RIOTMINDS

SETTING COMPANION
CREDITS
Concept and Design
Theodore Bergqvist and Magnus Malmberg

Author
Theodore Bergqvist, Magnus Malmberg, Luca Cherstich
and Þorsteinn Mar Gunnlaugsson

5E conversion
Þorsteinn Mar Gunnlaugsson

Playtesters
Mattias Berglin, Dan Slottner, Magni Freyr Guðmundsson,
Jens Ívar Jóhönnuson Albertsson, Árni Sigurjónsson,
Alexandra Briem and Ólafur Garðar Rósinkarsson

Editing
John Marron

Art Concept and Direction

Theodore Bergqvist and Alvaro Tapia

Layout and Typesetting

Magnus Malmberg

Cover Art
Paul Bonner

Interior Art
Alvaro Tapia, Justin Gerard,
Peter Bergting and Niklas Brandt

Maps
Niklas Brandt

Additional Kudos
To Luca Cherstich for his
frenetic seeking and digging
and all our fans because #wearetrudvang.

Our style is to use “they” as a singular gender-neutral pronoun

when possible. This usage continues to gain ­mainstream
acceptance, including among major style guides such as
The Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of
Style. We believe it is appropriate and practical, not just to
reflect common usage but to accommodate a more inclusive
view of gender identity. The Trudvang Adventures books also
use “he” or “she” when helpful for added clarity.
 ✦ THE LEGENDS ✦
A special thanks to the ­Honourable Ones who helped us fund this project.

