AD&D - HR1 - Vikings - Campaign Sourcebook (2e)

Dwarves and Elves As a rule, these beings are a secretive and
mysterious lot. They live in the world of spir-
The dwarfs had first emerged and come to life its and gods, and therefore have little commu-
in Ymir’sflesh, and at that time were maggots. nion with the world of men. Their desires and
But b y the decree of the gods they acquired goals are not those of humanity. They are sel-
human understanding and the appearance of dom susceptibleto bribes of gold or jewels. In-
men, although they lived in the earth and stead they may seek marriage or affairs with
rocks. humans and sometimes take children to raise
as their own. Dwarves of all types are usually
The Prose Edda neutral or neutral evil in alignment.

The dwarves and elves of V&ng myth, leg- One of the most feared traits of such crea-
end, and folktale are a far different breed from tures is bertagning (”taking into the moun-
those presented in the AD&W d e s . In the Vi- tain”), the habit of luring or stealing men,
king imagination, dwarves and elves are more women, and children away from their homes.
or less lumped together. The words are used Men lost in the forests are often lured into
somewhat interchangably to indicate any of a mountain halls by bright lights and feasting,
variety of strange beings with supernatural sometimes by the allure of a seductive spirit.
powers. Thus, dwarf refers to many types of Women are sometimestricked into marrying a
humanoid earth or woodland creatures. dwarf or elf. Infants are stolen from their cra-
dles, sometimes replaced by an elf-child
In a Viking campaign, the words dwarf and (changeling) or a wooden doll. Those taken
elf can refer to any number of beings-usually are either never seen again or disappear for
an AD&W dwarf, elf, or drow. Ignoring their years, only to return dazed and slightly mad
differences in appearance, all dwarves and from their experience. Very rarely, a few re-
elves are considered to be more or less the turn blessed with strange powers and go
same type of being. Known by a variety of fortune.
names (alfr, dvergar, dock-alfar, and more)
they are hlghly magical and mysterious crea- Dverge
tures. Somelive on the surface and are consid-
ered fair, others live underground and are The dverge is the closest in appearance to
called dark. All are older than mankiid, hav- the dwarf described in the Monstrous Com-
ing lived since the beginning of the world. pendium, except for their crow’s feet. They
are usually short and skinny, often grotesque
In game terms, a dwarf or elf can be any in appearance. A few can pass for normal,
number of different beings, dependmg on its though stunted, men. Somesport wild beards.
behavior and appearance. Regardless of its
name and appearance, the dwarf or elf has the In addition to their considerable magical
spell-casting abilities of a 4th to 11thlevel wiz- ability, the dverge are the finest of all crafts-
ard (Id8 +3). (Viking dwarves are hardly men for making magical devices. T
strangers to magicl) Furthermore, all dwarves cally have and use magical devic
and elves can fight and use armor without re- weapons, clothes that make the wearer
striction. ble, and statuettes that come to life are fav
ite items.
Dwarves or elves can never be player char-
acters, although in very rare circumstances a The dverge are almost never encoun
dwarf might join a party. These NPCs will Most meetings are with travelers lost
never remain for more than a single adven- deep mountains. Dverge are never fo
ture, however. Dwarves are seldom con- Iceland and rarely in other lands of Sc
cerned in the affairs of men.

cI

-UI1

via, although they are more common to east- making all manner of magical things, includ-
em lands such as Karelia, Permia, and Gar- ing swords, armor, rings, and horns.
dariki. These beings usually live underground
and are sensitive to sunlight, which causes Most huldufolk, as one of their other names
them to have a -1 penalty on all die rolls
when in the sun. Many dverge live in the oth- implies, live in the numerous mounds and bar-
erworldly realms of Niflheim and all have the rows found near farms and homesteads. Al-
power to cross from the normal world to the though their choice of domicile suggests it, the
otherworld.
huldufolk are not undead creatures. Instead
Dock-Alfm their homes are magical realms reached only
be entering these mounds. Others live just be-
The dock-alfar, or dark elves, are similar to yond the realm of men, in invisible lands at
&ow in abilities and appearance. They live the edges of farmsteads. There they have their
beneath the earth and shun the llght. Unlike
drow, the dock-alfar are not quite as mali- own farms and houses, often in imitation of
cious or evil. They are neutral to evil in be- their human neighbors. The huldufolk possess
havior, in general preferring to remain out of the ability to pass from one realm to the other
human affairs. They do not use javelins or
crossbows of any type, carry adamantine and can take those they choose into this
maces, use poison, or have any of the cultural realm. Those with second sight can see into
particulars of &ow. The dock-alfar live in un- this realm when the huldufolk are passing
derground communities organized much like
normal human communities. Like the dverge, from one to the other.
dock-alfar tend to only be encountered in the For the most part, huldufolk remain distant

loneliest of mountain regions. So infrequently from the affairs of men. If they are spoken of
with respect and undisturbed, they can be
are they seen that humans consider them more good neighbors, performing little services for
legend than fact. The dock-alfar are never the farm when no one is around. They may
found outside Norway and Sweden.
bring back cows that have strayed or help a
Huldre little in the harvest. On the other hand, if
treated disrespectfully or bothered, the huldu-
The huldufolk (‘hidden people”) are quite
similar to elves as described in the AD&D” folk use their powers to cause havoc and suf-
Monstrous Compendium, and the ability fering for their human neighbors. Huldufolk
scores of elves can be used. They are also tend to be neutral or chaotic good.
known as the alfar, huldre, vattar, under-
ground folk, or people of the mounds. Unlike Like all of their kind, the huldufolk cannot
elves, the huldufolk can become invisible at be held to human standards. They have their
will or polymorph themselves into copies of own reasons and motives for doing things.
humans, including people known to the char- Male and female huldre are fascinated with
acters. Such a transformation is never perfect, humans of the opposite sex and will some-
however. There is always a distinguishingfea-
ture to reveal the huldufolks true identity, be times use they powers to trick humans into be-
it a cow’s tail, merging eyebrows, or a ridge coming their paramours. Those so romanced
instead of a dimple under the lip. Like the are typically taken back to the huldufolks
dverge, the huldufolk are accomplished in
realm to live. There time passes much differ-
ently, such that years may pass outside for a
single night within the mound. There is no set
pace; the time variation is different on each
occurence. Sometimes a day is a month,
sometimesit is a year. As stated earlier, those
who return from bertagning are never the
same. Some gain the power of second sight or
good fortune, while others are simply mad for

. . . And Monsters 51

the rest of their days. Giants
The huldufolk are found throughout nearly
Odin said: Hail, Vafthrudnir! I am here in
all the lands settled by the V i k i i s . Some say
these beings lived there first; others maintain your hall to see what you look like,
the huldre followed their neighbors to these
new lands. I have come to find out if they call you wise

Maahiset rightly or wrongly, giant.
This type of dwarf is identical in appearance The Lay of Vafthrudnir

to the standard A D & P game dwarf, although The giants of Norse belief are some of the
its dress is simpler and more barbaric. Like the best known of all the strange and wondrous
dverge, the maahiset lives underground and is creatures in their mythology. It was a giant
who built the wall around Asgard, land of the
seldom found on the surface. It seldom carries gods. It was the giant Utgard-Loki who trick-
ed the gods Thor and Loki in contests of
weapons and typically wears rustic clothii. strength. It is the giant Surt, lord of Mus-
The maahiset are all elementalists, especially pelheim, who will destroy the earth in the last
battle, Ragnarok.
fond of earth-based spells. As a rule, they are
Norse giants come in a broad range of guises
juspicious of strangers. The maahiset are found from the cunningand clever to the brutish and
stupid. Although similar in many ways to the
~ n l yin Karelii, Tafestaland, and Permia. giants presented in the AD&D Monstrous Com-
pendium, even the least of the Norse giants is
Dwarf Names Fjalar NSi greater than his AD&D game cousin.
Frosti NYr
A i Fundin NyraS In the Viking age, few giants, if any, lived in
Alberich Galar Oin Scandinavian realms. Once they were popu-
Alf Ganndilf Onar lous and lived throughout the land. Many
Althj6f Ginnar Ori landmarks-a precariously balanced boulder,
Alvis Gloin RassviS an oddly shaped mountain peak, or a curi-
Andvari Har Regin ously shaped lake-were created (usually ac-
Austri Haur Rekk cidentally) or placed by giants. With the rise
Bifur Heptifili SkafiS of men, however, the giant population dwin-
Bifur HleSjolf skirvir dled and their race retreated. O f those on
Bombor Hugstari SuSri earth (Midgard), most dwell in fabled lands
Brokk Sviar far to the east beyond Permia. This land is
Ingi Thekk known by many names-Jotunheim,
Dain Iwaldi Thjodrorir Giantland, and the Glasir Plains. Others live
Dolghvari Kili Thorin far north in the frozen wastes, in places like
Don Lit Throin Svalbard and Groenland. In mythical lands,
Draupnir MjoSvitnir Thror giants abounded, again to the east of Asgard
Duf MoSsognir Vali and to the south in Muspelheim.
Durin Mondul Vestri
Dvalin Niin Vig As a rule, giants share the worst characteris-
Eikinskjaldi N i r
Eitri NiSi Vinndi1f tics of humans. They are deceitful, often cun-
Fa1 Niping ning, greedy, malicious, jealous, and violent.
FiS NorSri Virvir Some are quite clever and skilled in magical
Fili Nori Vit
Volund arts. All giants are evil, though they may be

Giant Names be devious and suspicious of strangers. They
are seldom openly hostile, but will sometimes
(Fem. indicates giantess) attempt to trick or ambush humans who enter
their territory. In general, cliff giants are neu-
Aegir Hymir tral evil.
Idi
A r k e f i a (fem. ) Im Frost Giants
Aurgelmir Lodin Frost giants live in the uncharted frozen
Aurnir Menia (fern.)
Beli MimIir . lands north of Scandinavia and in the cold en-
Bergelmir Mogthrasir trances to Niflheim. Frost giants are identical
Bestla (fern.) M uspell in ability and general appearance to those de-
Bolthorn Neri scribed in the AD&D Monstrous Compendi-
Eggther Norvi um, although they stand 25' to 30' tall. They
Egd Nott (fem.) are much more intelligent than their A D & D
Fenja (fem.) Rind (fern.) game cousins, with intelligence scores from 12
Fjalar Skrogg to 15. The frost giants of Viking myth do not
Fornjotr Skrymir have shamans or witchdoctors, but 20% of
Gerd (fem.) Skuld their kind are magesup to 10thlevel in ability.
Gunnlod (fern.) Suttung
Gvmir Svarang The frost giants live in cold and dimly lit
Hiti Thiassi longhouses. Their groupings are tribal, usu-
HddU Thiazi ally consisting of a jar1 (chieftain), his men,
Hlebard Thklgelrnir and their families. The giant jar1 in turn owes
Hrimgerd (fem.) Thrym his allegience to the jNten Fomjotr or Thrym,
Hrimgrimnir Ulf both kings. Because the frost giants live in dis-
Hrunnnir Utgard-Loki tant, icy lands, they seldom become involved
Vafthrudnir in the affairs of men. However, they have
Hrym Verdandi more than once boiled out of Niflheim and
Mfing threatened the safety of Asgard and the other
Ymir realms.

Cliff Giants loten
The clif giants are one of the more common These giants are among the most powerful

types of giant, frequently encountered in the and wisest of their kind. Most are nearly as
lands to the east. Cliff giants have the same old as the beginning of the world. They have
statistics and abilities as A D & P game stone near godlike powers and abilities. Because of
giants. In appearance, however, they stand their mythical background, the joten are only
25' to 30' tall, have long hair and thick beards, found in the legendary lands of the other
and indeed look much like their Viking realms-Niflheim, Muspel, and Jotunheim.
counterparts. They are also very intelligent
(10-12).Some cliff giants serve under power- In appearance, the joten are truly majestic.
ful chieftains of their kind, staying at his hall They have the general appearanceof storm gi-
as retainers. Others live with their families on ants from the AD&D Monstrous Compendi-
farms far from other lands. Cliff giants tend to um, but easily stand 75 to 100 feet tall. The
abilities of each of these giants are unique, but
are similar to those for Surt and Thyrm pre-
sented in the A D & D 2nd Edition Legends and

And Mnnsterc 51

Lore rulebook. It is doubtful that even the range of civilization. They are most common
most heroic of player characters would ever on the fringes of Karelia and the heart of Ta-
encounter one of these giants. festaland and Permia.

Kalevanpojat Sea Giants

These giants, found only in the regions of These special giants dwell below the waves.

Karelia, Tafestaland, and Permia, are a bane They are similar in size, appearance and abili-
to the farmers who have settled there. In ap- ties to AD&D game cloud giants. Sea giants

pearance the kalevanpojat look like hill gi- can breathe in air or water equally well and

ants. They have the same ability scores as swim or walk at the same movement rate.

these creatures. However, the kalevanpojat They can predict weather at will. They do not
can transmute rock to mud and transmute have priests among their number, although

earth to stones, each three times per day. (The they can be 9th level wizards. They fight with
latter power has the same range and area of their hands or spears, on those rare occasions

effect as transmute rock to mud. It changes when they give battle.

earth into small boulder-sized rocks.) Sea giants are believed to dwell in halls be-

The kalevanpojat live at the edges of the neath the waves. This is only supposition,

wilderness in simple log houses hidden well since their homes have never been visited by

away from strangers. They enjoy their soli- man. They dress in ordinary clothing, draped

tude and will use their powers to plague set- in seaweed and often adorned with treasures

tlers who expand into giant territory. Dry land from the ocean floor. Their hair is normally a

ll becomesinexplicably swampy, no matter how pale blond-green.
many times it is drained. Good fields fill and Sea giants have little interest in the affairs of
refill with stones, making plowing impossible.
men or anything else that occurs on land.

