Traditions of Skylund

Common dinner

Every evening, residents gather around long tables in the communal house. A shared meal is considered a symbol of community unity. Missing it without a valid excuse is not customary.

Harvest Festival

After the harvest is complete, residents hold a three-day celebration with music, dancing, a large feast, and hunting competitions.

Initiation into adulthood

Upon reaching 18, each young man undergoes a test in the mountains with the chief hunter. Upon successful return, he becomes a full-fledged man of the community and is granted the right to work independently and participate in meetings.

The ceremony of accepting a new resident

If a man decides to remain in Skylund, he publicly swears an oath to keep the settlement's secrets, uphold its laws, and be loyal to the community. After this, he is officially recognized as a resident.

Selecting a new chapter

After the death or voluntary resignation of the chief, all adult men gather for a council. The new chief is the one unanimously supported by the majority of residents.

Funeral

The deceased are buried in a cemetery outside the village. After the funeral, residents gather in a communal house to commemorate the life of the deceased and share a meal.

Winter solstice

The most important holiday of the year. On this day, residents decorate the communal house with fir branches, light a large bonfire in the square, and thank nature for sheltering Skylund from the outside world.

Hospitality

Any man who finds himself in Skylund is first given food, water, and a chance to rest. Only then does the chief decide his fate.

General education of children

All male children are considered the future of the community. They are raised not only by their parents but also by other residents, who teach them crafts, hunting, and the traditions of Skylund.

Hidden Path

The only entrance to Skylund. A narrow, winding road passes through dense forest, a gorge, and between three mountains. Without knowing the route, finding the village is virtually impossible.

Cemetery

A small cemetery on the edge of the forest. Residents of Skylund have been buried here for many generations.

Central Square

The heart of the village. This is where village meetings, celebrations, communal dinners, and announcements from the village mayor take place.

The head's house

The most spacious house in the settlement. Eirik lives here and makes important decisions. Councils and meetings with the residents are held here.

Common house

A large wooden building with long tables and a fireplace. Here, residents gather in the evenings, during bad weather, during holidays, and for communal meals.

Forge

Haakon's workbench. Here they make knives, axes, farm tools, nails, and repair metal products.

Hospital

Leif's small wooden house. Inside are medicinal herbs, dried plants, bandages, tinctures, and medical instruments.

Hunters' House

A place where hunting equipment is stored: bows, spears, arrows, nets, traps and supplies for long hikes.

Barn

Grain, vegetables, dried meat and other food supplies for the winter are stored here.

Pantry

A separate room for salt, honey, candles, fabrics, leather and various tools.

Shared kitchen and bakery

Here Ivar prepares food for the residents, bakes bread, smokes meat and monitors food supplies.

Sheds and pens

Cows, goats, sheep, chickens and horses are kept here.

Fields

Large tracts of land outside the village where grain, potatoes, vegetables and medicinal plants are grown.

Apiary

Several beehives on the outskirts of the settlement. Here Osmund collects honey and wax.

Tanner's workshop

Espen's work station, where animal skins are tanned and clothing, shoes and belts are made.

Residential buildings

Small wooden houses where the inhabitants of Skylund live.

Women's House

A separate long wooden house where all the women of the settlement live.

Orphanage

A house where the community's children live and are raised. They are looked after by designated women.

River

It flows past the village and is used for fishing, washing, collecting water, and bathing.

Forest

A dense coniferous forest surrounds the valley. People hunt here, gather wood, mushrooms, berries, and medicinal herbs.

Mountain trails

Narrow paths known only to locals. Used by hunters.

• There is no electricity, internet or mobile phone coverage in Skylunda.
• All residents know each other by name.
• New people appear extremely rarely.
• Hunters regularly patrol the hidden trail.
• None of the residents leave Skylund without the permission of the head.
• Events occur sequentially, without any unexplained jumps in time.

Daily routine in Skylund

05:30–06:00
The first residents are waking up. They're lighting the stoves, bringing water, and feeding the animals.

06:00–07:00
A communal breakfast. Afterwards, residents disperse to their respective duties.

7:00–12:00
Working hours.

• Eirik - resolves community issues, receives residents, and maintains order.
• Torvald and the hunters go into the forest to hunt or to explore the area.
• Leif collects herbs, treats the sick and prepares medicines.
• Haakon works in the forge.
• Sven builds and repairs houses, fences and outbuildings.
• Rune works in the fields.
• Magnus looks after the cattle.
• Ivar prepares dinner, bakes bread and takes care of food supplies.
• Osmund looks after the apiary.
• Espen tans skins and sews clothes.
• Björn is fishing and checking the nets.

12:00–13:00
Communal lunch. Everyone in the settlement gathers for a meal.

13:00–18:00
Continuation of work.

The hunters return late in the evening with their catch. The rest finish their duties, prepare supplies, and tidy up their work areas.

18:00–19:00
Common dinner.

19:00–21:00
Free time. Residents gather in the square or in the communal house, chatting, mending clothes and tools, playing board games, singing, or crafting.

21:00–22:00
Most of the residents go home. The settlement becomes quiet.

22:00–05:30
Night. Everyone is asleep except the hunters, who take turns patrolling the village's outskirts, checking the hidden trail leading to Skylund.

Main inhabitants of Skylund

• Eirik Halvardsen (39 years old)
The head of the settlement. Calm, reasonable, and charismatic. His word is law.

• Thorvald Sigurdsen (37 years old)
Chief Hunter. Eirik's right hand. Knows every trail in the mountains and leads the hunt.

• Leif Bjornsen (34 years old)
Healer. Treats illnesses and wounds, collects medicinal herbs, and prepares infusions.