Abigail Palen - Ábrai Barnabás - Acar Altinsel - Adam James Hybbert - AJ Tweeddale - Alan Reid - Aleksandra
Cvetanovski - Alex Fosth - Alexander Bjursell - Alexander Ciganovich - Alexander Höptner - Alexander Neumann
- Alexander Stevenson - Alexander Tollin - Alexander Ulbricht - Alexander Urbanek - Alexander Welsz - Alonzo
Craig Leisholmn Jr - Anderson Wheatley - Andreas Almroth - Andreas Goransson - Andreas Karlsson - Andrew C
Bogue - Andrew Hurley - Andrew Munafo - Angelo Cione - Angus Campbell - anthony a markesino - Anthony Nathan
Adkins - Asher Sylvia - Beau Sampson - Benjamin Fabian - Benjamin Petticord - Benoit Vogt - Blake Johnson - Bogi
Brimir Árnason - Bradford Whitaker - Branden Zwiers - Brandon D Wilson - Brent Tillotson - Bret Smilyk - Brett
Burke - Brian Bettle - Brian Foster - Brian G. Blackstone - Brian Kasper - Brian Ravnsgaard Riis - Byron Gaither -
Carlos Delgado - Carmine Laudiero - Charles Ball - Chris Miller - Chris Pitts - Christer Holm - Christer Malmberg
- Christian Lindke - Christian P Counts - Christian Trondman - Christofer Levall - Christoph Kirchmair - Christopher
Gunning - Christopher Neal Brunt - Cianan Sims - Clint Doyle - Collin Gump - Cory Williamsen - Daniel Eriksson
- Daniel Fernández García - Daniel Golbig - Daniel Jennings - Daniel Leggett - Daniel McCarthy - Daniel Sullivan
- Darian Jones - David A Speakman - David Bilenduke - David C Futterrer - david goncalves - David Jones - David
Lee Chambers - David S. Robinson - David W. Kaufman II - Dawid Wojcieszynski - Dennis Desinise - Devon Troeger
- Dolan Ross Scherfel - Dominik Oshowski - Donald Bleeker - Donald J Kiesling - Dylan Carlson - Dylan Rosier
- Edgardo A Montes Rosa - Edward Covarrubias - Edwin Stahlnecker - Einar Áki Stefánsson - Enrique Maiquesz
RodrÍGUEZ - EPS Laufenburg - Eric Eikmeier - Eric Fowler - Eric Heupel - eric m davis - Erik Olof Möller - Erik
Sundqvist - Ethan Zimmerman - Evan Doty - Fabrice Gatille - Fanny Lindström - Federico Compostella - Frederick
Lukoff - Gareth Thomas - Gavin Quinlan - Gavin Rojo - Gene Konczyk - Geoffrey Goffin - George DeLaMater -
Gerardo Medina - Giacomo Petrucci - Giovanni Melandri - Glenn Fleetwood - Gordon Decker - Gregory Feeney
- Gregory Jennings, BAH 9749 - Guillaume Moureaux - Hampus Bohman - Hampus Hessman - Harold Dean Hunter
- Heiko Baier - Henrik Palm - Henrik Sebring - Hjalti Nönnuson - Ian Case - Ian L McNesby - Ivan Potocnik - J Young
- James A Cram - James Adnitt - James Harrison Brown - James R Hayes - Jamie Norrish - Jan Artoos - Jan Senten
- Janos Kolarovszki - Jantje Brück - Jason Campbell - Jason Kingsley - Jason miller - Jason Shinn - Javier Hernández
Calvín - Javier Murillo Sanchez - Jayme Caruso - Jeff Robinson - Jeff Trisoliere - Jeff Vierra - Jeffrey Williams - Jens
Balslev - Jens Renberg - Jeremy R Haupt - Jesse E Terrell - Jessica Guthrie - Jessie Collin - Jessie Collin - Joachim Stahl
- Joakim Staffas - Joe Wood - Joel Eriksson - John Hickman - John Mettraux - John Michael Sunden - John R Timpson
- John Samonsky - John Stamatelos II - John Stella - Jonas Lundgren - Jonas Wuolo - Jonathan Boorman - Jonathan
Mowers - Jonathan Osborne - Jonathan Rust - Jonathon Naugle - Jonny Halvorsen Ree - Jose Calvo Muñoz - Josef
Tham - Joseph Irwin - Joseph J Vrooman - Joseph Tedford - Joshua Duren - Jourik Suy - Julien Mondoloni - Juljanna
Ollek - Justin Scott Ritchey - Jörgen Björk - Jörgen Jönsson - Kai Hellmeier - Karlo Yeager Rodriguez - Katherine
Chesney - Kayley Hill - Keith Justus - Ken Wallace - Kenneth Donaldson - Kenneth Klint - Kenneth Smith - Kerry
Freid - Kevin Coleson - Kim Fasting - Kim Hedberg - Kris Alexander - Kristopher Feric - Krzysztof Lipka - Kurt
Schubach - Kylar Salazar - Kyle Tasker - Lance G Buttars - Lance Stewart - Lars Gawronsky - Laurent Rosset - Lee
Kum Chuan - Leonard Lee - Lilly Ibelo - Luke Sprenger - Maciej Piwoda - Marco Behrmann - Marisa Iborra Colomino
- Mark Cockerham - Mark Jurkuhn - Markus Pettersson - Markus Ruetters - Martijn Heitling - Martin Bengtsson -
Martin Chodorek - Martin Kaiser - Martin Lazar - Martin Legg - Marvin Küppers - Mary McMurtrey - Matt Brooks
- Matteo Lucchini - Matteo Saletti - Matthew Bennett - Matthew Espinoza - Matthias Weeks - Mattias Reinholds
- Merijn Smit - Michael Gionfriddo - Michael Shannon - Michael Zebrowski - Micheal Haydon - Mick Evertsson -
Mikael Roope Ilmari Metsä-Tokila - Mike Butts - Mike Calarco - Mike Frisinger - Monte Young - Morten Straarup
- Natalia Utter - Nathan Woodward - Neal Fischer - Nicholas Dahl - Nicholas Dragisic - Nicholas Richert - Nicholas
Svan Larsson - Nicolas Belley - Nicolas Ezeyza-Alvear - Niels Visser - Nikolaj Lerche - nikolaos sotiriadis - Noah
Mullette-Gillman - Ole Simon - Oliver Hertel - P Andrew Fones - Pascal Michael Daniel - Patrick Pilgrim - Patrick
Sutton - Patrik Nordwahl - Paul Atkin - Paul Diaz - Paul McQuerry - Peter Fox - Peter Scholtz - Peter Scholtz -
Phillip Bailey - Phillip Jordan Smith - Phillip Wheeler - Pontus Amberg - Poupardin Eric - Radek Adamek - Rafael
R Loureiro - Randall Dorn - Randall Marlon Holmes - Randy Smith - Rasmus Moisejeff - Richard Halpin - Richard
Hedin - Richard Young II - Rick Osborne - Rob O'Rourke - Robert Bickford - Robert Cox - Robert Elliott - Robert
Fugiel - Robert John Litchfield - Robert M Miller - Robert Mendal - Robin Langholm - Robin M Mayenfels - Rod
Holdsworth - Rory Scott - Roy Collum - Samuel D Colechio IV - Samuel Gagnon - Samuel Wetter - Sandro Cipiccia
- Sara Persson - Scott Baker - Scott Calderon - Scott Giesbrecht - Scott Jakubowski - Sean McAuley - Sean Mitchell
- Sean Timm - Sean Werner - Sebastian Kaye - Seth Harris - Seth Harris - Shawn Penrod - Simon Dalcher - Simon
Hunter - Simon Mawdsley - Spencer Koroll - Spink II - Spyridon Gkiouzepas - Stefan Jonsson - Stepan Bulatov
- Stephane Scavee - Sturmi Runte - Sune Allermann Pedersen - Svante Moren - Terry Lane - Terry Pike - terry
roberts - Thayne Thomas III - Therese Toms - Thomas DuLaney II - Thomas G Gately - Thorsten Dellbrügge - Tia
Twigg - Timothy Sallee - Tobias junevall - Tod Sistrunk - Tom Brown - Tom Dodson - tommaso gollini - Torbjörn
Blixt - Trent MIchels - Troy Harvey - Tyge Sjöstrand - Tyler Bohanan - Tyler DeMarcus - Tyrel Datwyler - Tzah
druker - Ulf Lilienthal - Uriel Shashua - Vebjorn Albinson - Viktoria Rossi - Walter Croft - Wayne Naylor - Wes Ware
- William Charleroy - Zach McGriff - Zachary Andrew Forsyth.