The kalevanpojat are neutral evil in align- They also tend not to involve themselves with

ment. the fleets of fishermen and Vikings that ply the

Thursir waves. However, the sea giants have been
known to make rare appearances at the sur-

These ill-tempered brutes are enlarged ver- face. Sometimes they warn of impending
sions of the AD&D@game hill giants. They storms, particularly if the captain is blessed
have the general abilities of the hill giant, al-
though they can came disease or madness up with good luck or the ship is protected by
to three times per day. Their appearance is not runes. For the unlucky and the disrespectful,

quite so primitive as the hill giant. Thursir the sea giants appear by seizing the gunwales
stand about 20 to 25' tall. Their hair and and dragging the vessel down.
beards are wild and unkempt and their ears
are noticeablely large. They dress in crude, Because there is so little contact between
man and sea giant, it is almost impossible to
rustic clothing, often heavily patched, and
fight with cudgels fashioned from trees. say what the motives of these beings are. They
are neutral evil in alignment, although, as has
The thursir have lived for as long as the jo- been noted, they are known to perform help-
ful acts for a lucky few.

ten. However, they are not nearly so blessed Trolls
with intellectual ability or power as their

brother giants. The thursir tend to be slow- The most common creatu

witted and easily tricked or enraged. They live out the Viking lands are trolls, but they are far
by themselves in wildernesses just beyond the different creatures from those described in the

54 Chapter Five

AD&D@ Monstrous Compendium. Trolls of great asset on the battlefield.
Scandinavia range from hideously ugly, huge,
and hulking to human in size and appearance. Trow
Yet even these normal-seeming trolls are very The trow is a sea-troll, most often found
different from humans.
around the Orkney and Shetland islands. It is
Scandinaviantrolls have the same statistics neither a handsome nor friendly creature. It
as ogres as defined in the AD&D Monstrous has the abilities and general appearance of an
Compendium. They are not the creatures de- ogre, but it can function equally well on land
scribed as trolls in those products. Most im- and sea. The trow can breathe air or water
portantly, the trolls of Scandinavia do not and swims at the same speed it can move on
regenerate damage. land. The trow hate humans, especially those
who venture into their fishing territory. It typ-
However, like most other creatures of the ically attacks by overturning the fisherman's
region, the Scandinaviantroll is highly skilled boat and then drowning the crew. Trow
in magic. Of those encountered, 50% are homes are usually found in the rocky cliffs
highly intelligent wizards of 5th to 13thlevel. along the sea-shore.
This in particular makes them cunning and
dangerous, since they have little love of man-
kind who has usurped their position on the
Earth.

In appearance, the troll varies greatly.
Those found in Norway, the British Isles, and
distant eastern lands are commonly huge and
ugly. As such, they look like ogres although
they dress better, wearing the clothes of their
region (not crude skins or furs). They fight
with the same kinds of weapons and armor as
their human neighbors, although these are
scaled for their larger size.

In Sweden and parts of Denmark, the troll
looks almost human, like one of the troll-

born. They tend to be somewhat bigger than

humans, though not remarkably so. These
trolls are not particularly ugly and a few can
even be described as handsome. However,
they are still trolls, and therefore dangerousto
humans.

Trolls are not social creatures. Each family
(for trolls have wives and children, too) lives
more or less by itself. Their homes are found
in deep woods, rocky sea-cliffs, high moun-
tains, and deserted heaths. A troll will some-
times seek out a human mate, although why
they feel the need is a secret only they know.
A few troll wizards have been known to ally
themselves with particularly cruel or evil
kings and chieftains. Their magical skill is a

And Monzters 0 55

.

Though the Vikings did quite a lot of raid Trade Good Approximate Cash Value
and pillaging, they also settled and colo- 6 yds. of Icelandic cloth 102. of silver
various areas. A s an outgrowth of this 1slave 10 02. of silver
a1 maturation, they discovered the ne-
Finally, the Vikings also used silver for
essity of commerce. The reasoning goes trade. Mints were established by kings in
mething like this: I have expanded to nearly Scandinavia, England, and Ireland and these
e limit of my ability to travel. In the course produced a variety of silver pennies and half-
,f my exploration, I have encountered other pennies. Although by tradition these coins
Jeople with things I would like to have. Some were all supposed to be the same size and
If these people I have been able to beat into we&, in actual practice they varied greatly.
submission, forcing them to give me the things Silver dirhams from Arabia weighed more
I want. Others I have not. I have also discov- than local coins. The same mint mlght lower
ered that there are people who may be able to the weight of its own coins if the king needed
beat me into submission to get things they money. Scoundrelsand thieves would "shave"
want. Perhaus there is another wav to do silver coins, literally cutting away a bit of the
precious metal to melt down and thus lower-
things . . . ing the value of the coin.

This line of reasoning leads to commerce. Because of all this, the only way to use
coins was to weigh them and price everything
Commerce, in time, leads to . . to according to weight, not number of coins.
Merchants carried collapsible scales for just
Money this purpose. Paying by weight had the addi-
tional advantage that a man or woman could
The people of the Viking age used many dif- wear their wealth as silver jewelry. Men and
ierent ways to settle business transactions-so women commonly wore silver armbands, of-
many, in fact, that it could become quite con- ten in the pattern of coiled snakes or dragons.
fusing in a campaign. For simplicity, these are Then, when money was needed, a portion of
reduced to three methods: debts of honor, the armband could be cut off and weighed as
barter (what we call "swapping" or "trading"), payment. These armbands and other silver or-
2nd cash. naments were called hack-silver, since they
were literally chopped to pieces. The same
A debt of honor is fairly simple and fate was in store for silver coins that were too
straight-forward: I do something for you, and large.
someday you will repay me in kind. This con-
cept applies to all games and all cultures. Ob- For convenienceto players and D M salike,
viously, this type of arrangementis only made
between people who trust each other or have the Scandinavian monetary system is some-
no other choice. Players can work this how- what standardized here. While the weights,
ever they want. coins and equivalents given here are not per-
fectly historical, they are close enough to keep
For barter the Vikings had a variety of use- the feel of the Viking age. Certainly it will be
fulgoods that could be exchanged. These in- far easier for players and DMs if they do not
cluded cattle, sheep, land, ships, fish, and a have to calculate everything according to the
whole variety of other goods. Bartering relies price of a sheep or cow! Table 3: Viking
on the intrinsic skill of the buyer and seller, so Welghts lists the different names for welghts
there is no absolutevalue for a cow, for exam- and their modern equivalents. Table 4: Viking
ple. However, the following relationships can Coins gives the types of Viking coins, the
be used as a guideline.

erage weight for buying items, and the ap- the prices listed below.

proximate AD&D@game equivalent. The

equivalent allows the DM to convert the Available Equipment
prices of items listed in the AD&D2nd Edition
Player's Handbook into prices usable in a Vi- As noted above, the Viking age is techno-
king campaign. Finally, Table 5: Coin/Weight logically and culturally different from the
standard AD&D fantasy campaign. Not every
Conversions lists the number of available item on the Weapon and Equipment lists will
coins needed to equal the Viking weights al- be available. Some of it had not yet been in-
ready given. vented in the times of the Vikings. Others

Table 3: Viking Weights and Coins were beyond the resources of the Vikings or
their neighbors. Some items can be found, but

Vi@ Weight Modern Equivalent they are extremely rare.

Pennigar ' / 3 0 OZ. In addition, the equipment lists in the Play-
Otrogar er's Handbook do not include some items pe-
v 3 oz. culiar to the Viking age, particularly the
Ore 1ounce varieties of ships the Scandinavian craftsmen
Mark built.
unces ( V 2 lb.)
The two tables below reflect these differ-
ences. Table 6: Equipment Adjustments lists
1~Table 4: Viking Coins

Coin Type Average Game those items not found or rarely found in a Vi-
Equivalent* king campaign. This table is for use with the
Weight
5 CP equipment lists presented in the AD&D 2nd
Half-Penny (xP) 1/40 oz. Edition Player'sHandbook. Price adjustments
1SP are marked for some items, using Viking
Silver Penny (P) 1/20 oz. 2 SP weights (and equivalent silver penny costs).

Arab Dirham 1/10 02.

* The gold piece, electrum piece, and plati- Any item marked N/A is not available for use
num piece have no equivalent coins in the Vi- in the campaign. (The DM may want to pho-
tocopy the lists in the Players Handbook and
king age. They convert to silver penny as
mark the changeson these copies.) The second
follows: 1EP = 5 P; 1GP = 10P; and 1PP = list presents new items that can be bought in a
50 P. Viking campaign.

Table 5: Approx. CoinMreight Conversion Calculating the cost (in Viking terms) of
any item not listed below is relatively simple.

Pen. Otr. Ore Mark For expensive items, divide the gp cost by 16.
The result is the equivalent number of marks

Half-penny 1 12 40 320 for the item. Prices listed in silver pieces can
Penny l/2 6 20 160 be converted directly to silver pennies, one for

Arab Dirham l14 3 10 80 one.

Because coins could vary greatly in weight
either from manufacture or fraud), the DM

n vary the coidweight conversions by as
ch as 25% any time he so desires. ("Well,

these pennies are little light. It's going to take
25 of them to make an ore.") This can affect

IB‘

Table 6:Equipment Adjustments I 10 Marks (1600P)
Sedan chair
N/A

Clothing cost Miscellaneous Equipment

Item 10Marks(1,600 P) Item cost
Silk jacket
Toga N/A Block and tackle N/A
Chain (any, per ft.) 1Mark (160 P)
Daily Food and Lodging
Glass bottle 4 Ore (80P)

Item cost Lantern (any) N/A

City rooms N/A* Lock, good N/A

Common wine (pitcher) 1Otrogar (6 P) Poor 6 Marks (960 P)

Inn lodging N/A* Magnifying glass N/A
1Ore (
Household Provisioning Merchant’s scale

Oil, greek fire N/A*

Item cost Paper N/A

Figs (per Ib.) 1Mark (160 P) Papyrus N/A

Raisins (per lb.) 1Mark (160 P) Parchment N/A*

Salted herring (per 100) 1Otrogar (6 P) Rope, hemp (50 feet) 1Ore (20 P)

Spice, exotic (per Ib.) 5 Marks (800 P) silk N/A

Rare (per lb.) 3 Marks (480 P) Spyglass N/A

Uncommon (per lb.) 1Mark (160 P) Thieve’spicks N/A**

Tun of good wine Water clock N/A

(250 gal.) 4 Marks (640 P) Writing ink N/A*

Tack and Harness Animals

Item cost Item cost

Barding, half padded N/A* Camel N/A

half scale N/A* Elephant N/A

all other types N/A Horse, draft N/A

Yoke, horse N/A heavy war N/A

Hunting cat N/A

Transport Peacock N/A

Item cost Pigeon, homing N/A

Canoe (all types) N/A

Caravel N/A Weapons

Carriage (all types) N/A Item cost

Chariot (all types) N/A Arquebus N/A

cog N/A Blowgun N/A
Drakkar 1,500 Marks Bow, composite

(240,000 P) long bow N/A

Dromond N/A* Crossbow (any) N/A

Galleon N/A Lance, heavy horse N/A

Great -eallev, N/A Jousting N/A
Knarr Mancatcher N/A
100 Marks (16,000 P)

Longship (large) 150 Marks (24,000P)

I Oar 1Otrogar (6P)

Polearm, awl pike NIA Table 7: New Equipment
Bec de corbin NIA
Bill-guisarme NIA Item
Fauchard-fork NIA
Glaive-guisarme NIA Bearing dial
Guisarme-voulge NIA
Hook fauchard NIA Cauldron and tripod
NIA
Lucerne hammer NIA Comb
Ranseur NIA
Scourge NIA Ships
Staff sling NIA
Sword, khopesh N/A Faering
Scimitar NIA
Two-handed Longship, small

Sexaering 10Marks (1600P)

Skates 1Otrogar (6 P)

Skis 1Otrogar (6 P)

Sleigh 10 Marks (1600 P)

Wagon 15Marks (2400 P)

