Scene 4: Daily grind

For Reading Aloud – Move‑In and Appointment

At last, the barracks are finished — despite every obstacle along the way. Beron has watched the placement of the final ice blocks with sharp attention, and a noticeable unease creeps into some of your comrades. The glances exchanged carry a silent question: “Did we miss something? Is he displeased?” he seems to say — without uttering a word.

Beron orders you to assemble in front of the barracks. Then he walks past you and disappears inside. Minutes pass, stretching into what feels like an eternity. Finally, he steps outside again and positions himself before you.

“I’ve seen better — but I’ve also seen far worse. Since you, not I, will be sleeping and living in there, it concerns me little. What matters is that you have a roof over your heads. Follow me — you will now receive beds, tables, chairs, washbasins, and personal chests from the quartermaster, Frilsa. If everyone puts in some effort, the barracks will be ready for occupancy by tonight.”

You haul the furniture from the storage hall to your barracks, piece by piece, arranging everything as best you can — and indeed, by evening, you are finished. Almost as if Beron had been waiting around the corner for the perfect moment, he appears right on time for the completion.

“Good. As of today, you are the new class of recruits. Your unit emblem for the first year is the Ice Spider. Your designation is: Second Recruit Squad of the First Cohort — or simply: 2nd R.E.K. There is another recruit squad that started a little earlier, and a third among the sea soldiers. Each of you has been assigned a personnel number. If you are asked who you are, the correct response is: Name, Rank, Unit, Stationed at — and for official occasions, add your personnel number.”

He points at Brynn. “Brynn, demonstrate.” Brynn looks left and right, steps forward hesitantly, and stammers: “Name: Brynn Teeth‑Grinder, Rank: Recruit, Unit: 2nd R.E.K., stationed at Fortress Virkin.”

Beron nods. “Exactly like that.” Then he smiles. “Tomorrow marks the beginning of your official service as recruits. Dismissed!”

GM Information – Beginning of the Recruit’s Daily Routine

With the completion of the barracks, the daily grind begins — something the recruits must first grow accustomed to. Early the next morning, Beron appears inside the barracks and bellows the squad together: in ten minutes, everyone is to stand outside. Whether they manage it is not the question — only in what condition. Shortly afterward, a horn signal sounds. Beron explains that this was the wake signal. It will sound again in twenty minutes. By then, everyone must be out of bed, the bedding and surrounding area tidied. Service clothing must be laid out — but first, sports clothing is to be worn.

This is followed by roll call outside the barracks, then morning exercise for one to two hours. Some recruits are assigned to kitchen duty and must report accordingly. Once the Ice Spider flag is raised at the canteen, the recruits may eat. They have thirty minutes. Food is distributed in lines, after which one finds the nearest free table. After eating, there is time for personal hygiene and changing clothes. Whoever finishes early stands at attention outside the barracks. Once everyone is present, training begins — until lunch, again signaled by the raised flag. After lunch, training continues. As the training progresses, some of it is gradually replaced by assigned duties. In the evening, there is another meal in the canteen, followed by two hours of free time and finally lights‑out.

Play through two to three days so the players can get a feel for the routine and meet some of the fortress staff.

Sports Units (Examples of Exercises)

• Endurance: long‑distance running in snow, interval training, sled pulling
• Muscle strength: lifting ice blocks, body‑weight exercises, partner drills
• Reflexes: reaction games with snowballs, evasion training
• Speed: sprint courses, obstacle runs
• Balance: balancing on icy beams, stability exercises

Study Units in Library or Barracks

• Ranks, grades, notable figures
• Procedure for formal reports
• Risk assessment and correct response
• Basic wound treatment
• Animal lore
• Golem lore
• Weather knowledge

Training Content in the Fortress

• Introduction to various weapon types
• Procedures in dangerous situations
• Test scenarios and routines
• Familiarization with hazards: animals, nature, weather
• Weapon crafting and improvisation

Basic Duties in the Fortress

• Guard duty (wall, gate, secured areas, later night shifts)
• Kitchen duty, latrine duty, barracks supervision
• Flag duty
• Setup/teardown for festivities
• Infirmary assistance
• Library/archive
• Snow clearing
• Animal care

After roughly three months, the recruits enter a new phase of their training: exercises and duties increasingly shift outside the fortress. The foundations have been laid, discipline has taken root — now they must learn to survive in the wilderness, recognize danger, and act independently.

Outdoor Training

Training beyond the walls is physically demanding and mentally taxing.

• Climbing ice walls The recruits learn to move across steep, frozen surfaces using crampons and ice hooks. The goal is not only strength, but also technique and risk assessment.
  
  
• Crevasse rescue In simulated or real glacier crevasses, they practice recovering comrades — using rope techniques, safety procedures, and team coordination. Mistakes here can have serious consequences.
  