WeAreTrudvang
CONTENT
INTRODUCTION 7
The Role of the Game Master............ 7
The Trudvang Game Master......... 7
How to use this book......................... 7
Spinning Myths............................. 7
The Referee....................................8
Treasures and Monsters...............8
What makes Trudvang.......................8
Make it fun, make it memorable,
make it yours.................................8
Creating a campaign..........................9
Travel..............................................9
Exploration ..................................13
Discovery......................................13
Opposition.................................. 14
Friends and allies........................ 14
Going beyond the adventure.......15
Trudvang Adventures....................... 16
Structure...................................... 16
TRUDVANG 19
Wilderness and Tradition................. 19
The Worlds and the Mist................. 19
Myths of the Past............................. 19
Trudvang’s History...........................20
The Age of Dreams ......................... 21
The Age of the Iron Wurm .............. 23
The Age of the Queen ..................... 25
The Age of the Prophets..................26
The Age of Stars .............................. 32
The Return of Sorrow ...................... 39
THE LANDS AND PEOPLES OF TRUDVANG 41
The Languages of Trudvang............. 41 Soj..................................................... 56
Mittland............................................44 Toikalokke.................................... 59
The Eald Tradition....................... 45 Soj Islands................................... 59
The Mittlanders’ Territories........46 The Stormlands............................... 60
Muspelheim.....................................49 Gerbanis...................................... 61
Thuuldom.................................... 50 The Stormlanders’ Territories.....62
The Dwarves’ Realms...................51 Westmark.........................................64
Nhoordland.......................................53 The TenetS of Nid........................ 65
Haminges.................................... 54 Westmark’s Territories.................66
The Wildfolks’ Lands................... 54 Further Inspiration...........................69
ADVENTURING IN TRUDVANG 71
Environs of Trudvang........................71 Gifts and Rewards............................ 88
Terrain and Natural Hazards.......71 Gifts............................................. 88
Weather............................................79 Rewards....................................... 88
Weather Hazards ........................79 Vitner and Negations....................... 88
Traveling the Wilderness..................80 Duels............................................... 90
Raud................................................. 85 The Challenge............................. 90
Honor.......................................... 85 The Duel..................................... 90
Obligation.................................... 85 The Outcome.............................. 91
Fear and Madness............................86 Gambling.......................................... 91
Levels of Fear...............................86 Cheating...................................... 91
Madness......................................86
BETWEEN ADVENTURES 93
At the Market................................... 93 Training.............................................98
Selling Items................................ 93 Training an Animal...........................99
Buying an Item............................ 93 Tricks............................................99
Crafting.............................................94 Farming..........................................100
Crafting Items and Objects.........94 Types of Farms..........................100
Extracts and Potions...................94 Selling Goods............................100
Crafting Magical Items...............96 At Court..........................................100
Research........................................... 97 Gaining an Audience..................101
Simple Research.......................... 97 Joining a Court or Hird..............101
Complex Research.......................98 Resources...................................101
MAGICAL ITEMS 103
List of Magical Items .................... 103
MONSTERS AND ADVERSARIES 111
Beasts......................................... 111
Dragons...................................... 111
Fey............................................... 111
Giants......................................... 111
Humanoids................................ 111
Outsiders.................................... 111
Undead....................................... 111
Converting monsters.................. 111
Barrow Wight...................................114
Braskelwurm................................... 115
Dark Dweller....................................116
Draugr.............................................118
Forest Troll.......................................119
Galtir............................................... 120
Giant Snake.....................................121
Goblin............................................. 122
Gray Troll.........................................123
Happja............................................ 124
King Troll.........................................125
Lindwurm....................................... 126
Sálhele.............................................127
Young Hrim Troll............................ 128
Stonehinje...................................... 129
Warg Beast..................................... 130
5E RULES EXCERPT 143
Abilities............................................143
Advantage and Disadvantage.........143
Proficiency Bonus.......................... 144
Ability Checks................................. 144
Saving Throws................................ 150
Time................................................ 150
Movement...................................... 150
The Environment............................ 151
Resting.............................................152
Combat............................................ 153
Combat Step by Step...................... 153
Reactions.........................................154
Movement and Position.................154
Actions in Combat..........................156
OGL 175
Axeman............................................ 131
Berserker......................................... 131
Commoner...................................... 131
Dimwalker.......................................132
Dweller............................................132