Armor cost Equipment Descriptions
NIA
Item NIA Bearing Dial: This simple device looks
Banded mail NIA something like a top, and is an important aid
Brigandine NIA for navigation. It is a flat wooden disk with a
N/A handle on the bottom and a pin and pointer
Bronze plate mail NIA on the top. Around the edge of the dial are
Field plate markings for the different directions. To use
Full plate N/A the bearing dial, the captain would take a
NIA sighting on the rising sun (or North Star at
Helmet, great helm N/A* night), aligning the east mar- on the dial to
Plate mail NIA his slghting. He can then set the pointer to any
Ring mail other direction and thus show his new head-
Scale mail ing. While a seemingly simple device, the
Splint mail bearing dial was a great advance in ocean nav-
igation at the time.
* These items are not available in Scandinavi-
an lands. City rooms and inns may be found Comb: Combs were valuable trade items
in large trading centers or cities of the Frank- and gifts, simply because they were hard to
ish and Byzantine empires. Dromonds, scale make. The teeth were carved from a thin piece
mail, horse barding, and scimitars may be of wood, whalebone or other material. This
found in Byzantine or Arab lands; Greek fire sheet was then mounted between two other
was a secret of the Byzantines. Writing ink pieces of wood, ivory, amber, antler, or other
and parchment can be found at centers of ornamental material to make the handle.
learning, such as monasteries or courts out- Combs were often elaborately decorated with
side Scandinavia.
silver or gold fittim-s. These were treasures in
* * With locks uncommon, there is no devel-
oped art for picking locks. The DM can allow their own right.
a collection of small saws and blades useful Faering: The faerin

for breaking and entering. Still, such a kit sleek, sturdy boat fitt
ried no sail. The ship
would not be found in Scandinavian lands. four to six and their ge
oarsmen, the faering could mak

200 feet per round. The faering was sometimes walking man. (Hillsand valleys tend to cancel
used as a ship's boat, towed behind the long- each other out.)
ship.
Sleigh: This is another important item for
Longship, small: This ship was similar to its winter travel, since a man on skis cannot haul
larger cousin, differing only in the overall much. A small sleigh could carry up to 300
length and slightly narrower beam. The small pounds. The sleigh could be pulled at half nor-
long ship was an average of 60 feet in length. mal movement rate by one reindeer or two
men wearing snowshoes or skis. Dog teams
It had the same speed and performance as its were not used by Vikings.
slightly larger brother, but oars were limited
to about 16 to a side. The standard crew was Wagon: V k n g wagons were small and of-
30 sailors, but it could carry a maximum of 75 ten highly ornamented. They were mainly
to 100. Cargo capacity was limited to 30 tons. used for ceremonial purposes and as means of
transport for well-bred women. They were
Sexaering: The sexaering was a small fish- only effective where there were roads, an un-
common feature in the rugged mountain lands
ing boat, approximately 40 feet long. The ves- of Scandinavia.Most often hitched to an ox, a
sel was fitted with six oars and a small mast. It wagon can carry up to 500 pounds and move
normally carried six to 10 comfortably, but at the beast's normal movement rate.
could load up to 30 sailors if needed. It can
travel 60 feet per round, either rowed or Treasure
sailed. The cargo capacity was about two
tons. The sexaering was a common working Since the Vikings did not have a coin-based
ship found on the coasts. Although relatively economy, the treasure hoards characters may
find in their adventures are seldom going to be
seaworthy, sailors did not sail it out into the convenient stacks of gold and silver. A certain
open seas. portion of a treasure will be silver pennies and
dirhams, but in a large hoard the bulk of the
Skates: Viking skates were simple but prac- treasure will be items valued for their crafts-
tical affairs made of a bone blade fastened to a manship as much as their material. Jewelry,
leather shoe. Just like the ones today, they al- goldwork, woodcarvings, silversmithing, and
lowed one to move across frozenwater at nor- glassware all represent sources of treasure in
mal movement speed (or greater). Skatesmust the Viking age.
be removed when not on ice, however.
The list below gives some indication of the
Skis: Viking skis, unlike the slick, highly re- variety of forms such treasures can take. No
fined and expensive downhill skis of today, monetary value is assigned to any of these ob-
were more along the lines of today's snow- jects, since 1) it is impossible to know how
shoes or cross-country skis. Speeding down- valuable these items really were, and 2) the
hill was unknown to the Norsemen. In value of similar items can vary greatly de-
general, their skis were broader and the bind- pending on the skill of the craftsman. The
items listed here are representative of actual
ings were loose. A single pole was used, car- finds from Viking hoards and burial mounds.
ried like a high-wire artist. To climb the This list could be expanded by many items,
slopes, seal-skins were tied to the bottom of since many things did not survive burial.
the skis, giving the climbers traction. No lift These include fine cloths and tapestries, furs,
walrus ivory, and wood carvings. Further-
tickets here! more, there were items taken from other
Skis allow a character to move across snow

with greater ease. On level ground and small
slopes, the skier can travel at his normal
movement rate. Going up slopes is done at
half the normal rate. For long distance travel,
a skier can move as fast and far as a normal

Equipment and Treasure 61

lands. Crucifixes, reliquaries, chalices, book- ing when converted to terms suitable to a Vi-
mounts, crozier-heads, and much more were
looted from the west. kw campai

Amber beads and pendants from Wendland 500 dirhams
Bone comb-case
Braided gold neck rings One gold armband (2,000 P)
Braided silver arm rings
Carolingian gold coins converted to pendants Four silver brooches weighing 5 ore each
Carved jet pendants from England
Carved wood horse collars with g-ilt-bronze (100P each)

fittings One small gold and silver casket set with gar-
Carved wooden chest
Gilt-bronze and silver caskets nets (4,000P)
Gilt-bronze, chased bridle mounts
Gold and walrus ivory casket This certainly makes for a more colorful trea-
Gold arm rings sure hoard!
Gold disks (bracteates)
Gold filigree brooches Magical Items
Gold rings
Gold spurs I've a sword called Tyrfing, made by dwam
Gold pendants who swore it could bite anything, even iron
Multi-colored glass beads from Rhineland and rock.
Necklace of crystal and carnelian
Necklace of crystal beads set in silver Arrow-Odd
Painted woodcarvings
Rheinish glassware Viking lore is filled with all manner of magi-
Sheets of embossed gold foil cal items, from dwarf-forged swords to silken
Silver and cloisonne enamel brooch shirts with magical powers. Many saga heroes
Silver bowls carry weapons that can "bite through iron"
Silver cauldron and wear armor that "no iron can bite." Other,
Silver cloak pin even more fantastic treasures can be had by
Silver engraved cup those bold enough or worthy of such rewards.
Silver filigree brooches
Silver rings Still, the number of magical items in a Vi-
Silver Thor's hammer pendant king campaign is probably nothing like that
Silver-inlaid axe head found in the typical AD&D game world. The
Spear head decorated with silver player characters (or NPCs) are not going to
Sword hilt decorated with silver be carrying bundles of scrolls, potions,
Walrus ivory gaming pieces wands, and miscellaneous items. Most magi-
cal items will be weapons and armor, with just
The DM is encouraged to use his a sprinkling of other items. This mix reflects
imagination in creating a treasure hoard. For the warrior culture of the period.
example, the player characters might discover
a troll's hoard (worth 720 GP in standard Existing Items
AD&D@game terms) that contains the follow-
Not all magical items listed in the A D b D
Dungeon Master's Guide are appropriate to a
Viking setting. Including the vast array of
tomes, wands, scrolls, dusts, decanters, and
the like only detracts from the unique cam-
paign world of Viking fantasy.

Table 8: Viking Magical Items should be
used instead of Table 88: Magical Items (from
the Dungeon Master's Guide)when determin-

"

I

ing the general type of magical item found. priests only. However, the DM can allow cer-
The table here has important differences, par- tain items to be used by any character. For ex-
picularly in the absenceof certain categories of ample, a runecaster might discover and learn
items (such as scrolls). the use of a stuff of curing. In this case, the
ability to use the item is rationalized as a gift
Table 8: V i n g Magical Items from the gods.

dlOO Table 9:Unavailable Magical Items
Roll Category
Potions and Oils
01-05 Potions and Oils
06 Rings Animal Control
Staves Climbing
07-10 Misc. Magic: Jewels&Jewelry Diminution
11-12 Misc. Magic: Cloaks & Robes Dragon Control
13-18 Misc. Magic: Boots & Gloves ESP
19-20 Misc. Magic: Girdles & Helms Giant Control
21-22 Human Control
23-25 Misc. Magic: Household Items Levitation
26-30 Misc. Magic: Musical Instruments Oil of Elemental Invulnerability
31-35 Viking Items Oil of Etherealness
36-55 Armor and Shields Oil of Impact
56-99 Weapons Plant Control
Special Polymorph Self
00 Rainbow Hues
Treasure Finding
n withii these tables, not all magical Undead Control

are available. Table 9: Unavailable Rings

ical Itemslists those things not found in a Blinking
Chameleon Power
mpaign. Although the list of exclud- Djinni Summoning
Elemental Command
may seem restrictive to a fantasy Feather Falling
Human Influence
ers must accept certain limitations Mammal Control
Mind Shielding
their characters' magical power. The Vi- Shooting Stars
Telekinesis
g realm is a world of men and women who Water Walking
nost often stand or fall by their own abilities. Wizardry
X-Ray Vision
Because an item is excluded by Table 9 (or

ble 8 above) does not mean it can never ap-

ear in play. However, before it is introduced

o the campaign, the DM must think of a

ar explanation for why and how the item

ot to where it is. For example, a ring of djinni

oning just might be found -if the play-

racters were adventuring somewhere in

region of the Caspian Sea and had come

ss the treasure of an Arab wizard. (Ele-

tals are far more common to the mythol-

- g y of southern lands.)

A number of magical items are usable by

i EauiDment and Treasure 63

Staves Household Items

Command Braziers (all)
Magi Mirrors (all)
Power Rugs (all)
Swarming Insects
Musical Instruments
Jewels and Jewelry
Chimes (all)
Amulets (all) Horn of Bubbles
Medallions (all) Horn of the Tritons
Phylacteries (all) Lyre of Building
Scarab versus Golems Pipes (all)
Talisman of the Sphere
Talisman of Zagy Armor and Shield

Cloaks and Robes Onlv armor tv,Ioes available to the Vikin"e
campaign can be found. Thus, there is no
Cloak of Arachnida magical plate mail, field plate, e
Cloak of Displacement
Cloak of the Bat Weapons
Cloak of the Manta Ray
Robe of Eyes Crossbows (all)
Robe of ScintillatingColors Nets (all)
Robe of Stars Scimitar of Speed
Tridents (all)
Boots, Bracers, and Gloves Sword of the Planes

Boots of Levitation New Magical Items
Boots of Varied Tracks
Boots, Winged The new magical itemslistedbelow are only
Bracers of Brachiation part of the strange and wondrous things de-
Slippers of Spider Climbing scribed in sagas and legends. In particular,
there are numerous dwarven-made items not
Girdles, Hats, and Helms included here, since these devices were the
urouertv of the gods. Plaver characters have
Girdle of Femininity/Masculinity
Helm of Brilliance
Helm of Telepathy
Helm of Teleportation
Helm of Underwater Action

ble 10:Viking Magical Ite nary material, it has no special powers until

the command word is spoken. when acti-

d20Roll Item vated, the cloak molds to the wearer’s body
1 Bottomless Drinking Horn
2 Cloak of Dryness and shapechanges its owner (and all his pos-
3 Cloak of Fire Resistance
4 Feathered Cloak sessions) into a falcon. The character has a
5-6 Gusir‘s Gifts
flying speed of 33, maneuverability class B.
7 Helm of Terror
8 Mirror of Transformation The feathered cloak functions for 2d12 turns

9-10 Necklace of Protection and then immediately shuts down for one

11-12 Reed-Stalk Spear turn. After this pause, it can be activated
13 Riding Stick
14 RingofMoney again.
Gusir‘s Gifts: Gusir’s gifts are magical ar-
15-16 Silken Shirt of Invulnerability
..rowsfound in bundles of ld3. They are fine-
17-18 Sleep-Thorn
19-20 Stone Arrows looking examples of the fletcher‘s craft with

golden feathers and wonderfully wrought

shafts. If detections are made, they appear to

be + 1 arrows and do give this bonus to at-

tacks. However, after hitting their target, the

arrows magically streak back to their owner,

Magical Item Descdptlons returning to the quiver where they can be used

Bottomless Drinking Horn This device is a again. Each arrow possesses only ld4 charges,

large, fine-looking dr!nking horn with silver- however. Each shot with the costs a
work around the rim. Runes are etched on the
inside. Upon uttering these runes, the horn charge and when all the charges are spent, the
fills with mead or beer, as the owner chooses.
It remains filled but not overflowing, no mat- lose their magical properties.

The arrows are called Gusir’s Gifts because

they were Once property of King Gusir of

ter how much is drunk, until the owner gives Lapland, He, in turn, got these arrows from
the command once again. At that point, the
horn can be emptied as a normal cup. the cunning dwarves who made them.
Helm of Terror: This powerful magical item

‘lo* Of This long ‘‘Oak is one of the most famous of all treasures. Ac-

is of exquisite manufacture. Its magical prop- cording to the Prose Eddu, it originally be-

erty is such that anyone wearing it will not be- longed to Hriedmar, to whom the gods were
come wet Or ‘Old, no matter what the
, forced to pay a of gold. Hriedmar in

turn was killed by his sons, Fafnir and Regin,

.

