What is Mannaz Hall? An interesting question. Those familiar with earth lore might know that "mannaz" is the Norse rune for man. Fittingly enough, life for half of the Nysgod population begins in Mannaz Hall. Located in the eastern quadrant of the capital city of Dagaz, Mannaz Hall is more often referred to by its slang name, "the initiation hall" or just "the hall." It is here that the chosen mates of Nysgods are brought, prior to their Carving In, both for psychological preparation and for safe-keeping. And it is in this inexplicable palace that the candidates for Prince Tristan's hand are now being kept.



The interior of the hall is built out of sleek, white stone, smooth enough to be metal. Every few feet, in the ceiling, there is a bright electric light in a pretty sconce. There are many, many windows, all made up of some slightly gray material ten times harder than glass. Like snowflakes, no two windows are exactly the same. Each is a different size and shape, forming a beautiful mosaic of lavender light during the day and deep violet light at night. The hall is made up of about five floors, three above ground and two below. The keyword here is "about" because it's a little hard to tell. The corridors and staircases of the hall often change at random, without any warning. It's not a visible change. No one will actually see staircases moving. But the staircase that leads up to the bathroom one day may lead to the courtyard the next. The more time mortals spend in the hall, the better their instincts about where to go become--this is part of the psychological training all Nysgod mates must go through--but it's still easy to be caught off guard when not paying attention.

There are Net Box screens along many of the hallways, occasionally broadcasting whatever is occurring in a courtroom. Although the courtroom is said to be inside of the hall, none of the winding staircases or hallways ever seem to lead there. It's rather peculiar. And looking at the hall from the outside, it's impossible to pinpoint any such room with windows quite like that. How strange!

Stranger still, there don't appear to be any doors leading out of Mannaz Hall.

Bedrooms
Each candidate has been provided with a private bedroom--although couples are more than welcome to share. The bedrooms are extremely spartan in nature, with only a pod-like bed, a desk, and a storage trunk provided. There are no closets or bathrooms attached to any of the bedrooms. It's no wonder the rooms are so bare, of course. Under normal circumstances, they're used in the extreme short term. Candidates can request additional chairs or trunks from the hall servants.

Interestingly, despite all of the windows in the hall, the bedrooms do not have any. Instead, mounted on the wall of every bedroom is a mirror. If a candidate gazes into the mirror and says the name of a location in any of the Known Worlds, an image of that location will appear. This can't be used to spy on anyone at any time. The images that appear are stock images of skylines and landscapes. Candidates can also specify the time of day they wish to see. After that, it's just like looking out a mirror at home sweet home.

Bedroom doors lock and unlock from the inside.

Bathroom
As stated above, none of the bedrooms have their own bathrooms. Instead, there is a single, communal bathroom in the hall. After all, the Nysgods don't need bathrooms. And Mannez Hall has never had quite this many visitors before. As would be expected, the bathroom is somewhat underwhelming (and likely to be very crowded at times). There are three bathtubs, lined up along one wall with screens set up in between them for privacy. There are also three small closets, equipped with basic toilets. There are two sinks.

Towels, toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, soap, shampoo, conditioner, hair removing chemicals, deodorant, and dental floss are stocked daily by the hall servants. Potentially dangerous toiletries, such as razors or scissors are only provided if a Nysgod is present to witness their use. After that, they are taken away again.

Courtyard
Mannaz Hall has a beautiful interior courtyard dead in the middle, opening up to the sky. It's vast and open, large enough to somehow contain the Egime, although the ship seems to be operating at half power. Every morning the trees bloom with a different flower and as the sun sets, the petals fall like snowflakes. By morning, the petals have disappeared and there are new buds on the trees. There is a fountain which spouts crystal clear water, accompanied by beautiful music. Many believe the music reflects the mood of the person who last touched the water, but the servants can't say how it works.

There is no way to make contact with the outside world from the courtyard. In fact, a transparent barrier shimmers along the open sky. It occasionally ripples when the wind picks up a flower petal and drifts it into contact with the field.

The Egime
The Egime, while grounded, is still available to candidates. In fact, the cargo hold is where all new arrivals first appear. The gangplank is always open and the first seven decks are all accessible. The ship seems to be running at half-power, however. The lights are dim and occasionally flicker. The doors sometimes stick when opening. The holodeck can only run for a stretch of about fifteen minutes at a time. Most importantly, the supplies are dwindling and are not being replenished.

Dining Hall and Kitchen
There is a single dining hall in Mannaz Hall, with two long tables running down the middle, each with a bench on the outside side. Meals are held four times a day (breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, and dinner), prepared by the hall servants. Foods are varied and sumptuous, often accompanied by wine and mead. The dietary restrictions of the candidates are, of course, taken into account.

