Blood on the Snow

Intro

In the northeastern reaches of Darkwood, 50 miles from the coast of the Frozen Sea, a community of 400 hardy souls scrapes out an existence in the forested valleys along the edge of the Ozgarn Mountains. They call themselves the Nord, descendants of seagoing explorers from Icelund.

You are of these people.

The village of your birth is in a thickly-treed valley bottom and protected by a ring of 10' thick thorn bushes and sharpened spear-like stakes pointing outwards. This mostly keeps the wolves and trolls away.

A trout-filled creek, which surges up to 5' deep, 30' across in spring, runs through middle of village, requiring a simple wooden bridge. Your huts are built of mud and branches and hides, though one squat stone building houses King Valgard and his family.

Domesticated dairy goats and sheep wander around in the village, and daily foraging trips into the forest bring back berries, nuts, and venison. A dozen horses are used for occasional heavy labor.

The elevation is 7000', and snow remains on the ground well into early summer.

Late most summers, tax collectors from Nottingham pay a visit, and an uneasy negotiation takes place over several days. They often bring spices, fabrics, small tools, and trinkets to soften their demands for what little gold and gems the village has pried from the ground over the previous year. Some in the village question the value of compliance, but Valgard says it is necessary as long as the Nord inhabit these lowland valleys.

It was not always so; the Nord lived among the rocky crags of the Ozgarns for generations. It is a sad tale, known to you all, that brought your people down from those heights.

One summer morning, instead of tax collectors, a different Nottingham group arrives: Bishop Salvatore, three soldiers (Rolf, Mads, and Erik), and a half-elven ranger (Quillian), all on horseback.

They meet with Valgard and his advisers all day. At the outdoor firelit feast that night, King Valgard, flanked by the newcomers and Elder Einar, makes the following statement:

 We are the Nord.

 100 years ago, ours was a proud people. We worked high in the mountains, 
 the mighty Ozgarns. We worked the land, the harsh and frozen crags, along 
 side the dwarves and hobgoblins and stone giants in a fragile peace. We 
 hunted caribou and musk ox and wolves and mammoths, and mined precious 
 metals from the mountains, and drank joyously in great mead-halls constructed  
 among the cliffs of timbers as thick as a man is tall.

 Our forge, Brannjern, turned out weapons of steel that never broke, 
 never dulled. Our smiths were legendary in their prowess, and to this day,
 Nord Steel, forged in Brannjern, knows no equal.

 Our king in those days, our sovereign leader Asgrim, a mighty warrior, 
 Asgrim Whitebeard,  Asgrim Bloodletter, father to a dozen sons, led our 
 men to victory in countless battles with beasts of the mountains – orcs, 
 ogres, formorians, worg, and ice trolls.

 Some said it was Asgrim's greatsword that made him undefeatable on the battlefield; 
 others said it was his great ruby ring. Both had been passed down over 16 generations, 
 since even before our people crossed the Great Water to this land.

 But Asgrim was to be defeated, and our people nearly destroyed. The ring and sword 
 of Asgrim were not enough to save us.

 One dark afternoon in January, Asgrim led our strongest fathers and brothers and 
 sons into a new valley beyond a deep blue glacier. 

 What befell them is unknown, but all were slain and left to freeze on the ice.
 Our strongest bloodlines were extinguished that afternoon, and we Nord have
 been struggling to regain our former stature since that day.


 You all know Elder Einar. He is the last survivor of that tragic event on the
 ice. As he approaches the dimming of this life, he has made his wishes known to
 me. The Nord must reclaim the Sword and Ring of Asgrim from the battlefield in
 the valley of his doom. 

 And now the opportunity is upon us.

 We have transferred treasures to the tax collectors of Nottingham since I was
 a child. Many have asked me, and before me, my father, King Fromund, why we do
 so. And the answer is here, today. 

 These men of Nottingham, Bishop Salvatore and his soldiers and guide, have come
 to us today to help regain our ancestral treasures.

 They will accompany a group of our strongest Nord on an expedition to the 
 Valley of Doom to find our fallen fathers, put their bones to rest, and bring
 home Asgrim's greatsword, ring, and the rest of the Nord Steel.

King Valgard himself suffers from asthma, and doesn't do well at high elevations. He knows he cannot lead the party, and so must choose a representative to lead the group, preferably a blood relative.