Feathered Cloak: This cloak is made from The helm of terror is an awe-inspiring item.
Upon command, it can cuuSe fear in all who
falcon feathers fixed together to form a long, see it (90t radius), with a -2 on the saving
flowing garment. Aside from its extraordi- throw. It gives the wearer a +1bonus to his

armor class. Upon uttering a second com- streams are passable. Upon another command
mand word, the wearer can become invisible. word, the stick confers invisibility upon anyone
There is no limit to the number of times per touching it. This power only works so long as
I day these powers can be exercised. the character holds the stick and it is not used
However, the helm of terror was part of a for any other purpose. The latter two uses of the
treasure and as such carries a little bit stick require one charge each. When found, the
evil with it. So long as a person owns stick contains3d10charges. The stick cannot be
, whether it is with him or not, the recharged, and when all chargesare spent it be-
r suffersfrom bad luck as defined in comes a club +2.
Ring of Money: This gold ring is a very
mor of Transformation This mirror valuable magical item, a treasure beyond all
like a highly polished piece of silver. worth. Each evening, after being worn for a
ns looking into it will see nothing unusu- full day, the ring creates Id8 nonmagical cop-
n truth, it has two functions. First, if the ies of itself. Each copy is worth 1ore (20 P).
nd word is spoken when a person is There is a 5 % chance with each use that the
nto the mirror, that person can be po- ring will fail. When this happens, the ring of
ymorphed as the owner of the mirror desires. money loses all magical properties, although
te that the owner of the mirror is not neces- it still has a value of 1 ore itself.
ily the person looking into the mirror. If a Silken Shirt of Invulnerability: This magical
econd command word is spoken, all those item can be found in a variety of fabrics and
g at the mirror must make a saving styles, ranging from simple woolen cloth to
ow vs. death or be permanently blinded. lustrous silk trimmed with gold. The powers
ose who make the saving throw are unaf- of these shirts can vary greatly and when
Only one function of the mirror can found, the DM should roll on the table below
e at any given time. to determine the item’s exact nature.
klace o f Protection This necklace,
f silver, crystals, and beads, confers 1-3 +1 protection
e benefit as a ring of protection +1. 4-6 A C 4
Stalk Spear: This magical weapon ap- 7 Immunity to poison
ars to be nothing more than a harmless and 8 Immunity to fire and cold
sy reed, such as could be found in any 9 Immunity to missile weapons
sh. In actuality, it is a spear +I, causing 10 Immunity to drowning
Ld6 +1 points of damage per attack. The reed
stalk spear can be thrown twice the distance of Immunity to fire and cold applies only to
3 normal spear. natural sources (flaming buildings and arctic
Riding Stick Thismagical item appears to be cold included). The character suffers no dam-
n o t h i i more than a crooked stick. The stick age from these. For magical attacks, the char-
has several powers. If used as a weapon, it is acter suffers half or no damage, depending on
equal to a club +2. Straddledand activated by his saving throw. Immunity to drowning
a command word, the riding stick cames the means that character can stay at the surface of
character along at a movement rate of 32. It can a body of water indefinitely; the shirt will
maintainthis speed for ld6 turns,after which a keep him afloat so long as the character is not
full turn must pass beiore it can be activated carrying more than his maximum weight lim-
again. The character does not fly, but skimsjust it. Of course, if the character were trapped in
above the ground. It cannot be used to cross a sealed barrel with no access to air, the shirt
large bodies of water, although rivers and would be of little value.

66 Chapter Six

Sleep-thom This magical item appears to Viking Swords

be the thorn of a plant about three inches In addition to magical powers, w e a w s ,
long. It is dry and smooth to the touch, giving especially swords, had names and histories
no indication of its venomous capabilities. of importance. These often explained the
When pricked by the thorn, the victim must nature of the swords power or affected its
make a saving throw vs. paralyzation. If it career in some way. Below are some exam-
fails, the character falls into a deep slumber. ples of magical swords from myth and leg-
He will not awaken unless attacked or roused end.
by another person. Noises, even those of bat-
tle, will not rouse the victim. Gram-Sigurd's sword, made by Regin
from the shattered pieces of the sword
A small number of these thorns (5%)are Odin gave to Sigmund, Sigurds father.

even more extreme. Any character affected by Hroffi-Fafnir's sword which became part
these fallsinto a state of suspendedanimation. of his treasure hoard. It passed into the
The victim (and his gear) does not age or hands of Sigurd when he killed Fafnir.

change in any way. When pricked by one of Mimming-Sword made by the giant
these, the victim can only be awakened by ei- Mimir.
ther a specific circumstance defined by the
Refil-Regin's sword, which he used to kill
person using the sleep-thorn, or a wish spell. his father.
(In some versions of the Volsung saga, Odin is
Snidil-The finest of weapons, it belonged
said to have used one of these sleep-thorns to to Simir, who had many adventures in
punish the valkyrie Brynhild, decreeing that the East.
she could only be awakened by a man who
knew no fear.) Tyrfing-Made by the dwarves, it was
stolen by King Svafrlami who lost it to
Each thorn can only be used once. Angrim. Angrim gave it to his son,
Stone Arrows: These weapons are identical Angantyr, who died on Samso. The
dwarves supposedly cursed the sword so
to normal arrows, except they are made of that it would bring death to its owner.
stone. They are normally found in bundles of
ld3. Each arrow can only be used once. They
can be shot from any normal bow. When
used, the archer whispers the name of his tar-
get to the arrow and then fires the shot. The

arrow flies as a +5 arrow toward the target
named and ignores all range modifiers. If the

arrow hits, it causes 3d6 +5 points of damage.

Regardless of whether the arrow hits or

misses, it shatters at the end of its flight.

Eauinment and Treasure 67

68 Chapter Six

CHAPTER

‘I

The age of the Vikings was a vastly differ- DMs preparing a Viking campaign should
ent world from those generally portrayed in read through this chapter carefully, since the
the AD&W rules set. Many of the common information here is important when creating a
pieces of equipment and nonmagical devices fully realized world. Details of dress, food,
found in a standard fantasy world simply shelter, home life, customs, and law are de-
were not available in either the Norse lands or scribed in basic detail here. Unfortunately,
anywhere in Europe. With the decline of the this single chapter cannot adequately cover
great empires of Rome and Byzantium, many every detail of Viking culture. Numerous
scientific and technological wonders disap- books, for every age and degree of serious-
peared into the bleak maw of the Dark Ages. ness, have been published describing the Vi-
kings and their way of life. DMs are
It is a common mistake to equate lack of encouraged to check a local library or book-
store for additional background material. A
technology with barbarism. Failure to build list of suggested titles was given at the end of
the printing press does not make a people illit- Chapter 2.
erate savages. The lack of technology needed
to build one does not mean they are primitive. Ivar’s Year
Many people only look at the lack of crafts,
machines, and sciences and from these decide To best illustrate what Viking life was like,
the Vikingswere coarse ruffians who lived on- this section follows a year in the life of Ivar
ly to loot and pillage. Olafsson. Ivar is a young fighter and this year,
A.D. 841, marks his first voyage overseas.
Viking culturewas primitive, but not always Naturally he has much to be excited about and
barbaric. It was shaped by the land and needs more to learn. While not everything that hap-
pens to Ivar would really happen in the span
of the people. The Viings were masters at of a single year, his adventures will serve to
crafts important to their lifestyle, using the ma- illustrate many importantpoints of Viking life
terials they had commonly available. That and culture. As Ivar’s adventures unfold, ex-
they lacked centers of pottery-making or book- planations and game information are given in
writing does not imply backwardness, only the screened sections of the text.
that the resources needed were not available.
Ivar is the third son of a minor hersir (no-
Up to now, with chapters describing raids bleman) named Olaf of Sogn. His two older
and warfare, warriors, monsters, and magical brothers, Halfdan and Egil, have already been
weapons, readers can be forgiven if they as- to Dublin and Hedeby several times. Ivar, at
16, has been asking for permission to go on a
sume the Vikings and their kin were barbaric voyage for several years. As the spring ar-
savages who lived for nothing but blood and rives, his father Olaf agrees to let the youth go
warfare. The Vikings did raid and conquer; it abroad.
is pointless to deny this. However, by focus-
However, there are conditions and compli-
ing so much on their violent exploits, it is easy cations that must be dealt with before Ivar can
to lose sight of the gentle and sophisticated as- leave. Olaf won’t let any of his sons leave for
pects of Viking life. several months. Worse still, Ivar has a reputa-
tion as a “coal-chewer.”Halfdan, Ivar’s oldest
Besides being warriors, the Vikings were al- brother, refuses to take Ivar raiding. Since
so farmers, explorers, statesmen, judges, po-
ets, craftsmen, merchants, and artisans. Not
everyone who took to the longships was a Vi-
king; not every Viking was uncouth. Kings
and chieftains included skalds among their

crews, even as they sailed into battle, to see
and report on their glories. (Makingthe skalds
the news reporters of the Viking age.)

111 Viking Cult

Olaf can only outfit a single ship, Ivar won’t

be joining any raids this year.

Still, it was much more common for a Sure enough, Halfdan sails without Ivar.
Not surprisingly, the would-be warrior is in a
youth to remain at home until he was 16 or foul mood and has few kind thoughts for his
brother. A few days later, two young neigh-
18, when he was mature enough to go vi- bors, Thorir and Einar, arrive at the farm.
king (the term for raiding). As in Ivar’s They are a rough and unpopular pair, boastful
case, a youth would travel under the pro- of their own abilities. They challenge several
tection of an older brother, father, uncle, or other youths to a ball game. The challenge is
other relation. taken up, and on the first day Thorir and
Einar break the arm of one of the players. On
Olaf‘s insistence on waiting for several the second day, they almost kill another play-
months is based on practicality. During er and their boasting grows even worse. Fi-
winter, early spring, and late fall the North nally, on the third day, they try Ivar. In
Sea is far too stormy for safe sailing. The defense, Ivar cracksa stone over Thorir’s head
brothers must wait until the sailing weather and kills him. Einar returns to his own home
improves. Second, the ship must be outfit- and tellswhat has happened. Only after some
ted for the voyage. Ako, there is much difficulty does Olaf negotiate a settlement.
work to do around the farm. Winter dam-
age to the fences and barns must be re- Ivar has now gained a small reputation that
paired. F a d s must be plowed and planted stands him in good stead when a duelist from
with the seed set aside from last year‘s har- Sweden arrives. Finding some small offense,
vest. This takes a lot of work, most of the duelist challenges Olaf to a holrngangu, or
which is done by the thralls, but the famify
duel. Olaf of Sogn is getting old and knows he

could lose. Seeing the chance for fame, Ivar
offers to fight in Olafs stead. Since there is no
one else, Olaf reluctantly agrees. After a fierce

70 Chapter Seven

exchange of blows, Ivar prevails and kills the an, the two established the condi
duelist. Pleased with his son, Olaf adranges a hat was to be forfeited by the
ship for Ivar. He will get to go abroad iafterall.
s was often half the other man's
It was not necessary to fight t
because a man could surrender
stained the cloth. The winner

uel claimed the prize. If one o
as killed, the winner usually
o compensation to the family

rticularly fierce and daring fight
nally worked as "hired guns."
like the duelist above, would
and hope to win property from '

themselvesor a sponsor. Such
eldom popular.
is success in the duel, Iva

a long way toward changing his "
er" image. The neighbors are
re confident in the youths ability.

friends form a drengr, a br
young men sworn to each

to a street gang today). Wi
and the huskarlar Olaf sends

ar has enough crew to outfit a

I, Summer

After an exciting spring, Ivar has his knaar
and is ready to sail. Olaf provides a small car-
go of trade goods. Among the crew is Hrolf,
Ivar's foster-father. When wind and tide are
right, Ivar sets sail for Denmark.

After severaldays of sailing along the coast,
one of the crew spots a longship headed in
their direction. One of Ivar's fellow drengs
who has the second sight says the approaching
ship has no luck. Encouraged by this, and
since they are slower than the warship, Ivar
brings the knaar about and orders his men to
get ready to fight. The battle at first looks
hopeless, but the dreng's prediction holds
true. Ivar and his crew prevail, taking a num-
ber of prisoners.

The Viking Culture 7 1

72 Chapter Seven

I

After the battle, Ivar puts in at the nearest
island to bury his dead and get oaths from his
prisoners. After this is done, Ivar divides his
crew between the two ships and t a b them
both to Hedeby.

Luck is not good at Hedeby. Ivar does not
get much for his cargo and so decideis to sell
the knaar. He doesn't have enough wew for
both ship anyway. Although Hedeby is an
exciting place, it quickly proves too much for
Ivar. With a fully crewed longship under his
command, Ivar announceshe plans to go raid-
ing along the coast of England. The crew agree
that this is a fine idea.

The Viking Culture 73

ading towns like Hedeby, Kaupang, remain for the winter. Ivar and some of his
Birka were major centers. The town crew remain, while the remainder of his men
,would be impressive to a farmboy, al- go to their relatives on other islands through-
out the Orkneys. They all agree to return here
!' though it was nothing more than a collec- in the spring.
tion of simple one-story houses,
surrounded by gardens and linked by!
:planked streets. A n earth rampart and

Iwooden palisade surrounded the town to

protect it from raiders. Here, merchants
,from Frisia, Wendland, Ssxland, and be- *
yond came to buy and sell. Christian mis-

isionaries sought new converts. Gaels,

Scots, and Slavs p a s 4 through the slave '
markets. There was even the occasional
traveler from Arabia. By the mid-season,
though, many of the merchants would
have already finished their business and
started for home.