Guard............................................... 133
Mythspinner.................................... 133
Noble............................................... 133
Ranger.............................................134
Rogue..............................................134
Thug................................................134
Vitner Weaver.................................. 135
Warrior............................................. 135
Bear................................................ 136
Deer................................................ 136
Dog.................................................. 137
Drauglynx........................................ 137
Eagle................................................138
Falcon/Hawk...................................138
Horse.............................................. 139
Ram................................................ 139
Snowboar....................................... 140
Wulterfish....................................... 140
Making an Attack............................157
Mounted Combat............................161
Underwater Combat....................... 162
Conditions...................................... 162
Spellcasting.................................... 169
What Is a Spell?.............................. 169
Cantrips.......................................... 170
Rituals............................................. 170
The Schools of Magic.................... 170
Casting a Spell................................ 170
Spell Saving Throws........................ 173
Spell Attack Rolls............................. 173
Combining Magical Effects............. 173
Magic Items.................................... 173
6
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Trudvang! This is a world of mighty
hrimtolls, dark and foreboding forests, and unforgiving
nature. Where myth spinners sing and recite poems
about the heroic deeds of long gone adventurers. This
is our world, for we are Trudvang!
Trudvang is a world of epic adventure, where heroes live
and die by the sword, where lindwurms and trolls prowl
the woods, where elves gaze at the stars in vain hope of
receiving a message from the long-lost gods, where dwarves
toil in great subterranean halls beneath soaring mountains,
and humans eke out a meager living in an unforgiving
environment. This is our world, this is your world.
The Setting Companion assumes that you know the
basics of how to play Trudvang Adventures and that you have
access to the Hero Companion, which contains everything
you need to create a player character for Trudvang. In this
book you will find information about Trudvang, the rich
history of the world and description of many of the most
important locations. It also includes information about
how to run a Trudvang game, descriptions of magical
items, monsters, villains and beasts.
The information found in this book is aimed at the
Game Master, as it expands the rules found in the Hero
Companion and presents them in greater depth.
THE ROLE OF THE GAME MASTER
The Game Master (GM) has a bit more complicated role to
fulfill in Trudvang Adventures than the players do. The GM
is the creative force of the game, it is their role to create
epic narratives, describe scenes and play out the non-
player characters that the player characters encounter
on their adventures. It is also the GM‘s role to introduce
and referee the rules of the game, organize and oversee
gaming sessions. In short, the GM gets to wear many hats,
but please don‘t feel intimidated by it, because it is just as
much fun as being a player.
If you are taking on the role of a GM for the first time,
please remember that as long as everyone at the table
(you included) is having fun, you have succeeded in your
first and most important task. Focus on the things you
most enjoy and get help from the players, for example if
you are still learning the rules of Trudvang Adventures
don‘t hestitate to ask some of your players to help you
out. The rules introduced in the 5E ruleset and in the
Trudvang Adventures are not set in stone, you are the
7
GM and you are in charge of the game. As long as you
focus on ensuring that every participant has fun and that
the narrative revolves around the player characters, their
actions and decisions, you can‘t go wrong.
THE TRUDVANG GAME MASTER
The most important task for the Trudvang Adventures GM
is to be the interface between the players and Trudvang.
Trudvang is a unique and spectacular setting, one that
differs greatly from many traditional fantasy settings.
Therefore it is essential to get the right Trudvang mood, to
make sure that the players get the feeling that they are a
part of a world much larger than they are, that the world is
just as much alive as they are.
Familiarize yourself with the content found herein and
in the Hero Companion. If you have the time, read through
Oathbreaker by Steven Saville, to get a good glimpse at in
what ways Trudvang differs from other fantasy settings. If
you want to dig even further, read Beowulf, the Kalevala
and the Icelandic sagas, that have all inspired the creators
Trudvang. By familiarizing yourself with the setting,
it becomes all the easier to deliver a great Trudvang
experience to your players.
It might seem a bit daunting at first, but being a Trudvang
GM is an immensely satisfying role. The setting is rich
with history and offers a great canvas for your next epic
adventure. The game is in your hands.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
This book is organised in several chapters, which can help
you create your own Trudvang adventures and campaigns.
In all, the book is divided into three main parts: in the
first part you will learn about Trudvang, the rich history
of the setting, the many cultures of the people who live
there and find information about many locations. In the
second part you will find information about how to run
Trudvang games and campaigns. In the final part you will
find information about magical items and monsters.
SPINNING MYTHS
One of the GM’s roles is to create scenes and encounters
that fit with the overarching narrative that they are telling.
It is the players’ role to play out their characters, act and
react in situations created by the GM, whether these are
life-threatening fights against trolls or a simple game of
chance in a shady tavern.
 To bring these scenes to life, to make them feel authentic
and true to Trudvang you will find information about the
setting, its people and their culture, and many locations
in the first part of this book. Trudvang’s history spans
thousands of years and much of it has survived through