Character Creation

Background Knowledge

Historical Knowledge

You know the story of the reason the Nord came down from the mead-halls in the high country. There is a cultural thread of return to the homeland, which comes up frequently, wistfully. There are some who say that your leaders, Valgard and his father before him, have been simply too weak to lead the people back. There is occasional talk of a split of some kind. But that would be foolish. The Nord are one people.

It is said that the Nord once traded with tribes of thick-bodied hobgoblins, and stone-skinned giants of the mountains. Some say that the retreat after the loss of the king and his top Nord warriors was an emotional, panic reaction. Others say it was strategic -- that either the hobgoblins or giants planned an attack, knowing that after their great loss, the Nord were weakened and vulnerable to defeat.

Who knows the truth? The decision was made to come down from the mountains to this green valley, in the days of your grandmothers' youth.

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Cultural, Area Knowledge

These lowland forests are rich in forage, relatively temperate, but plagued by trolls and orcs, who occasionally cause problems for the Nord.

You certainly know some basic woodsman skills. You might even specialize (4+ points) in Tracking or Survival (Forest), if your story explains it. Or, maybe you're the Nord in charge of fish-drying, or arrow fletching, or forge operation, or cooking for the community.

The Nord believe strongly in the family unit, and many are married (for life) before their 20th summer. Fur-clad blond-haired children, possibly yours, scamper cheerfully underfoot.

The Nord only occasionally ride horses. You consider horses beasts of burden, like others might consider oxen. Here in the forage-rich lowlands, with its trout and deer and wild mint and onion and various berries, there's little reason to ride more than a dozen miles in any direction. So you can ride, but rarely do. In the high crags of the Ozgarns, it is said, horses are useless.

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Threats in the Forest

When hunting and forage parties (of usually 6-10 Nord) encounter orcs, both sides do a quick calculation: the smaller party retreats or changes direction. When it's not clear, the orcs usually seem to issue a challenge in their own incomprehensible tongue, and if a quick retreat is not begun, they attack. However, these skirmishes usually break off once two or three from either side fall. It is usually a near-even match, and neither the Nord nor the orcs seek to slaughter the other. There is enough forage for all.

Trolls are another story. Trolls are fueled by something other than nature, and are built through-and-through of a tough spongy substance that gives them some sort of super-healing ability. They fight to the death with a great hunger, and no fear, and can only be truly killed by fire. They devour their kills entirely, hair and entrails and even clothing. They are 9' tall, ferocious, and horrible. Nobody ever leaves the village alone. A single man would stand no chance against a hungry troll.

Happily, encounters with these creatures are rare. In a typical year, there might be six orc hunting party encounters, resulting in one or two Nord slain. Every 2-3 years, a troll encounter kills a half dozen. You have all lost friends and/or family to trolls at some point.

Because these violent encounters are regular (though infrequent), the Nord have built the thorn-wall defenses, and kept up their longstanding tradition in training all youngsters in the use of the spear, the spear, the bow, and the shield, as well as hand-to-hand techniques (Wrestling). All are prepared to defend the Nord.

However, these near-continuous losses have kept the Nord from growing. Einar claims that the original migration down from the mountains was of 500 souls, after Asgrim's Defeat. Today, there are 400.

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The Quest

As for the location of the Valley of Doom -- none of you is sure, having never been more than a dozen miles from the village. But Einar knows, and will only tell his Nord kin of landmarks and passages deep into the mountains beyond the snow-capped horizon.

You have no good reason to trust the Bishop, but if he and his warriors can assist in retrieving any of the ancestral artifacts, it could be the beginning of a reinvigoration of the Nord, and a first step towards returning to your family homes in the mountains.

Why You're on the Team

Each PC is a known as the best at something, hence the reason for your selection by the king. Possibilities include:

• orc slayer ("everyone wants him in their foraging group")
• healer (magic or firstaid/physician/diagnosis)
• tracker
• archer ("wins the contest every year")
• hunter ("brought back 4 elk the dry winter we almost starved")
• orienteer
• climber ("she scales boulders like a mountain goat!")
• wood-chopping / axe-wielder
• strongest ("picked up that fallen tree off little Greta!")
• toughest / best wrestler ("Korak the Iron-Limbed")

You might even have nicknames. Bjorn Orcslayer, Freya Dead-arrows

Points and Equipment

One character should be Valgard's representative and lead the group (and roleplay it). A cousin, or nephew, or daughter-in-law, or some such. That individual must put 5 points into Status. They must take a 5 point Duty (to Valgard) as well. To be effective, this character might also choose some Charisma or Leadership, but this is not required. Alternately, the king's representative could appoint a Leader who could be more effective in day-to-day tactics/management, and play more of a background role, a symbol of the king, consulted only in dire circumstances.