Fall
Striking out across the open sea, Ivar and

his men make good time for England. Sighting
the coast, they prowl along it until they come
upon a small village. Their supplies are start-
ing to run low, so Ivar decides to make a raid.
Landing on a beach just out of sight, the crew
surprise the villagers. The battle is swift and
one-sided. Ivar's men work quickly, before the
local militia can muster and arrive.

Loaded with booty, Ivar proceeds up the
coast, ma@ several more raids. Along the
way he meets Halfdan, his brother, also raid-
ing the coast. Ivar, having long since forgiven
his brother, joins forces with him. Together
they continue going north, but luck gradually
goes against them. Finally, Halfdan proposes
they sail for home.

Turning their shipsback out onto the ocean,
the two vessels become separated by a storm.
After several harrowing days, Ivar finally
sights land. Struggling with his damaged ship
along the coast, Ivar learns he has been blown

to the Orkneys. There Ivar and his crew are

taken in by a prosperous farmer and invited to

74 Chapter Seven

even the household slaves, lives in the long-
house where it is almost comfortable and
warm. Ivar can only wonder if his brother
Halfdan made it home safely.

Finally the weather breaks and spring ar-
rives. Messengers are dispatched to the other
farms and Ivar's crew is reassembled. Gener-
ous gifts are exchanged between Ivar and his
host. Eager to return home. Ivar Olafsson sets
sail for Norway.

time to rest and endu

eparations were made before th
oze and the weather closed in.

for the fires, while others sco
ches for driftwood. On the
e were precious few trees and

of the hay was brought in from
s. After this, the fences to the f '

stubble. Livestock was butchered
meat was smoked, pickled, salted,
d. Fish were dried on racks in the w

Winter e were some
re all valuable trade goods.
Winter m e s quickly in the Orkneys. ys, seals and possibly walrus
There is much to be done before the weather hunters' game. Winter was t
closes in, so Ivar and his men help where they
can. Except for a little bit of hunting and fish- The Vikine Culture 7 5
ingon good days, there is nothing to do when
the icy cold and snow finally settle over the
islands. The men pass the days fixing tools
and ship fittings, making wood carvings, tan-
ning hides, and playing games. Everyone,

u

was very scarce. work his land. Even a small property, it was
During cold winter nights, everyo felt, should have at least three thralls.

lived in the same house, almost the Thralls did much of the heavy farm work.
room. In this way they conserved
and fuel. Beds were made of thick The men spaded fields, herded cattle, watched
sheep, tended pigs, spread manure, dug peat,
Social Rankings
built walls, and harvested crops. Women
Like nearly all medieval cultures, the Vi- churned butter, milked cows, ground wheat,
kings were highly class-oriented. Not every- and cooked meals.
m e was born equal; some individuals were
ilearly superior to others. Viking society gen- Thralls were not without some rights,
?rally divides into four classes: slave, free- though these were few. Thralls' lives were
man, nobleman, and king. Each class had a
different set of rights and responsibilities. counted as no more than those of cattle, ac-
Thrall cording to law. If they were killed, the master
could not pursue a blood feud nor demand a
repayment equal to that of a freeman. Thralls
could not inherit or leave property to their

children.
Still, the thrall was not without some pro-

tection. In some places, a man who killed an-
other's thrall was subject to banishment for a
period of years. If he was wounded, the thrall
was entitled to a third of the compensation
paid his master. (Aslands became more Chris-

tian, it became a crime to sell a Christian

thrall.) In general, thralls were allowed to
own a little property and livestock and even
engage in business. Thralls were generally
well-treated, although their lives were not

easy.
Thrallry was not inescapable. The law al-

lowed several ways for a thrall to gain his
freedom. First and foremost, he could be freed

by his master, usually for loyal service or
someparticular deed. The master, in the pres-

ence of witnesses, could free a thrall, perhaps
with a small legal ceremony. Another person

could by a thrall's freedom, paying the master
an agreed price. Finally, a thrall could buy his
freedom. With the money he earned, the thrall

organized a feast with meats and beer for his

76 Chapter Seven

~

had bought his freedom) or received only half es. If the freeman became unhappy, he could
the compensation from any lawsuit. These re-
strictions lasted only throughout the ex- switch his allegiance to another nobleman. Of
thrall's life; his sons were treated as freemen course, this might anger his old ally and so it
and received all the rights of that class. was an action not lightly taken.

Freeman Nobles

"We shall never submit to anyone at all, nor Above the freemen were the men of author-
ever cleave to any servitude, nor accept favors
from anyone. That favor pleases us best ity - local chieftains and earls. These were
which w e win for ourselves with arms and toil
of battles." the men who kept huskarlar. They were the
commanders in battles, had influence on the
Norse reply to an emmissary of the Franks selection of the local lawspeakers, collected
tribute, tended the king's estates, and enforced
The largest social class are the free farmers, the king's decrees.
the karlykn or freemen. Unlike the lands of
the Franks and the Saxons, the farmers of There were general types of nobles. The
Scandinavia were truly free. Their farmland lesser, sometimes called chieftains, were the
was owned outright. Earls and kings had no hersar (sing. hersir) or "landed men." They re-
claim on a man's land. (Elsewhere a peasant ceived their authority (along with a grant of
farmer's land belonged to a nobleman.) land) from the king. Unlike nobles of other
lands, the position of hersir was not heredi-
A freeman enjoyed full protection under the tary. The king gave the title. Once given, it
law, although lawsuits at this time depended could not be taken away, but the title did not
on power and alliances. Most karlykn were necessarily pass on to the son at death. The
farmers. Others were retainers, smiths, war- king had to confirm the transfer, again by
riors, merchants, shipwrights, skalds, wood- making a grant of land.
carvers, and any number of other trades.
The second noble was the jarl or "earl." Sec-
All player characters begin the game as sons ond only to the king, the jarls had a great deal
and daughters of bondi, unless the DM of power and authority. Many were indepen-
chooses otherwise. Bondi were independent dent of the local kings and did as they pleased.
farmers, not hired hands. These landowners They kept large numbers of huskarlar, collect-
had among the highest rights of all freemen. ed tribute of their own, and ruled over dis-
tricts. It was only gradually that the jarls
Another important group of freemen were submitted to the authority of the kings.
the huskarlar or house-carls. These men
served as retainers to a nobleman, forming his Iceland was unique in that it had neither
hird or household. These men served as his hersar or jarls. No noblemen settled on this is-
bodyguard and the core of any army the noble land and the freemen who came there did not
might need to raise. Player characters may as- want them. Instead the Icelanders chose 36 go-
pire to become part of a nobleman's hird or di (which roughly means "priest") to act as
gain one for themselves. chieftains. These men had both religious and
secular duties but mostly the latter.
Although a bondi or other freeman was not
tied to a particular nobleman, he usually al- The number of hersar, jarls, and godi was
lied himself to a local earl or king. The noble never large. In all of Norway there were per-
assisted in lawsuits and protection. The free- haps no more than 100 hersar and about 16
man served in the noble's army and paid tax- earls (at their largest numbers). Sweden had
numbers probably similar to Norway. Den-
mark was hardly large enough to have equal

numbers of nobles to Norway. Iceland, with was still subject to the pleasure of his subjects.
its 36 godi, was not over-populated with no- The king was their leader in war. He was the
bles. The smaller islands of Orkney had at grand judge for disputes that could not be set-
most only a few hersar and an earl. The Fa- tled any other way. He collected tribute from
roes and Shetlands had even fewer nobles. neighbors.

Player characters who aspire to the ranks of Player characters can never hope to become
hersar and jarls will not find abundant oppor- kings (unless something truly extraordinary
tunities. The player character will have to be occurs in the campaign). However, they can
extraordinary in deed and character to attain fill many roles in either the service or defiance
entrance into these ranks. of a king.

Kings The Warrior’s Way

The h&est levels of Viking society were the The warrior was a central part of the Viking
kings or konungr. The title of king was both culture. One of the ways a man earned respect
hereditary and democratic at the same time. was through his sword. Combat was not the
Kingship descended from father to son (or ille- only way, but it was perhaps the easiest. It did
gitimate son or even brother), but the freemen not require special study, inborn talents, or
voted for their choice of king. Thus, if there even a heavy investment for equipment. Any-
were three sons and a brother of the late king, one with a club could become a brave warrior.
all were candidates to become the new king. Most, though, preferred a stout shield and a
Since the freemen had the final say, the choos- good sword.
ing of a king was always a highly charged and
political affair. As in most things, the title went A warrior could follow his occupation in a
to the strongest, most cunning, or most popu- variety of different ways: as a farmer(l), a du-
lar. The system also encouraged a king’s sons elist, a huscarl, or a society-member.
to battle or murder each other. After all, if the
other contenders were eliminated, the choice of In a sense, every farmer was a warrior, The
king was greatly simplified. home had to be defended in times of trouble,
so every farmer was a part-time fighter.
The idea of one king to all of Scandinavia Farmers, however, did not have much wca-
was foreign to the Vikings. Much of the region sion to practice their fighting skills, so they
was divided between kings, earls, and chief- were far from being highly-trained killing ma-
tains, all of whom ruled over separate dis- chines.
tricts. In Norway, things changed around 890
when Harald Finehair established himself as A talented, if unethical, warrior could
King of Norway. Thereafter, the Norse recog- make his living as a duelist (as described earli-
nized a sole king over all the other nobles. er). This, however, was not a way to gain
Sweden had its own king during this time, and friends or to ensure a long life.
the process of unifying Denmark had already
been completed. For the centuries that passed, Third, a fighter could seek to become a hus-
however, these kings and various pretenders Carl. This would ensure that he was fed and
and earls contended with each other, keeping housed. However, at that point the fighter
warfare and intrigue alive. was no longer his own man. Now he was sub-
ject to the edicts and commands of his lord.
The king’s most important function was to
oversee the protection and honor of his sub- A final choice was to become a member of a
jects. Whether elected or hereditary, the king warrior society. These quasi-military groups
organized warriors under a strict set of laws.
Home was a military camp, normally a care-
fully laid out set of longhouses surrounded by



an earthen rampart. During the tenth centu- afford any better. Added to this was a large,
round, wooden shield, usually brightly paint-
ry, the Danish kings built a series of perma- ed with a large metal boss in the center. Late in
nent fortresses. These fortresses were the Viking age, some warrior adopted the
carefully laid out camps with barracks and curved triangular shield. Both would count as
defenses. Trellborg is the most famous of large shields.
these fortifications.
Those who could afford better armor wore
Of the warrior societies, the most famous a byrnie. This was a long chain mail tunic that
(and probably least accurately documented) of reached to about mid-calf or the knee. The
all these groups were the redoubtable Jomsvik- sleeves were short. The helmet was a simple
ings of Jomsberg. Their laws were strict. No conical dome, sometimes fitted with a face
man under 18or over 50 could join them; every mask and nose guard. A few even had cheek
man had to avenge his fellows like a brother; protectors. Helmets were often elaborately
they must never speak or act in fear; all loot was decorated with bands of chased silver and
to be brought to the commander for division; brass. Wearing it, a warrior would look quite
no woman could enter the camp nor could a fierce.
man be gone for more than three nights; and no
man was to create trouble among his fellows. Scale mail was the rarest of all. Only a few
No one could join their society unless a member well-traveled warriors had this fine armor. It
spoke up for the applicant. was not made in any land close to the Vikings
but came from distant Miklagard (Constanti-
Supposedly the Jomsvikings were merce- nople). Only truly wealthy warriors or former
naries, feared throughout Scandinavia. They members of the Varangian Guard, the Byzan-
tine Emperor’s elite troop of Rus and Viking
fought bravely in many battles, but finally warriors, might possibly have such a fine suit
picked the losing side. Captured, they were of armor.

given the chance to betray their code, but in Viking Women
truly heroic Viking fashion (at least in the sa-
gad) refused to a man. As a consequence The dace of women in virtual
many of them were executed, and (according II
to the sagas) they faced their deaths bravely.
pean medieval society was not a desirable
While it is unlikely that anything quite like one. Their world was male-dominated. This is
.heJomsvikingsever existed, warrior societies an inescapable fact. In the Viking world, how-
ever, they had many more rights than else-
are useful for a fantasy campaign. Player where.
iharacters could form the nucleus of a society,
gradually expanding as they gained henchmen Among a woman’s important rights was
and followers. Perhaps, in time, they could control of property. A woman could inherit
lands either from her father or husband, if no
come to rival the glory of the Jomsvikings. male heirs survived. She kept her own name
The tools of the warrior’s trade were his and never broke ties to her family. She might
even side with her family against her own hus-
weapons. The Vikings favored a small selec- band. A woman could not take part in a law-
tion: broadsword, spear, battleaxe, halberd, suit, although a man could represent her cause
shortbow, and darts. They also used a weap- at the assembly.

on called a seax, a cross between an axe and a Many sagas and historians note the out-
heavy-bladed knife. Skill with the spear was spoken and independent behavior of Viking
greatly prized, and it is said there were men women. It appears they had little hesitation
who could throw two spears at once, one with
each handf