poems, myth, and word of mouth, passed on from one
generation to the next.
The player characters stand a chance to become one of
those selected few that become immortal, living forever on
in the mythspinners’ songs, to become heroes and legends.
THE REFEREE
Another role that the GM must fulfill is being the referee.
In every session the GM must make many rulings to keep
the narrative going. Trudvang Adventures, just as any
other roleplaying game, is composed of rules combined
with many social and storytelling conventions. The GM
must always be ready to be the referee, whether the player
characters are crafting a capital Barda Axi or exploring a
desolate part of the Darkwoods.
Being an arbitrator is also more than just knowing the
rules and the narrative. The GM must also be willing to
take on behavioral issues and disputes among the players.
Every participant is there to have fun and it is important
to keep this in mind. However, one person’s sense of fun
can have a negative effect on another person’s enjoyment.
It is therefore important to have a common understanding
on what topics or themes are sensitive. In most cases, if
a player oversteps their boundaries, a friendly word in
private explaining the issue can sort things out.
In the second part of this book, you will find both rules
for running Trudvang adventures and modules. You will
find information about how to create your own adventures
and campaigns in Trudvang later in this chapter.
TREASURES AND MONSTERS
Essential to all roleplaying games are adversaries,
monsters and villains. The player characters are in most
cases heroic, eager to undo whatever wrong has been
passed unto them or someone they care about. Trolls,
Tursirs, Wurms and Giants roam the wilderness, not
to mention other dangerous beasts, villains, thugs and
bandits, all eager to either rob those who brave the open
roads or simply eat them.
And, of course, there’s treasure. Though magical items
are rare in Trudvang, there are many great craftsmen
who can fashion items of greater quality and there are
Thuuls that can create sacred items. The reason why
magical items are rare in Trudvang is the cost of creating
them. When crafting a magical item, the spellcaster must
8
sacrifice something special to them, for example a part of
themselves, to make the magic permanent.
In the final part of the book you will find information
about monsters, villains, beasts and magical items.
WHAT MAKES TRUDVANG
Trudvang is a place of magic, wilderness and ancient
traditions, where trolls and other monsters lurk in the
night. Trudvang is a place of mystery and adventure, yet
the world is getting old, sad and weary.
One of the things that makes Trudvang stand out is
the stark difference in adventuring sites. Whereas many
traditional fantasy games emphasize exploring bleak and
dusty dungeons, Trudvang puts dark and forlorn forests
at the fore. Weather and nature are just as dangerous as
king trolls and hrimtursirs. To put it short, the forest is
your dungeon.
Another thing worth noting, is the fact that Trudvang
is not inspired by the same sources as many traditional
fantasy games. It is inspired by Nordic myths, by epic
poems such as Beowulf and Kalevala, by the Icelandic
sagas, Celtic myths, and, last but not least, the art of John
Bauer. Many modern fantasy games are inspired by more
traditional sources, such a Roman, ancient Greek, and so
on.
For the third part, in Trudvang there are many different
cultures and religions, which do not always tolerate each
other. There is often a stark difference in culture from
one location to the next which can offer a multitude of
roleplaying opportunities. For example the Stormkelt’s
need for blood sacrifice might not be welcomed or well
seen in Westmark, where such practices are considered
barbaric. Portraying this difference is essential to
Trudvang.
Finally, magic, both vitner and the dimwalker prayers, is
special. It is shamanistic, ritualistic and dangerous. Even
a lowly cantrip might cause a negation, one that might
affect the spellcaster, their vicinity or even family in a bad
way. The gods of Trudvang are also quick to anger if their
gifts are abused, sometimes making an example of their
dimwalkers in the most horrible way.
MAKE IT FUN, MAKE IT MEMORABLE,
MAKE IT YOURS
Roleplaying games are supposed to be fun, both for you
and your players. Empower their characters and involve
the players, make sure that their player characters are in
the lead role of the narrative. Thus you ensure that your
players are invested in your game.
 Trudvang is filled with interesting non-player characters,
incredible and breathtaking locations, clashing cultures
and religions, and epic narratives. Whether you create
your own adventures or use one of the many published
modules, it is up to you to make the narratives and stories
memorable.
Remember to make Trudvang yours. There is ample
room for you to add your own creations, for your players
to experience a living, breathing setting, for your player
characters to become heroes that the myth spinners will
sing about all across Trudvang.
We are Trudvang.
CREATING A CAMPAIGN
Creating a campaign in Trudvang is fun. Trudvang is a
unique fantasy setting, where blot kings, stave churches,
shamans of nature and other creatures and things unique
to Trudvang play a pivotal role in our narratives. Emphasize
role-play and storytelling and weigh the narrative towards
the player characters playing a part of something bigger
than themselves, something that they are invested in,
rather than chasing experience points or treasures in
massive underground dungeons.
A campaign in Trudvang can consist of many short
adventures, be an overarching and long narrative, spanning
years or somewhere in between. What form you choose
for your Trudvang narrative is up to you. The following are
ideas and pointers on how to make your campaign bring
forth what makes Trudvang unique.
TRAVEL
“It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.”
This quote is especially true when it comes to Trudvang
narratives. Traveling from one place to the next,
facing nature and finding the right path through dark
and forlorn forests, making camp, and getting a good
night’s rest is important in Trudvang. It is not always
easy finding the right path and making sure that you
don’t run out of food, water and arrows. Having to fight
your way through a score of forest trolls, after three
sleepless nights and exhausted after a long march, is
not a situation even the most experienced adventurers
wish to be in.
Nature in Trudvang can be both breathtakingly
beautiful and deadly, even at the same time. Dark