During other times, the tables and benches are cleared away and the room is empty. There's almost always a Nysgod on duty who will, upon request, turn the room into the illusion of another place for an hour or two.

Note: Please feel free to handwave your character asking the Nysgod on duty to create a landscape for them. Landscapes are very simple. They are environments like "the forest of Endor" or "the Life Cafe" but they do not have any living creatures in them.

There is a large, fully stocked kitchen attached to the dining room. The hall servants tend to be a little territorial about it; they don't like it when their guests try to cook, it's their job! All the same, candidates can get in, particularly at night when the servants have gone home. Oddly enough, there are no knives or other sharp objects there during the off hours. There are always plates of cookies left overnight, however. Along with bottles of ale and brandy.

Library
A highlight of the hall is its library. It's roughly the size of three football stadiums put end to end, with stacks and stacks of books that twist and turn and warp just like the hallways of Mannaz Hall. There are books on every conceivable topic, except for the Nysgods themselves. Candidates can find fiction, nonfiction, and everything in between.

Note: Please remember to be courteous and avoid fourth-walling other characters, unless you have the permission of everyone playing from that canon.

In a dark corner of the library is a section marked 'Restricted.' That said, there's no one on guard to prevent characters from going into the restricted section. There, they'll find cursed books. Opening a cursed book can cause terrible things to happen.

Note: Cursed books can be used to start player plots. Please contact the mod team if you wish to run a player plot. (Some examples include a book that causes everyone to start singing, a book that turns people into werewolves, a book that causes it to start snowing indoors. Seriously, talk to the mods if you would like to use this device to run a plot.)

Interestingly, every single surface of the library is dusty and covered in cobwebs. The whole place smells faintly of mold. There is a servant who's on duty a few days a week, but he seems incredibly disinterested, always surprised when someone walks in. The Nysgods have done and seen it all, he'll say. No one ever bothers with libraries any more.

Infirmary
The infirmary is almost as dusty as the library. Nysgods don't need medicine, after all. Mostly, the infirmary is in place to treat any potential mates who happen to come down with a case of the flu. There are three cots along one wall and two steamer trunks filled with rudimentary medical supplies (aspirin, disinfectant, bandages, eyedroppers, etc.). There's no Nysgod staff in the infirmary. It appears to be just left open.

Largely, the purpose of the infirmary seems to be to host the communal Net Box. It sits on a table, apart from the cots. Anyone without a personal Net Box can use it to send a broadcast out to other Net Boxes. It can also be used to watch films. Every day, the Nysgod servants of the hall gather together to watch a movie. It's usually something unusual, such as The Misadventures of Stick Stickley or How Clog Dancing Conquered the World. Candidates are, of course, welcome to join in the fun. Bean bag chairs and popcorn are provided.

About the Mannaz Hall People
The Nysgod servants who work in Mannaz Hall are polite and accommodating. They will happily provide candidates with simple requests, such as food, clothing items, directions, and demonstrations in how to use things. That said, they aren't the chatty sort. They go about their work quietly and efficiently. They absolutely will not tolerate violence and if they catch candidates in the act of doing something violent, they will immediately pull candidates through the shadows and back to their respective bedrooms, crisply telling them to behave.

There are occasional side-glances and whispers of "Remember what they did to the people of Gebo." It seems the candidates don't have the most sterling of reputations.

Candidates may also occasionally run into a mortal who happens to bee staying in the hall, awaiting his or her Carving In. Although such individuals will be varied and diverse, the one thing they will all have in common is the desire to become Nysgod.

About the Trial
An ongoing side-plot for this setting is the trial of Quinn and Casey. As is standard procedure for Niflheim trials, anyone may question any witness, via Net Box. Anyone living in Niflheim is also free to call a witness to stand. Witnesses will be brought in to make testimony every few weeks. Look for posts on the network comm. To request a witness, comment to the sub-thread below. Please note, all requests will be fielded, but not necessarily in any particular order. Be patient. The mod is only human and can only take on so many threads at a time.

Requested witnesses:

Ben Braeden

Draco Malfoy

Various pieces of evidence for the trial are also always on display, for everyone's reference. Pieces of evidence include:

Several of the toys supposedly left behind by Quinn in place of candidates (a chess rook, a playing card, an army man)

A copy of the mysterious bedtime story

Notes that Skokan took on the strange dreams

A silver rose

A bell

"Arion's" cloak

The broken remains of the dollhouse

Porthos the puppy (don't worry, he's being fed and well cared for)

These may be referenced any time a witness is being questioned.

Questions About the Setting
If you have a question about the setting, please ask it in the appropriate sub-thread below. Also, make sure to check the sub-thread first, to see if someone has already asked. The mods ask that you do not post any questions on plurk, as not all of our players will be able to see the responses.