For protection, leather or padded armor
was most common. Many warriors could not

80 Chapter Seven

Stong Farmhouse &eland)

aking their minas or interfering in Deep-Minded was queen of Ireland after her
politics and blood-feuds. Indeed, this gave husband died and it was under her guidance
rise to the proverb, "Cold are the counsels of that the entire household left for Iceland. For a
women," as a way of warning. time there was a band of Irish Vikings led by a
leader only known as "the red girl." Best
As time went on and Christianity spread known of all were the mythical valkyries, the
through the north, the role of women deterio- "choosers of the slain." The valkyries, lesser
rated. Their independence gradually de- gods, were warrior maidens who plucked he-
creased and they became more subservient to roes from the battlefield and carried them to
their husbands. Valhalla, Odin's hall in Asgard. There are also
legends of warrior-queens, both in England
Female Adventurers and Scandinavia.
To most minds of the age, a woman's work
Female warrior characters are going to
was as nursemaid, weaver, embroiderer, and cause two reactions in male NPCs. The first is
cook -i.e., to see to the household. Maidens surprise and scorn. The NPC will have a hard
learned the necessary skills they would need time accepting the female character, since a
after marriage. A wife m&t managethe farm woman's place is at home. It is not that she is
while her husband was gone raiding, but this not necessarily capable, but that she is "not
was uncommon. Often a brother or son supposed to be sailing on raids or battling
would see to this task. monsters. Certainly this attitude will make
things more difficult for the fe
However, women in positions of power and
war were not altogether unknown. Aud the The second reaction is muc

The Viking Culture 81

'liellehrg-style Barracks A

player character's advantage. NPCs will alsr were usually along the coast, sincemost of tne
view female warriorswith a certain amount 0: people were both Vikings and fishermen.
superstitious awe. The only warrior women
most NPCs are likely to know of are the Val- The center of the farm was the house. In
kyries. These maidens are the agents of Odin, Scandinavia proper it was made of wood and
leader of the gods. A certain amount of infer- usually roofed with shlngles or thatch. In lands
ence is therefore bound to happen. where wood was scarce, such as Iceland, houses
were built from sod along the same lines.
Female characters are not limited to war-
The typical wealthy man's longhouse was
riors, of course, and other roles are less unu- about 30 yards long and 8 yards wide. Run-
ning the length of the inside walls were raised
sual. The sagas make mention of several platforms. These were used for seating and
wizardesses, some favorably. While awe-in- , sleeping. During the day, tables could be set
spiring simply for their abilities, a wizardess up on trestles. Chairs and chests were also
would still be a rare occurrence. The same ap used as seats. Besidesthe chests there was little
plies to the other classes. other storage space. Weapons, tools, and sup-
plies would be hung on the walls, posts, and
Houses and Farms rafters. The central floorwas dirt, strewnwith
straw or sweet-smelling grasses. A fire pit
filled the center of the hall, providing warmth
and light. Wood or peat was used for the fire
and was kept stacked nearby. Cooking was of-
ten done in a side room.

If privacy was needed, sections of the hall raw. Fish, of which there was plenty, was
cooked in much the same way. It could be fla-
o d d be closed off with simple curtains. Usu- vored with mustard, juniper, cumin, horse-
ally the master and mistress had a large bed at radish, or other simple seasonings. Exotic
one end of the hall. In some houses, this bed spices such as pepper were very rare.
was actually transformed into a closet with
doors that could be closed and shut from the Milk was churned into butter and pressed
inside. Other blankets and pillows were into cheese. Curds and whey were common.
packed away during the day and the space Milk was a common drink.
used for other purposes.
Breads were flat, unleavened, and made of
A poor man's or a thrall's hut was much barley, rye, or peas. The poor ate bread made
smaller and meaner. Generally made of wood from the husks of these grains. Breads would
or turf with a thatched roof, it was about 3 to probably include a fair amount of grit from
5 yards long and rectangular in shape. The the grinding stone along with other strange
furnishings were few, if any, and the space substances, like pine bark and ashes.
was very cramped.
Vegetables were not common. Peas and
Other buildings to complete the farm in- beans were grown in gardens, along with kale.
clude barns, workshops, thrall huts, boat Other greens were gathered from the wild.
houses, saunas, fish-drying sheds, and grain Fruits were picked from the wild. These in-
stores. Most of these are simple buildings. The cluded berries, apples, and other orchard
grain store, however, would be built on stilts fruit.
with a ladder to the door. This was necessary
to keep vermin (includingbears) out. The main drink was either mead, an alco-
holic brew made from honey, or beer. Wine
In addition to the main farm, there was an- was a great rarity. Whatever they had, the Vi-
other, isolated building in the high meadows,
the seder. During the summer the livestock kings seemed to be able to drink immense
were kept at these meadows to graze on the
mountain grasses. Usually a bondmaid or ser- amounts from wooden cups or drinking
vant lived in the seder and tended the herd. horns.
These lonely cabins were prime targets of ban-
lits and huldafolk, so regular visits were Trade
nade to ensure that all was well.
Raiding and warfare were not the sole occu-
Food and Drink pations of the Vikings. Indeed as time passed,
prime raiding targets became places for settle-
Since the Vikings were farmers, they grew, ment and trade. In the early part of the Viking
fished, or caught most of their food. Except in age, Vikings relentlessly struck at the English,
times of hardship, only wine and spices were French, and German coasts. Gradually these
imported. Meat, fish, dairy products, bread, raids became less frequent as the Vikings set-
and vegetables were the daily fare. tled in these regions and discovered the more
profitable advantages of trade.
Meat was lamb, beef, pork, goose, venison,
rabbit, and whatever else could be brought Trade was vital for the Vikings because
down in the hunt. Meats were boiled in caul- their own homeland was poor in many neces-
irons, roasted on spits, surrounded with hot sary goods and skills. Trade was conducted
;tones and covered with dirt, or broiled by for both useful and luxury goods.
hot stones in wood-lined pits. Meat could also
be eaten dried. salted, uickled, smoked or Fortunately, although poor in some things,
the Scandinavians had many desirable re-
sources to trade. These included thralls, iron,
horn, furs, walrus ivory, honey, ropes, fish,

and timber. What they wanted in exchange had Celts, Gaels, Saxons, Franks, and Wends
re silver, glassware, swords, woolens, salt, as thralls. They also did not neglect their own
~ces,silk, and wine. people. Danes took Norwegians as thralls,
Trading goods were normally carried by Norwegians took Danes. As a general rule, the
people one didn't take as thralls were people of
hip to market towns such as Hedeby. This sea the same district or region. Raiding nearby dis-
ade only encouraged piracy, which was al- tricts resulted in blood feuds and lawsuits and
ways a hazard. Storms and misfortunes at sea generally did not make for good ne*bors.
added to the cost of shipping goods. Once at Not everyone capturedin raids was taken back
market, the goods were usually sold to a mid- to tend the farm. The Vikings sold more of
dleman who in turn sold the goods to mer- their thrallsthan they actually kept. The major
chants from the rest of Europe. market towns of Hedeby and Birka had thrall
The Vikings, perhaps not content to rely on marketswhere the Vikings brought their goods
these trading towns, developed new trade
routes in the wake of their raids. Some sailed to sell to Western and Arab merchants. Thralls
with goods up the Rhine, but the greatest ad- sold by the V i were taken south to the
venture was in Russia. Several major trade
'outes crossed the whole of Russia from the Moslem lands on the Mediterranean.
Baltic to the Black Sea. One involved sailing
down the Dvina River, hauling goods and As the western nations became Christian-
boats overland to the Dnieper River, and sail- ized, the source of thralls shifted east. These
ing to Gnezdovo or Kiev. The adventurous
could from there continue their voyage for six countries refused to sell Christian thralls to
weeks all the way to the Black Sea and fabled the Arabs, but had no similar qualms about
Miklagard, as Constantinople was called. A pagans. Slavs from Gardariki (Russia) and
second river route started at the end of the other pagansfrom the Baltic were now the tar-
Gulf of Finland, sailed up the Neva to Lake gets i f Giking raids. Christian thralls w
Ladoga, then down the Volchov to Novgorod. kept to work the Norse farms.
From here a Viking could continue down the
Lovat, and once again drag his ships overland Law
to the Dnieper. The third great route began
like the second in the Gulf of Finland. From For all their warlike behavior, the Vikings
there the intrepid Viking could either choose were a very legal-minded people. Although
to go to Novgorod or Lake Onega. Once they had a king and nobles, the people
again, an overland portage was required, this founded semi-democratic assemblies virtu-
time to reach the great Volga. This mighty riv- ally everywhere they went. These assemblies
er carried the Vikings all the way to the Caspi- existed to hear and settle disputes between
an Sea. Here they met with Arab traders from men and to pass laws concerning the govern-
Baghdad and caravans traveling the 5,000 ing of the district.
mile Silk Road from China.
These were not rare voyages. The Vikings An assembly was known as a thing. The
plied these rivers enough to found towns and thing was an assembly of freemen. Jealousof
states. Indeed Rus and Viking fleets threat- their rights, the people enforced special laws
ened Constantinople and raided ports on the restricting hersar and jarls from these assem-
Caspian Sea! blies. The things existed to hear lawsuits
Thralls were normallv taken in raids. Thus. brought by one man against another. After lis-
tening to arguments and witnesses from both
sides, the assembly made a judgement on the
case.

Of course, the whole procedure and func-
tioning,of things was much more comulicated

than this. Although the thing existed to settle ant and plaintiff. If either side refused the
matters in a given region, a difficult case could settlement, he was considered an outlaw.
be sent to a different thing for settlement
(much like a change in jurisdiction in the Unlike modem courts, the thing seldom
courts today). Special things existed to settle tried to punish the guilty. Nor were there any
differencesbetween men of different districts. prisons to send the criminal away to. Instead,
the assembly's goal was to reach a settlement
The things were held at a permanent assem- between the two parties, ensuring peace in the
neighborhood. Settlements usually required
bly place. This was sacred ground. When the payment for damages and fines on the person
thing was in session, drawing weapons was voted to be in the wrong. Indeed, many court
forbidden. The thing met at certain times of cases were brought in the hope of winning a
the year, often in conjunction with festivals. judgement and increasing one's own wealth!
Men of the district would travel to the thing
and set up tents at specific places, often hand- A thing might best be compared to a politi-
ed down from father to son. A thing would cal convention of today, rather than a court-
last several days, during which caseswould be room. The object was to get the freemen of the
presented and judged upon. It would also, assembly, or the judges, to vote for your side
quite naturally, be a time for meeting old (rather like getting delegates to vote for your
friends and feasting. Of course, it was also a candidate). This involved a lot of persuading,
time to meet old and new enemies, hence the negotiating, and private conversations among
restrictions on weapons and fighting. the tents of the freemen. Like a political con-
test, a more popular and powerful man had
The leader of the thing was the lawspeaker. greater influence on the outcome. (Remember
that reachinga Settlement, not justice, was the
He was responsible for seeing that the rules and issue.) Friendships were often made or broken
procedureswere followed, and had great influ- at the thing.
ence at the thing. The lawspeaker was chosen
by the freemen in attendance. The position In cases of killing, peace could be made (at
went to people of importanceand standing. least on the surface) by reaching a settlement
and paying a weregild, a "man-price." The
All manner of cases could be heard at a amounts paid were set by tradition and law
and varied according to the relationship of the
thing. Any dispute between two people was slain person to the complainant. Of course,
likely to be presented. These included argu- men of power and influence could demand
ments over property lines, divisions of inheri- (and often get) more than the customary
tance, killings, thefts, insults, and divorce amounts.
settlements. A woman could not bring a case
It was not necessary to bring every case be-
-to the thing, although any man husband, fore the thing. A settlement could be reached
outside the assembly at any time. For exam-
brother, son, or father - could represent her ple, Thorolf has accidentally killed Bjorn's
youngest son. Rather than wait for the next
in the issue. thing, letting the bad blood between them
Cases were settled by the vote of the thing. grow, Thorolf wants to make peace quickly.
Therefore, he asks Snoni, his friend, to ap-
In theory, both sides presented their argu- proach Bjorn about a settlement. After some
ments and witnesses. The freemen of the thing negotiation on both sides an agreement is
then deliberated for a day or two and finally reached. Thorolf pays the settlement and the
reached a decision. However, since it was of- issue is dropped.
ten impractical for the entire assembly to
work out an agreement, cases were usually as-
signed to three judges chosen by the assembly
and approved by those involved. These
judges would decide the terms of the settle-
ment and present their decision to the defend-

I! The Viking Culture 85

Again, the choice of negotiator was a care- The Many Names of Odin
ful and political thing. Ideally the person cho-
With the variety of people and practlces,
sen should favor your side and be powerful nothing about religion was straight-
enough to persuade the other to accept the forward or clear cut. The following list
terms. It helps if the mediator is on friendly shows just how varied even the names of
terms with the other party, too. Of course, the gods could b
this is not always possible. If the injured party
Allfod - All-Father
was a very powerful man, a wise decision Baleyg - Flame-eyed One
would be to let him fix his own terms. This Biflindi - Spear Shaker
Bileyg - One-Eyed
show of generosity and humility could go a
long way toward soothing feelings. Bolverk - Worker of Evil

If the injured party did not accept the terms -Farmagud God of Cargoe!
of a settlement, then a blood-feud could re- -Farmatyr God of Cargoes
sult. At that point it was war between the two
Fjolnir - Much-Knowing
families. It was not necessary to kill the guilty Fjolsvid - Very Wise One
Grani - Horsehair
person to gain revenge. Any member of his Grim - Masked One
family was generally sufficient (although Grimnir - Masked One
women were seldom targets of such feuds). HHaanpgtaagguudd--
This killing would naturally lead to a counter- God of the Hanged
attack and it would continue back and forth God of the Gods
until either everyone on one side was dead or Har - High One
a settlement was finally reached.
Harbard - Greybearded One
If a man refused to honor the terms of a Helblindi - One Who Blinds with Death
Herjan - Raider
judgement reached by the thing, or if he had
committed too terrible a crime to be settled, HHejarltmeitb-erGi -laHdeolfmWeteadr One
Hnikar - Spear Thruster
i.e., treason or kin-slaying, he was outlawed, Hnikud - Spear Thruster
banished either for three years or life. The Jalk - Gelding
outlaw was allowed a reasonable amount of
time to leave the land, usually long enough to Jafhnar -Just as High
return home and outfit a ship, although this Omi - One Whose Speech Resounds
could be extended if the sailing season was Oski - Fulfiller of Desire
Sanngetal - One Who Guesses Correctly
bad. After this period, the criminal was never Sidhott - Deep-Hooded One
to return (unless the sentence was only for Sidskegg- Long-Bearded One
three years). If discovered in the country, he Sigfod - Father of Battle
could be killed without fear of a blood-feud or Svipall - ChangeableOne
weregild. Of course, friends could be expected
to shelter an outlaw, even though this in turn

would bring the law down on the friend.