forests, white-water rivers, soaring snow-capped
mountains, roaring geysers, and clear night skies where
9
haunting auroras dance are but a few of the sights
which might meet the adventurers on their way. They
might experience a natural hazard; an avalanche might
hit them, or they might become stuck in a troll-bog. Not
to mention the many beasts, monsters, and villains that
the adventurers might encounter.
Travel also allows the player characters to encounter
different cultures and get to know other parts of Trudvang.
A Virann, that has been raised knowing that the people
in Stormlands are barbaric and uncivilized, practising
human sacrifices and so, might experience a culture
shock when their travels bring them into contact with
Stormlanders, and vice versa. A Mittlander living in fear
of trolls all their lives, might be full of prejudice when they
encounter a small camp of renegade half-trolls enroute to
Fengsale from Ildebaad.
It is your role, as a game master, to bring to life the
wilderness, the nature, the cultures, and the environment
of Trudvang, both for you and your players. It is fun and it
enhances the experience of you and your players, it helps
them seeing in their mind’s eye what their characters are
experiencing.
Approaches to travel
There are many ways to include travel in your campaign
and make it interesting. One of the first things to take note
of, is the length of the travel. If the player characters are
trekking for a few days, from one village to the next, you
might approach such a journey differently than a travel
across all Mittlands.
It is also a good idea to have a good understanding of the
players' expectations for the game. The downside of travel
in roleplaying games is, that it favours some characters
above others, not to mention that it can slow down the
narrative.
Keeping pace and using description to point out things
of interest is therefore paramount. Allow the player
characters to investigate and explore different places, if
they wish, or move fast if they like. By giving the player
characters a chance to explore and experience the
nature and wilderness, it is easier to make it come alive
and become more than something that they quickly
pass by.
However, the wilderness in Trudvang is a dangerous
place and there is an ever-present threat hanging in
the air, almost like invisible hammer ready to fall on
them. There might be forest trolls hiding behind the
next rock outcropping, a drauglynx might be stalking
them, or the adventurers might be ambushed by a
group of thugs.
10
11
The montage approach
Sometimes a group either needs to travel a long distance
or you might want to move fast-forward to get the narrative
moving. Many game masters use the montage approach,
they get the characters to the destination without any
encounters, neither planned nor random.
This approach is simple, you describe the journey as you
like, telling the players what their characters see, feel and
experience along the way. It is a good idea to point out
places and things of interest, especially something that
might interest the player characters. The landscape and
the surrounding area might set the tone for the following
narrative.
This approach is used at the start of the Wurmtongue
module. The narrative starts with the game master reading
the following text:
You have journeyed across the open plains for at least a
week. The beautiful rolling hills are covered in flowers
in dazzling colours. The sun is high in the sky and not a
single cloud has been seen for days. The summer is at its
peak, and there is nothing to complain about, other than
that your stomachs hunger for a well-cooked meal, and
your bodies crave a proper bed. You have been following
a trail that is only marked by intermittently spaced
wooden poles driven into the ground, or by cairns,
indicating directions to places in the surrounding area.
Not far from where you stand is a large and impressive
cairn, made from special Mittlandian limestone. Next
to the rocks there is a thick pole, on top of which
someone has attached a heavy, braided rope that sways
in the wind A simple sign indicates that this is where
the lands belonging to the town of Heorhall begin, and
that the settlement is not far off.
The player characters have been travelling and start
in media res, or the narrative assumes that the player
characters have been travelling and are at the end of their
trek and description sets the scene for the events that later
unfold in the module.
It is also a good idea to call attention to the weather. The
weather in Trudvang, especially in the northern regions,
is unpredictable and in a matter of moments a raging
blizzard might engulf the player characters, which might
slow them down considerably. “You spend the next ten days
crossing the Great Iron Tooth,” sounds far less harrowing
and dangerous than, “You spend the next ten days digging
your way through knee-deep snow, while crossing the pass
in the Great Iron Tooth. The first three days you spent
waiting in a small cave, as a terrible blizzard raged from
12
the north. When the weather finally seized, you found the
pass covered in snow and as you see your destination, you
feel exhausted and drained.”
Remember, that even if you use the montage approach,
that the travel should drain the characters and take a
toll on their resources. The player characters need to
find places to sleep, eat rations, and drink water along
the way. Even though they might find creeks where they
can fill their waterskins, stopping to hunt for food or to
forage, slows the party down. Even the simple fact, that
sleeping outside on the ground takes a toll should be
enough to encourage most player characters to push on
when they have their destination in sight.
The crawl approach
Sometimes the travel or the trek itself becomes the focus
of the narrative. Then you need to put more focus on each
day, even each hour, of travelling, creating encounters
and descriptions that fit each location, to make the
dangers of journeying in the Trudvang wilderness come
alive. You might want to take note of down the party’s
marching order and their provisions, how they plan to
stand guard at nights or during rests, and the roles of
each party member (who is on the look-out, who scouts
ahead and so on).
Using this approach, the journey becomes a centre of
the narrative, where each location and encounter matters.
It is more complex than the montage approach, since
you need to be prepared and plan ahead, draw maps and
create encounters.
This approach is the focus of the module The Great
Shadow. In the module the party needs to track a group of
Joaring tribesmen that have abducted three children from
