aspects of the game.... BUT... storytelling really doesn't befit an Assassin. It'll have to wait until my Monk, Dervish or Ranger gets there, I'd imagine. Maybe I could set something up for the European districts... My other thread in Eye of the North was closed, so I post here instead. I learn these great stories from Tyr the Skaald and Egil Fireteller themselves, who have told and retold these grand tales time for many years - well, after some serious pestering!

(So, in reality, I am inspired by old Norse poetry, inspired by the Norn and GuildWiki, then write up these stories in a fair equivalent of the meter of the old Norse poems that inspired them).

I never ask for donations, and won't start. Some people who indeed offer up some gold afterwards, but I will never ask for it. For thousands of years humans have sat around fires and told great stories that entertain as well as teach - the tale, Gunnarsljoth! is one such tale.

I have two stories to tell now, Gunnarsljoth! and Siftyr!. My current schedule and story-lineup is always available at this location.

Quote: Originally Posted by OlMurraniKasale

I just learned Nifling Angtyr! It is a fine tale of a daughters plan to save her father's ghost from himself and the weapon that spelled his doom! That makes three good tales of the Norn.

I updated the primary post to be most up-to-date and will always update it for the ease of the reader.

Sorry Friar to have missed you. My group of eight was already filled. But there will be other tales, other days. My website contains all the current info. And I always try to accomodate special requests for a particular time that may work for those folks - just send me a PM here or in-game!

Some folks have asked why I don't just tell these grand tales in the local channel. I can appreciate that it would garner a larger audience, but for one important subjective aspect - I think it would be rude to spam the local channel with a 10 minute story. Of course, the other reasons not to do it include the hardship for reading the story being told with all the local chatter interruption, and that fact that local channels have an extensive text filter - a 10 minute story would take 1/2 hour since you can't excessively spam in local.

So, I must stick with groups of eight, which is fine. Keeps it more intimate and concise.

See you around the fire!

I have updated the primary post with two more stories I tell.

i'm deffinatly going to try and show up for one of your stories

I just updated the primary post again. Added some excerpts so you know what I mean by "grand tales of the Norn!", and added another tale to the roster too of course.

Be warned through - it seems some of the less . . . mature folks in local chat have this thing about bashing anyone who may use the words 'role-play' or (gasp) storytelling! Just an FYI - it happens to me quite a bit, and nothing the ignore function doesn't take care of, but let me tell you about hypocrisy.

"Storytime? What are we three again?"
"Stories? How lame/gay/insert random insult here."

I’m surprised at the hypocrisy of their questions and insults. Everyone is a storyteller, so they confuse me.
What? Everyone? You bet! Didn’t you just yesterday tell a co-worker or fellow student about a movie or game or talk about one of your other friends and what they did? Maybe you just watched a movie or TV - all stories. When you logged in, you choose to play a self-directed animated cartoon clearly labeled “Roleplaying Character” - yup, clearly labeled right under the name of the toon. Aren't we all playing a self-directed animated cartoon in a story called Eye of the North?

Every single human since the beginning of speech has been/is/will continue to be a storyteller. We read stories and hear stories all the time.

That's hypocrisy for ya - spew bile through your teeth and you only end up dribbling on your chin.

So, good readers, be warned. Expect some bile dribbling from the chins of hypocrits if you dare say "storytelling" in local chat. Its ok, just get out the napkin and wipe their chins. Just be glad you aren't responsible for changing their diapers too!

Look for me, hear some grand tales of the Norn and the coming ages. That's what's important!

i wanna joooooooooooooooooin! Ill have to try and remember and sit in...and box anyone who dares ruin it :3 *daggershink!*

there should be a guild wars acting troupe xD

I've had several folks say that I inspired them to write up some tales, and hope to do storytelling as well. That's good! There's three whole campaigns and an expansion full of folks who need a shift in thinking about what GW can be if they stepped away from the "must-have-green/title/armor only" mindset.

I thought it would kind of cool to be a "soothe-sayer" in pre-Searing, telling tales of things that would come to pass for the audience. I do have some prophecies mixed in there (from Egil), which is a mix of lore and the GW2 lore provided to PC Gamer by ANet. Needs work though, so I'm working on it.

I attended one of your events and I absolutely loved it! I'm going to see if I can get my alliance together and get a full party for one of your tales.

By the way, are you going to come up with any specifically spooky stories once the Mad King returns? Hearing a tale around Lions Arch's giant caldron might be a fun event!

That would be pretty neat.

And I came the other day, and it was amazing. Once again, I loved it. You are truly inspired.

At this rate you're going to need partners to help tell stories xD

So, I had thought about doing something during the player event, Oktoberfest. Well, assuming all the participants aren't drunk off their rockers enough from all the ale to hear a story!

I'm glad you all liked it. Some of them are very Norn-ish, inspired by old Norse poetry (which can sometimes read like a shopping list), so I continue to work on them to make them fit well in the format and for content.

Quote: This story rated PG-13. This story has been edited for content and to run in the time allotted and scaled to fit in your text box.
I will think about a Mad King story, although I have been told the Rime of Norngest that I tell is spooky. We'll need something suitably dark and spine shivering - the tale of Fenvir mayhap? *humm, a plan is forming . . . .*