  
• Steering ice‑sailers & sled driving The recruits learn how to steer ice‑sailers — wind‑driven vehicles on runners — and how to guide cargo sleds safely through rough terrain. Speed, balance, and navigation are the main focus.
  
  
• Tracking Tracks in snow and ice are fleeting. The recruits learn to recognize animal movements, human tracks, and signs of danger — a skill that may later decide between life and death.

Field Duty

In addition to training, the recruits now take on real tasks in the field. They are no longer merely observed, but actively deployed — under supervision, yet with growing responsibility.

• Patrol rounds The recruits regularly inspect designated points in the surrounding area: crevasses, old igloos, supply depots, homesteads. They report changes, secure the surroundings, and document anything unusual.
  
  
• Runners Individual recruits take on messenger runs between homesteads and the fortress. They are often alone for hours — a test of orientation, endurance, and mental resilience.
  
  
• Scouts Scouts must be quiet, alert, and fast — and must not be intimidated by the vastness of the ice plains. They also check specific positions, but always with the thought in mind that a golem attack could be imminent or that a Snovingar nest might be nearby.

Stay with narrative play for now rather than drowning in dice rolls. Give players room for roleplay among themselves. In the next chapters, exceptional situations will appear where extensive rolling becomes appropriate.

Within Fortress Virkin, the strict daily routine is regularly interrupted by events that break up the recruits’ everyday life and create social dynamics. These include honors, funerals, night shifts, leave periods, the appointment of adjutants, and the weekly lottery for access to the officers’ mess.

Honors are rare, usually awarded for long service or exceptional heroism — such as the rescue of civilians from dangerous situations. The recruits are responsible for preparations: they level the ground, clear equipment away, set up seating, and build a stage of ice. In bad weather, improvised coverings are stretched. The ceremony is solemn, with music and banners, and offers opportunities for character play, pride, or jealousy.

Funerals follow a similar structure, but without a stage. The body is laid out on a platform and carried by recruits to the southern cliff, where the final rest takes place. The scene becomes particularly intense when the deceased was a recruit — this can lead to strong roleplaying moments, such as vows, guilt, or strengthened group cohesion.

After no more than four to six months of service, recruits are assigned to night shifts. Their daily rhythm shifts, sleep becomes scarce, but the rest of the routine remains unchanged. Night duty is well suited for quiet scenes, conversations under the stars, unexpected incidents, or nocturnal patrols with potential danger.

Leave is possible three times a year, each for three weeks upon request. Missed content must be made up independently. Instructor Beron also occasionally takes time off. During his absence, other instructors take over, each deliberately contrasting with him: Kjalda, for example, disciplined and uncompromising, or Torven, who appears relaxed but acts unpredictably. Beron’s return can be staged as a turning point — whether with relief among the recruits or conflicts with his replacements.

Appointment as an adjutant is a flexible tool for reward or punishment. In the positive case, the recruit becomes a personal assistant to an officer, gaining insight into administration and strategy and having lighter duties. In the negative case, the recruit is assigned to a servant — such as cleaning staff or kitchen personnel — and must perform menial work. Both variants offer good opportunities for character development, social interaction, or humiliation.

The officers’ mess is a privileged area with comfortable furnishings, alcoholic drinks, and snacks. Once a week, enlisted ranks may attend — but only via lottery. Anyone interested places a small wooden token into a box, and thirty names are drawn the day before. The winners receive a small bone plaque that serves as their entry ticket. These passes are coveted and are traded, exchanged, or stolen. The lottery can be used as a social event, with intrigue, minor side plots, or rewards for deserving characters.

Read‑aloud text – Entering the officers’ mess of Fortress Virkin

You step through a narrow passage of smooth, milky ice. Your footsteps echo dully on the frozen floor as a chamber opens before you, feeling like a cavern of light and frost.

The officers’ mess lies hidden within the fortress — far from the noise of training and the wind of the ice wastes. The light comes from blue‑vein mycelium, bathing the room in a muted, almost dreamlike glow and making the carved bone reliefs seem alive: scenes of old battles, rune warriors in motion, the names of fallen officers etched into the walls.

The seating consists of ice blocks covered with thick fur blankets that smell faintly of old leather. On the tables — also made of ice — lie flat bone plates with dried meat, salty ice algae, and frozen fish strips. In recessed hollows rest polished bone goblets filled with dark liquids whose scent recalls moss and iceberries.

The officers speak softly. Their voices are muted, their movements calm. Some exchange stories, others sit in silence and enjoy their drink. This is not a place for revelry, but for composure — a place where official business is avoided.

An officer at the edge briefly raises his gaze, studies you, and nods in greeting. You are welcome here. For tonight.