the village River’s End. The module contains pre-scripted
encounters, some of them are tied to the narrative whilst
other help make the setting come alive.
Wilderness journeys typically include a combination
of planned encounters and random encounters. Planned
encounters are what you have decided and prepared
before the session, are part of the narrative and further it.
Often you prepare maps, for example showing where the
encounters takes place, and handouts with information
that the player characters need or might find. A random
encounter does not need as much preparation, since often
you only need to roll on a table to see if and what kind of
encounter occurs. Many published modules for Trudvang
come with such premade tables.
Wilderness journeys, such as the one that takes place
in The Great Shadow, might take two or more sessions to
complete. However, it is a good rule of thumb, that if a travel
or a journey includes long periods with no encounters, you
should use the montage approach. Sometimes, it might be
appropriate to use an approach that is a little bit of both,
you might want to use the montage approach to cover a bit
of the journey while using the crawl approach describing
other parts of the journey.
EXPLORATION
“If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose!”
Exploration is an important part of roleplaying games,
whether the player characters are exploring and
investigating long forgotten tombs of ancient dwarven
kings, a dark and forbidden forest, or the surroundings
of a small village in Stormlands. This allows the player
characters to learn more about the situations they are in
and give them agency to further the narrative.
In exploration, the player characters have usually some
reasons tied to the narrative and free reigns to investigate,
inspect and learn more about both the setting and the
narrative, as they visit places or locations that they have
not visited or explored before. The party moves from
one location to the next, picking up clues and gaining
information that help them understand the why’s, who’s
and how’s of the narrative. Sometimes this means that the
party is moving from one room to the next in a dungeon
while at other times the party might be exploring different
locations within a bustling city. In effect, the exploration
abides the same principles, the party moves from one
location to the next, in search of information that might
help them on their mission.
As you read through both The Great Shadow and
Wurmtongue this becomes evident. In The Great Shadow
the party needs to follow the trail left by the Joaring tribe,
exploring both River’s End and the surrounding area,
while in Wurmtongue the party must explore Heorhall and
the surroundings of Skjutvattna lake to figure out what
has happened to Fangshake.
Exploration allows the player characters to take reign
and lead the narrative. It is the game master’s role to
describe and react to the choices the player characters
make.
Exploration is a cornerstone in Trudvang adventures
and campaigns. Trudvang is a place of mystery and
adventure, yet the world is getting old, sad, and weary.
Through exploration the player characters might come
to understand this, feel it in their very bones, and yet feel
awed and excited by it. There are ruins of bygone ages,
lairs of troll kings and lindwurms, miles of uncharted
13
woodlands and unexplored glaciers, waiting to be explored
in Trudvang.
Exploration can be, at times, a bit overwhelming for
game masters, especially when the player characters are
exploring a vast area with little information to begin with.
The area might be in the form of a large unmapped forest
or a labyrinthine dwarven complex. The players might
even be just as perplexed as the game master, where to
start or where to go.
In such cases, it can be a good idea to create a trail
of breadcrumbs for the player characters to follow. The
breadcrumbs might be in the form of clues, such is the
case in The Great Shadow, or in the form of skill checks
that allow the player characters to find information, that
helps them find their way and keep on moving from one
location to the next.
In other cases, when the player characters are well
within a defined area, it is easier to give them free reigns
to explore locations and places as they like, in whatever
order they choose. This hold especially true when the
party is within set boundaries, for an example while
staying in a village. The players might even have a map
to refer to and can easily decide what location to visit. At
each location they might find information that helps them
move the narrative forward.
Of course, there are more approaches to exploration.
However, it is important to remember that the player
characters are in the lead and should make all decisions
regarding how, where and what to explore. When you
remove that agency from them, you take the risk of the
players feeling railroaded.
DISCOVERY
In a world as old as Trudvang, there is so much lore, so
much knowledge and so much information, that is lost
and hidden deep beneath the sands of time. There are
creatures, monsters, sagas, epic poems, magical items
and even formulas to create magical items, that await
being discovered by curious adventurers, willing to dig
deep enough and go the extra mile to glean what has been
hidden under dust, earth or within lairs and dungeons.
Discoveries help you establish Trudvang as an old, weary
setting with rich history. Your player characters might find
a shield inlaid with old futhark runes telling them where
to find the final resting place of a dwarven hero. Or they
might discover a scroll in a Gavlian monastery holding a
poem written in ancient Rona with information about the
true lineage of a Mittlander hero. Whatever discoveries
your player characters make, they make your game more
interesting and exciting.
 All discoveries must have two things in common. First,
the player characters must explore and go through great
lengths to make a discovery. A discovery is not common
knowledge, it is rare and hard to come by, and even
something that no one else knows. If the player characters
easily access the discovery it isn’t as valuable to them and
therefore has less meaning. Many discoveries must be
hard fought for, especially those that confer a great power
or treasure to the player characters.
Second, the discovery must change the perspective of
the player characters, or they must gain an understanding
that changes the way they experience the narrative. The
player characters have new information, have gained an
insight that no one else has and can therefore make more