150 points to spend

max 100 on attributes
max 50 disadvantages
max 50 advantages

Skill Template for all:

Tracking - minimum 1 pt
Survival (Woodlands) - minimum 1 pt
Wrestling (a Nord pastime) - minimum 1 pt

Advantage template for all:

Patron (King Valgard & the Nord) (10)

Disadvantage template for all (this cancels out the advantage points, net zero):

Duty (Nord) (-10)

Recommended attributes: ST, HT (gene pool)

Recommended advantages: Fit (Nord are a hardy people, lots of high-altitude genetics)

Recommended disadvantages: Code of Honor (Soldier's) -- not because you are soldiers, but because this set of values is admired among the Nord and particularly desirable on a small group's hazardous quest.

Appearance: The Nord are a big-boned Scandinavian-type people. Think Vikings.

Magic: The Nord rely on axes, leather, and spears more than magic. But, combined with a 5-point Unusual Background Advantage, one level of Magery is permitted, as are spells from the following colleges:

• Plant
• Weather
• Earth
• Fire
• Food
• Healing
• Making & Breaking
• Protection

Equipment: Nord Steel, forged in Brannjern, is not present in the village; it was all lost with the decimation of the warriors beyond the glacier in the valley of doom. One exception: the king's own blade, Ulvtand, which he will lend to his personal representative. It is a Thrusting Bastard Sword, and imbued with special characteristics typical of Nord Steel:

armor divisor: 3
+2 to skill
+2 to damage
Shatterproof

• Armor is generally limited to furs and leather; metal shields, helms, and mail shirts are rarely used. Winter clothing is required for this journey.
• Weapons: spears and axes are typical, bows and broadswords less so.

Characters

• Udyr "Orc Thrower" Hjemta : Chosen because he is the mightiest warrior.

• Hjordis : Valgard's daughter, the princess, carrying Ulvtand.

• The Eldur : Chosen for his ways with fire; it is believed he will be able to relight Brannjern.

• Kjetl : An herbalist and healer.

What Happened

Departure

King Valgard assembles the entire village near the entrance to the thorn wall. Just outside it, Bishop Salvatore, three soldiers (Rolf, Mads, and Erik), and a part-elven ranger (Quillian), await on horseback.

The king gives a short speech to the intrepid party, reminding them of the gravity of their quest -- the salvation of the Nord via the reclamation of both the ancestral relics of Asgrim, and the Nord homeland in the high country.

The two younger Draxen brothers prove to be boisterous and unruly, and Mads in particular makes advances on Valgard's daughter Hjordis, leading to a series of confrontations with Udyr over the next few days. The Bishop is a charismatic storyteller, and regales the party with compelling parables.

The second night up the river, in increasingly unfamiliar territory, an injured doe rushes through the underbrush to within ten yards of the campsite, and collapses. Mads Draxen comments, "Well, that's convenient," and prepares to butcher the creature. As Kjetl and Udyr euthanize the doe, its hunters surround the camp: a band of eight orcs.

Mads Draxen shouts at them in Orcish, and they all raise their weapons and shout back. The other brothers draw their weapons and start planning tactics, but Udyr forcefully advises that the deer be simply handed over to the orcs.

Mads objects, hungry for a fight, but the Bishop agrees with Udyr, and the orcs slink back into the forest with their meal.

Another day of upriver travel through the pines, and another campsite, with the Bishop in his personal tent, and the rest of the party outside -- in the rain. The cold rain falls continuously throughout the night, turning the camp into slippery mud as Mads and Erik get blindingly drunk, again.

Just before dawn, the trolls attack. They first target the horses, but then several others move into the camp. The younger Draxens protect the Bishop, who has fallen into the mud in some sort of seizure. Quillian rains arrows down upon the trolls, and Udyr deals them mighty blows, but 10 seconds later, Udyr and Hjordis lie in the mud, rendered unconscious by their grievous wounds.

As the gray light of dawn arrives, the only sounds are that of trolls devouring the horses, bones, saddles, and all.