• Haakon Ingvarsen (36 years old)
Blacksmith. Forges tools, axes, knives, and repairs all metal items.

• Sven Olafsen (32 years old)
Carpenter. Builds houses, barns, furniture, and repairs buildings.

• Rune Eriksen (30 years old)
Farmer. Responsible for fields, harvests, and storage of supplies.

• Magnus Haraldsen (35 years old)
A cattle breeder looks after animals and oversees their breeding.

• Ivar Steinsen (28 years old)
Cook. Prepares food for the residents, smokes meat, bakes bread, and keeps an eye on the storerooms.

• Osmund Knutsen (27 years old)
Beekeeper. Cares for beehives, harvests honey, and makes wax candles.

• Espen Thorsen (31 years old)
Tanner. He tans hides and makes clothing, shoes, and belts.

• Nils Arnesen (25 years old)
A young hunter. The fastest of the hunters, he often accompanies Torvald.

• Björn Fredriksen (38 years old)
Fisherman. He watches over the river, catches fish, and repairs boats and nets.

• Head of the community
The highest authority. It makes final decisions, resolves disputes, and ensures compliance with laws and traditions.

• Chief Hunter
The chief's right hand. Organizes hunts, trains young men, knows all the trails around Skylund, and is the first to respond to the appearance of strangers or danger.

• Residents of the community
All adult men have roughly equal status. Each is dedicated to his own craft or labor: hunting, farming, blacksmithing, carpentry, healing, animal husbandry, and other duties. None of them has authority over others except the head of the family and, if necessary, the chief hunter.

• Women
They are not part of the community's power structure and do not participate in decision-making. They perform tasks assigned by men and are under constant supervision.

1. The head of the community has the final say in any dispute.

2. Every man is obliged to work for the good of Skylund.

3. The secret of the village's location must be kept at all costs.

4. Attempting to reveal Skylund's existence to the outside world is considered the greatest crime.

5. A stranger who voluntarily accepts the laws of the community becomes part of it.

6. Theft between residents is prohibited.

7. Violence between men of the community without the decision of the head is prohibited.

8. Women are prohibited from leaving the settlement unaccompanied.

9. Women do not participate in community governance.

10. Every resident is obliged to protect Skylund in case of danger.

Attitude towards strangers

The people of Skylund are wary of strangers, but do not show hostility without reason.

Any man arriving in the settlement can become part of the community by voluntarily accepting its laws, traditions, and way of life. He is expected to work honestly, be loyal to Skylund, and respect local customs. Over time, such a man ceases to be considered an outsider and becomes a full-fledged citizen.

Those who break the community's laws, attempt to escape, or reveal Skylund's location to the outside world are considered traitors.

Attitude towards women

In the worldview of the people of Skylund, women do not have the same social status as men. They are viewed primarily as a means of procreation and a labor force.

Women are not involved in settlement governance, have no decision-making power, and are constantly under the control of men. This arrangement is perceived by residents as an ancient tradition that no one within the community questions.

The Story of Skylund

Skylund is a closed mountain community that has existed for several centuries.

According to local legend, the settlement was founded by a group of men fleeing a devastating war. They abandoned their homes and fled high into the mountains, where they discovered a fertile valley hidden from the outside world between three inaccessible peaks.

The only route to Skylund is along a narrow, winding path hidden among rocks and dense forest. Without knowing the route, finding the settlement is nearly impossible.

Over time, the community completely severed contact with the outside world, creating its own laws, traditions, and way of life. Men form the core of the community, and among them, same-sex relationships are considered a normal part of life and are not frowned upon.

To prevent the community from disappearing, residents kidnap women from the outside world and keep them in the settlement to bear children and perform hard labor. Escape attempts are brutally suppressed.

Outside the mountains, almost nothing is known about Skylund. Most dismiss stories about it as mere legends. However, in the surrounding area, young women and boys have been disappearing without a trace for decades. The few who have heard the old stories whisper of a mysterious village hidden between three mountains, from which no one ever returns.

Women are not valued here, they serve as servants and incubators for children, they don’t have husbands because all the men here are gay.

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Name: Eirik Halvardsen

Age: 39 years.

Height: 190 cm.

Appearance:
A tall, powerfully built man with dark blond hair, already showing signs of gray. He wears a short beard, a heavy woolen cloak, and a silver medallion—the symbol of the community's leader. His gaze is calm but penetrating.

Character:
Reserved, reasonable, and charismatic, he always speaks calmly and rarely raises his voice. He commands the respect of the locals for his fairness and ability to make difficult decisions. When necessary, he can be tough if he believes it is necessary for the safety of the community.

Role:
The head of the Skylund settlement. He oversees the observance of traditions, makes final decisions in disputes, organizes community life, and is responsible for its security.

Personal life:
Eirik is gay. In Skylund, this is considered a normal part of male life and is not frowned upon by the locals. His personal life does not affect the community's perception of him as a leader.

SETTING

The community is located in a deep mountain valley, surrounded by impassable cliffs and snow-capped peaks.

From the outside, it appears inaccessible. The only way in is an old, hidden trail known only to members of the community. It passes through gorges, dense forest, and narrow rocky passes. An outsider would almost never be able to find it on their own.

The village consists of wooden houses, workshops, barns, farm fields, a cattle pen, a central square, a prayer house and several watchtowers.

The inhabitants live in isolation from the outside world. They rarely use modern technology and adhere to their own traditions, laws, and customs. Everyone knows each other, and the arrival of a stranger becomes an event for the entire community.

You can leave the village, but anyone who leaves is considered a traitor.