Religion Thekk - Pleasant One
Thridi - Third

l"aTrsho.r.ol.f threw overboard the high-seat pil- Thund - Thin One
and declared that he would settle at Vak - Alert One
Veratyr - God of Men
any place in Iceland where Thor chose to send Vidrir - Ruler of Weather

the aillars ashore." Ypg - Terrible One

- - Chapter Seven

Nordic religion and its practices is a particu- these sites and other times at a farmhouse
which also doubled as a local temple.
larly mysterious subject. T h e Vikings left little
There were generally three main ceremonies
in the way of chronicles of their religious rites
each year: one in the spring, one at mid-sum-
and with the rise of Christianity the old ways mer, and one in the fall. These ceremonies
were suppressed. At the same time, later poets were marked by sacrifices of animals (and
left behind rich descriptions of the adventures sometimes humans) and ritual feasting. All
and foibles of the gods. The result is an inter-
were intended to ensure fertility for the farm.
esting paradox - more is known about the Sometimes the summer festival included pray-
ers for victory in war and raiding. Oracles
Nordic gods than how these gods were actu-
were consulted and offerings to the gods were
ally worshipped.
The Norse gods, always popular in AD&W made. Each festival lasted several days.
At home, each family usually had a small
campaigns, are not described here. Complete
details on these powers can be found in the number of wooden statues or rune-carved
AD&D 2nd Edition Legends and Lore rule- posts, the high-seat pillars, that represented
book. DMs who want to have the gods take
an active and involved role in the campaign the gods. Prayers and offerings were left for
world should look to this rulebook for infor- these whenever the need arose. There is no ev-
idence that there were formal rites for these.
mation.
Finally, of course, the wise man took care to
Few men worshipped a single god only.
see that his neghbors - his invisible ones -
There is an occasional note that a warrior was
a man of Thor, but common-sense people were placated. This included leaving small
bowls of food for the nisse and avoiding
worshipped a variety of gods depending on
the need and situation. AD&D game players things that might offend the huldafolk and
should use the areas of control listed in the
Legends and Lore rulebook to determine other spirits. Since in a fantasy campaign
which would be most appropriate. these creatures are real, player characters

There were few proper temples to the gods must devise their own methods for dealing
with otherworldly neighbors.
in Scandinavia. However, there were many
sacred sites out-of-doors. These included Judgingfrom the sagas, not all Vikings were
a fiercely devout group. Many saga heroes
mountains, islands, fields, rocks, and groves. loudly proclaimed they had no need for gods
Ceremonies would sometimesbe conducted at and then set out to prove their point. Egil

Skallagrimsson, mourning the loss of his son,
blamed Odinfor his grief and wished he could

take vengeance on the sea gods. Worship was
something like a bargain. In exchange for de-

votions, the gods were supposed to give some-
thing in return. If they did not, the pact was
broken.

This does not mean, however, that Vikings
were atheists. They had a rich web of supersti-
tion and belief. It is just that, unlike many
other religions, the Norsemen did not create

religious institutions like the Church or the
temples of Rome. In general each man was re-
sponsible for his own faith in the gods.

8 I

+I
In the Viking setting, as in any other realms were created. First of these was
4 D & P game milieu, the player characters Niflheim, a realm of cold and darkness. Nine
Ire going to travel to strange lands and distant worlds were supposed to form Niflheim, and
settings. This chapter provides a brief descrip- it was here many of the dead were sent. Sec-
tion of the many lands, both real and imagi- ond came Muspellheim, a land of heat and
nary, that make up the world of a Viking fire. This is the home of the giant Surt (or Sur-
campaign. The places described in this chap- tur) who will destroy Midgard at Ragnarok.
ter can be found on the players' map (the large
map sheet bound in the back of this book) or A t the boundary of the two worlds, where
on the detailed maps included in this book. heat met ice, was a warm river. From this was
born the giant Ymir or Aurgelmir. From other
Astute players will notice the fold-up map is ice were born other giants and from one of
not an accurate representation of the world. It
is not meant to be. Instead, it is a map of the these giants was born Odm,leader of the Ae-
world as the Vikings might have envisioned it,
had they made maps. Scandinavia and its sir. Odin and his brothers slew Ym
coastlines, areas best known to the Vikings, from the giant's body made the world.
are almost correct. A s one moves farther from
this center, the map becomes less and less ac- ". . .from his blood the sea and lakes, from his
curate, reflecting the increasing lack of first-
hand knowledge the Vikings had of these flesh the earth, from his bones the mountain;
distant lands. Ultimately, those countries at rocks and pebbles they made from his teeth
the outermost edges are lands of fantasy and and jaws and those bones that were broken."
vonder, home to giants and other mythical
The Prose Edda
-out map is based in part on a map
" in 1965. This map was presented Ymir's skull became the sky, supported by
s a copy made around 1440of an older map, four dwarves, one for each direction. The
now lost. The map was unique, showing Ice- sparks blowing up from Muspellheim became
land, Greenland, and parts of Vinland, some- the sun and stars. With Ymir's eyebrows, the
thing never before seen on a medieval map. gods built a wall to the keep the giants out of
e discovery was quickly dubbed the Midgard and the giant's brains became the
nland Map" and a great deal of scholarship clouds. Thus was the earth created.
was spent arguing for its authenticity. Unfor-
tunately, tests showed the map was a forgery The World According to Rolf
made no earlier than 1917. Still, the map con-
tains many features thought to have existed In a comer of the player's map is an inset
during the Viking age and is perfectly suitable showing a map of the entire world-at least
for play. the way the Vikings understood it. This map

The Making of the World is the "scientific" view of the world, as op-

There are several Viking legends that ex- posed to the mythical understanding of the
upolapiunlathreteelxlsisotefntcheeolfiftehAedwodrelda.ihb9uft the most globe. All the same it has many mythical ele-
the giant ments and can be seen as one map of Midgard,
Ymir. Before the creation of the Earth (known the Middle World of men.

The world is seen as a flat disk, surrounded
by the great world ocean, Uthaf. Beyond the
edge of this ocean lived the Midzardsormr. the
MLdgard Serpent, a beast so large it could en-
circle the world. Beyond that no one knew
what lay, although legends said Muspellhei

At the center of the world is Jerusalem, re- Denmark was a low-lying flat land of bogs,
flecting Christian belief. The continents were heaths, and sand dunes, although parts were
divided into three-Europe (the smallest), Af- covered with forests of beech and oak. Every-
rica, and Asia (the largest). Greenland was where was close to the coast, causing one
thought to connect in the far north to Europe, chronicler to note the Danes ”live in the sea.”
while Vinland did the same with Africa. The
river Tanais was the Don and divided Europe At the base of the peninsula is Hedeby, one
from Asia.
of the most important trading centers in Scan-
The Lands of the Vikings dinavia. Here Franks and Germans met to buy
the goods of Norsemen. The town was protect-
Africa: Of the entire continent of Africa, the ed by an earthen rampart. Not far from it was
Vikings had knowledge of only the smallest the Danevirke, an earthen fortification that
portion-the Mediterranean coast of North separates Denmark from its southem neigh-
Africa. With its warm temperature and bright bors. Other towns include Viborg, Ribe (an-
sun. the few exulorers who traveled so far of- other trading center), Schleswig, Arhus, and
ten believed thiy were nearing the fabled land
Jelling (where the king resided). From the be-
gh never visited, the Vikings ginning of the V i k i i age, Denmark was under
ith the lands of Arabia the rule of a single king. Late in the Viking age
these kings built several fortresses at Aggers-
ourrh their contact with Arab merchants. borg, Trellborg, Fykat, and other places.
Viking fleets sailed on the Caspian and traded
with merchants from Baghdad. The main England: England was known to the Vi-
trading centers in this region were Itil (at the kings well before the start of the Viking Age.
mouth of the Volga) and Gurgan (at the south- At the beginning of the Age, England was un-
em end of the Caspian). Here Vikings sold der the rule of a number of petty Saxon kings
furs and slavesfor silk, spices, and silver from and nobles and the land was divided into a
Arabia, India, and China. number of different kingdoms; Mercia, East
Anglia, Northumbria, and Wessex were the
Byzantium: The great empire of Byzantium most prominent. Gradually the lords of Wes-
was known to the Vikings. Their own name
for the capital Constantinople was Miklagard sex (in the south) brought the other kingdoms
(“the Great City”). More than once, Viking under its control, though not without warfare
ships sailed and raided on the Black Sea only and struggle.
to be defeated by either bad luck or the myste-
rious Greek fire. Eventually trade treaties England was the target of both raids and
were formed between the Rus of Kiev and the conquest. Rich monasteries at Jarrow, Lindis-
Byzantines. From about 980 on, Viking mer- fame, and Whitby were choice targets of
cenaries formed the elite bodyguard of the raids, along with a number of cities. More im-
Byzantine emperor, the Varangian Guard. portant, however, was conquest. The Dane-
law came to be the name for those lands
Denmark This small land is one of the three controlled by Viking kings or adventurers.
countries that make up Scandinavia. During The exact boundaries varied with the fortunes
the Viking age, Denmark included the south-
eastern coast of Sweden-Halland, Skane, of war, but usually included Northumbria and
and Blekinge. Sometimes Danish rule extend- East Anglia. In the Danelaw, Viking settlers
ed to the Vik, now Oslofjord in Norway. TO established their own laws and traditions.
the south of Denmark were the Wends. Outside of it, English kings exercised their
rule. York, in Northumbria, was the center of

A Brief Gazetteer 89

I

The Faeroes: These islands are steep, tree- peace. This land became Normandy. Ironical-
less hills rising from the ocean. Known from
the beginning of the Viking age, the Faroes ly, it was the Normans who would bring
were first home to Irish monks who lived on about the end of the Viking age.
these bleak islands. The Norsemen colonized
Gardariki: Meaning "land of fortified
these islands during the early 80&, driving the towns," Gardariki was the Viking name for

hermits away. Buildings were made of turf modern Russia and surrounding lands. Al-

and field stone. Crops grew poorly, but sheep though most of the population was Slavic,
Swedish princes established themselves in
and cattle were raised. The hardy settlers also Holmgadr (Novgorod), Aldeigjuborg (Staraja
Ladoga), Gnezdovo, Chemigov, and Kiev.
relied on fishing, game birds, and whaling. There they became known as the Rus. It was
During August, the men would drive the
through Kiev that trade with the Byzantines
whales ashore and slaughter them for their passed.
meat and bone.
Gardariki was also a land of wonder and
Frankland: Also known as the Empire of the mystery. Little explored, it was rumored to be
Franks or the Frankish Empire, Frankland
filled with monsters, giants, and horrible crea-
(now modern France, the Low Countries, and tures. Undead spirits lurked in the vast wilder-
parts of Germany)was, at the start of the age,
the most powerful kingdom of northern Eu- ness, along with evil trolls and sorcerers.
Groenland: Discovered in the early 900s,
rope. Charlemagne the Great, who led his em-
Groenland (Greenland) was not settled until
pire to its pinnacle of power and learning, was sometime around 985 when Eirik the Red led
still alive. However, he died near the begin-
an expedition there. Named Groenland for
ning of the Viking age, and within only a its vast meadows (it was somewhat warmer
short time, his great empire fell into decline as then), the island did eventually support two
his heirs squabbled and fought for control of main areas of settlement, the Eastern Settle-
the land. ment around Brattahild, and the Western
Settlement at Godthab fjord. These were the
Still, Frankland was an impressive place to
the Vikings. For the first few decades of the only areas with adequate grazing land for
period, Viking raiders were effectively farmers. Without trees, buildings were
stopped by a system of fortresses and watch- made of turf and stone. Life was hard and
towers set up by Charlemagne. These allowed
relied on imports from Iceland and further
the local lords to quickly strike at raiders.
east. In exchange, the Greenlanders sold
When the system collapsed, the rich lands of wool, seal hides, furs, walrus ivory, and
Frankland were ripe for plunder. fierce falcons.

Because of large rivers like the Loire and Groenland was also a land of fierce frost gi-
Seine, the Vikings were able to strike at more
than just coastal towns. Their raids went as ants and other icy terrors. At its furthest
far inland as Paris (then only a small city on reaches it was thought to give entrance to the
an island) and Orleans. The local lords, too cold, dark land of Niflheim.
busy fighting each other, could not prevent
Helluland: Meaning Slabland, this region
the Vikings from plundering. Instead, they is believed to be Baffin Island today. It took
used the same solution as the English and paid its name from the huge slabs of stone that
the Vikings vast sums to go home. formed the land. It was little visited or ex-

As with England, the Vikings began settle- plored, since apparently nothing but foxes
lived there. Of course, so far north, it too
ment of Frankland. They became so numer- was also home to frost giants and other evil,
ous and powerful that eventually the emperor cold-loving creatures.
was forced to grant them land in exchange for

A I :etteer 91

I

Ireland: Ireland was well known to the Vi- seals, eider-down, and hides. They imported
ey ruled over parts of the island lumber, grain, and luxury goods. As a people,
they were fiercely independent; many were
ed many settlements there. Most outlaws from Norway, having incurred the
of these were Dublin and Water- wrath of the king there. These men brought
their families to join them in Iceland.
f Viking power on the island.
Vikings invaded Ireland in the early BOOS, Although it was a harsh life there, the island
was also noted for its skalds. All of what was
nquered the island. Wars be- later written down came from the Icelanders.
gs and Irish Kings were com- They had a great love of words.
mon, though the kings were far from united.
Some sided with the Vikings, others against Karelia: This eastern land is now part of
modern Finland and Russia. It is a land of for-
a source of slaves in ests, lakes, and bogs. The native Finns there
oods. It is also a good had their own kings, although large parts of
in the near-constant the land were subject to Swedish kings who
and between the Irish. crossed the Baltic and settled on Karelia's
Isaland, or Iceland, was settled by shores.
om Norway, the Shetlands, Ork-
eroes, and British Isles. The first The Finns were noted for theirpowers of
oyages were around 860, when a few Irish sorcery. Many a Norse wizard learned his arts
from a Finnish tutor. Inland the country was
nks were found living there in solitude. Se- overrun with giants and trolls, some of whom
had their own kingdoms. Karelia was also a
s colonization began in 870 and lasted for good source of timber and furs.
about 60 years.
Kurland: This region lies along the southern
The land is mostly meadow with only coast of the Baltic. Although there is a large
areas of forest. Volcanic vents and lava native population there, it has been heavily
colonized by the Swedes, since the Dvina riv-
some crops were the principal ways of life on er, an important trade route to Kiev, passes
the island. The people lived on scattered farms through the land, The trading towns of Gro-
bin and Truso were once of particular impor-
no towns of consequence. tance, although these towns declined early in
om the farms, the only other sites of
ance were the things, the assembly the Viking age.
Kurland was seldom the target of raiders,
Iceland had no king or single ruler. The
rmers were independent freemen. Govern- since there was little wealth in the land. The
g was conducted by the thing and the 36 go- most useful things that could be taken from it
of the land. For convenience, the island was
vided into four quarters, one for each direc- were slaves and amber. The amber was carved
into figurines and used for jewelry. Slaves
had its own assembly and, from the region, since they were pagan, were
was divided into three districts. Three sold in the markets of Hedeby (which would
not accept Christians as slaves).
s were noted for many goods,
Markland: This is the second of three lands
discovered beyond Groenland. The name
means "forest-land and was probably the
coast of Labrador or Newfoundland. It was
rich in timber, but the forests were filled with
hostile skraelingar ("wretches," a contemp

.. . ,,,: ., . a , . ~ :' . .
' .,.;.
..'1. .. ,

- :e

ous name for the Indians there) and giants. were well-sited for the Vikings, close to Caith-
Little effort was made to settle this land, al- ness (northern Scotland) and only a short
though ships sometimes sailed there from voyage across the north sea to Norway. Trav-
Groenland to gather timber. elers from Iceland, Ireland, and the Faeroes
often wintered over at the Orkneys when
Norway: One of the lands of Scandinavia, storms were too fierce to venture on the open
Norway is a MITOW strip of mountainous sea.
land. The coastline is a jagged series of fjords,
waterways that cut like gashes through the The islands, like many in the north, were
steep slopes. It is along these fjords that most relatively treeless. Houses were made of turf
of the people lived, making use of the and stone and the men lived by herding, fish-
cramped farmlands. This rugged land is one ing, and raising crops of barley and other har-
wing of the Viking homeland. dy grains. Trade was in thesegoods, especially
malt (roasted barley) sent to Iceland.
Norway divides into several regions. In the
south, around modern Oslo, is the fjord The Orkney islands were ruled by heredi-
known as the V i , possible source of the Vi- tary earls. While supposedly subject to the
king name. The Vikin was home to the kings Norwegian king, the earls of Orkney ruled
of Norway. Here was the best farmland in the pretty much as they pleased, since there was
country and it was a close connection to the little the Norwegian lord could do to them.
kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden. At its The earls had close, though not always friend-
mouth was the town of Kaupang, an impor- ly, ties to the lords of Scotland, particularly
tant trading center. Dividing the Vikin from those of Caithness.
western Norway is a range of jagged moun-
tains. Low passes reach to Trondelag, but Permia: This is a cold and snowy land of
voyages along the coast were much more mystery and monsters, sometimes called Bjur-
practical. mulund. Reached by making the dangerous
voyage around the north of Norway, Permia
The Norway peninsula, which stretches was a hostile land. Its kings and nobles were
down from the Vikin, is a rugged region, al- wizards, while giants and monstersroamed its
most inaccessible by land. Here there are forests. Still, the people there had great trea-
many isolatedvalleys almost completely inde- sures. Large numbers of valuable furs came
pendent of all others. Bergen, on the coast, out of Permia's dark woods. Greater still,
was a small center of trade and the starting there was said to be a mound deep in the forest
point for many voyageswest. Finally, north of where the people left offerings to the dead-a
Bergen along the coast was the Trondelag re- handful of silver for every man who passed
gion. This was another region with sizeable away. Getting these treasures, however, was
farms and good communication. Passes led to not easy, since the Permians hated the Norse
the V i and Sweden. It was the seat of many and would attack them on sight. Although not
important jarls. nearly as well armed and armored, the Permi-
an wizards presented a great threat to any
North of Norway is Lapland. Although in- raiding party.
dependent, the Lapps were required to pay
tribute to the earls of Trondelag. The Lapps Sadand: This land lay just south of Den-
were well-known for their skill in sorcery, al- mark and was part of the Frankish empire. Its
though they could seldom withstand the Vi- most important town was Bremen, a tradmg
kings in battle. center on the coast. This made it a rich target
for raiders. Knowing this, the Saxons fortified
Orkney Islands: These islands, just off the the town with earthworks and palisades.
coast of Scotland, were settled early in (or
perhaps before) the Viking age. The islands The Saxons were noted as merchants. They

of those traders who came land Meaning perhaps "grassland
of vines," the Vinland explored by Lie
ging glassware and other goo ricsson and others is now believed to be
to sell in Denmark. Newfoundland and parts of the coast further
and: North of Northumbria were south. A small settlement was established on
and untamed people of Scotland. the shore, but was attacked by skraelingar. It
were a mixture of many people-P did not thrive and was eventually abandoned
or wiped out. The stories of this land describe
ts, and Norse. The fiercely independe it as filled with riches, although giants and
kings often faced their Sa hostile skraelingar abound. Ultimat
V i a n d proved too far from civilization
arts in border battles. For these proper settlement.
Wendland: Located southeast of De
s sometimes formed alliances wi is the land of the Wends. These German
ir Norse neighbors in Northumbria, ple lived just beyond the borders of the
d, and the Orkneys. At other times t ish empire. Like the Saxons, the Wends traded
ired Norse mercenaries. Although there with the Vikinns. Danish and Swedish settle-

raids on the Scottish coast, the land w Oder, another important river route.
and not a very good target. Only a f

nasteries, Iona for one, founded by Ir
nks on the Hebrides, were .pop.ular raid
argets.
Sweden This is the third nation that fo

Scandinavia. Sweden roughly divides
three parts. The southern section is m
bw-lying plains, rich with rivers, lakes,

Baltic and the lands of the east. Thus,
settlements are found in Finland and

The middle section was likewise an
forest and plains and is known as Sv

'Fhis was the center of Swedish power

fogo "straight to the source" should read a Grundir: This earldom lies between Risa-
land and Jotunheim. Its ruler is Earl Agdi and
translation of The Prose Edda.) For other he makes his residence at Gnipaland. The earl
is said to be a powerful sorcerer. His retainers
lands, little or no details exist. DMs can fill are not men but great trolls, much to be
out these countries with whatever seems mos feared.
appropriate.
Jotunheim This is another of the celestial
Imaginary lands, being imaginary, have no realms, the home of the jotens, the great gi-
place on any map. At best, there are vague in- ants of folklore. It is a wild and wooded place,
dications of where these lands can be found somewhere east of Asgard. The giants of this
("east beyond Permia") but not even anything land are hostile to the inhabitants of Asgard.
as good as sailing directions exists. Player
characters reach these lands by crossing over Mirkwood:This is a vast forest that lies just
some invisible border between the real world to the south of settled lands. [t is semi-mythi-
and the Other Worlds. The border may be cal, since it might lie south of Midgard as a
marked by a fierce storm that blows the ship whole. It might also describe the vast forests
off course or a broad swath of trackless forest. that covered Germany. Mirkwood separates
The Other Worlds can exist anywhere, even Muspellheim from the rest of the world.
Jmong the farmer's lands. A sudden look to Mirkwood has earned its name; it is a dark
the left or flicker in the moonlight may be all place filled with serpents, trolls, and giants.
that's needed to reveal this hidden realm. Few venture there who do not need to.

Alfheim Virtually nothing is known of this Muspellheim Muspellheim is a mythical
land, the home of the elves. It might be part of land of fire and heat to the south. It is from
Asgard, but is more likely close to it.
here that fire giants come. The sons of Muspel
Asgard: Asgard is the home of the Aesir, the will someday assault Asgard and bring about
12principal gods of the Vikings. It is said to be the end of the world. It is quite possible that
above or in the middle of Midgard, the world Muspellheim grew from early reports of the
of men. It is described as a plain marked by desert lands of Arabia and Africa.
rivers and guarded by cliffs. Twelve palatial
halls, homes of the gods, exist there. In addi- Niflheim: This is the last of the celestial
tion, there are lesser halls for their followers. realms, the land of the dead. It is described as
The most famous of these, Valhalla, is Odin's being to the north of Midgard, across the
hall for the fallen warriors he has chosen. On ocean, and underground. It is made up of nine
the day of the final battle, Ragnarok, these different worlds. Here all dead but those cho-
men will fight (and lose) in the war against the sen by Odin are sent. Niflheim is a cold and
giants. dark place. Its halls have rafters coiled with

Geirrodargardar: Meaning "Geinodstown," venomous serpents and agonies await those
this is the capital of Risaland, or Giantland. who are sent here.
The king lives here along with his retainers.
Noatown: It is unknown where this town
GlasisvelIir: Known as the Glasir Plains in
English, this country is ruled by giants. It is lies. Although it is ruled by a king, Noatown
found somewhereeast of Permia. Although it is known for its fierce amazons.

has its own lung, Glasisvellir is forced to pay Risaland: Located to the east of Permia ..
Risaland, or Giantland. This is a powerful
tribute to the giant king of Risaland. A great kingdom ruled by giants. The capital is Geir-
river, Henna, separates the two lands. The rodgardar. Beyond Risaland lay Jotunheim.
king of Glasisvellir is always called God-
mund, regardless of his true name.

A Brief Gazetteer 95

c

I

m

Longship Deck Plan (&be

on actual excavations)

dlev find 92' X 15'

Oseberg find 70' x 16'

Ocean-going Knarr (Skudev find) 53'x 15'
5 5iI6"rio 5rs"

Saexring 39'xa' Coastal h a m (Skudlev findj 43' X 10'

4 vlarna 5 1 ~ ~ ~

For use with miniatures, enlarge these deck plans on a
photocopier. Listed beside each deck are two lengths for

e.l.m,.m.P I"* .A-il!Pi&nll-d .

96 Chapter Eight

Vikinglands and settlements

ICitiesandtowns A- A 5 salt spices

.- Silk y wheat

Silver Weapons

---- Wine



The Kwwn W e b i

"On little shores and little seas
live people of little sense;
ne has equal wisdom
e the world is half as wide.

Sayings of the High One

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