enlightened decisions.
In Wurmtongue, once the player characters discover
the fate of Fangshake, it changes their perspective of
what has been transpiring around Heorhall. In The Great
Shadow, once the player characters find the Joaring tribe
and discover what has happened there, it changes the way
they experience the narrative.
It is a good rule of thumb to refrain from overusing
discoveries. If the player characters are always making
ground-breaking discoveries, two or three in every session,
they start to lose their meaning. One or two discoveries,
that change the course of the narrative, per adventure is a
good rule of thumb. Of course, in a longer campaign you
need more, but it can also be good stay true to this and
not have too many or too frequent discoveries, since it can
affect how your players experience the narrative. Adversaries, villains, and monsters make great
OPPOSITION
At the heart of every Trudvang narrative is the opposition,
or the player characters’ adversaries. Sometimes the
adversaries are corrupt dimwalkers, eager to have
everyone join their religion. At other times, the adversaries
are monsters and at other times the main antagonist is
as elusive and insubstantial as an ancient, brooding
forest. However, it is one thing to have adversaries and
opposition, the player characters must understand and
experience why they must act and take actions against
the opposition. In a game of no alignments, you no longer
have easy escapes or simple excuses, such as the need for
eradicating the opposition just because it is evil.
Before every Trudvang narrative starts you have balance,
a status quo, where people go about their everyday
business and there is no apparent need for heroes. This is
evident in both The Great Shadow and Wurmtongue. The
society in River’s End is getting though winter, as usual,
while the people in Heorhall go about their business. Then
14
something upsets this balance, breaks the status quo.
There are kidnappings in River’s End. A new power, in the
form of the Gavlian Intrund enters the stage in Heorhall
and Fangshake, the lindwurm, seemingly starts to attack
local farms.
This disrupts the balance and now there is a need for
heroes. The player characters are informed of how the
balance has been disrupted and must figure out who and
why. These oppositions, balance versus chaos, light versus
dark, is at the heart of every fantasy narrative.
It is the heroes’ role to restore the balance, to bring
back status quo, just as it is the opposition’s role to bring
disorder. These two forces are always at an opposition, the
player characters as agents of order or balance and the
adversaries as agents of chaos or disorder. This opposition
is the force that drives or moves narratives in Trudvang
forward.
Each side has its own reasons, and sometimes the
reasons are understandable, forcing the player characters
to reconsider their approach. Perhaps what is status quo
for one side is disorder for the other (and vice versa) and it
might take a while to unwind or unravel every part of such
a puzzle. Perhaps the reason for repeated forest trolls’
attacks on the player characters’ village is that the forest
trolls’ status quo is upset by the arrival of a lindwurm in
the forest, which is demanding sacrifices from the trolls.
Perhaps the strange disease afflicting the villagers is a
part of a negation caused by a local vitner weaver, who is
trying to help the farmers with their crop.
opposition, but there is more to Trudvang. Nature itself
can be an adversary as well, as is the case in Wildheart,
where the forest itself is the main antagonist. Remember
that everything happens for a reason and the opposition
has just as good reasons (in their own mind) as the player
characters for becoming agents of balance or order.
FRIENDS AND ALLIES
As much as adversaries and enemies are important to
create suspense and threat, friends and allies are even
more important. Embarking on a great journey, exploring
many different locations, and fighting against stinking grey
trolls makes more sense when there are friends and allies
back home that celebrate you and cheer you on, who make
it worth risking your life.
Some player characters might be a part of a chieftain’s
hird, while others might have a family, even children that
look up to them. Yet another is betrothed while one player
character is friends with the local innkeeper. By ensuring
that the player characters have ties and connection to the
people that they are trying to help, they are not only more
invested in the narrative, but it also shows that they are
making a difference.
Non-player characters help you build the setting, by
portraying the people and their culture, and a memorable
character can make repeated appearances, helping you
build consistency within the narrative. In Wurmtongue the
player characters get to know the people of Heorhall, first
through the Maglanon, then later as they start investigating
and helping the villagers with the problematic lindwurm.
The people of the village are grateful for the player
characters for helping them and characters like the laird
Skyld or Eowalt, the innkeeper, are not likely to forget the
player characters anytime soon, if they manage to solve
the problem poised by the narrative (and just as well if they
fail or run away from the problem).
To help the players remember and familiarize themselves
with each friend or ally, it is good to try and give everyone
a distinct and unique feature. It is one thing to interact
with a Stormlander chieftain called Ulfgar, another thing
to deal with Ulfgar, a balding chieftain, with a deep scar
beneath his left eye, that speaks with inbred authority of
one who was born to lead others in battle. Even simple
things, as using different letters of the alphabet as starting
initials for every non-player character's name can help
players better remember them.
In the Great Shadow there are a few non-player
characters that the player characters can easily befriend.
Each has one distinct feature, Ivar the Stormkelt is one
handed, Thorri the Dwarf always mumbles to himself
and Vindmey smiles a lot. Simple things can make
the characters come alive and become more than just
names.
Finally, by having these friends and allies acknowledge
and celebrate the player characters’ deeds and heroics,
cheer them on and compliment them, you help the player
feel a sense of accomplishment, when they succeed on
their missions. This is important, as it helps the player feel
that their player characters are a part of something much
bigger than themselves. Not to mention, it helps them feel
as their player characters, the heroes, do.
GOING BEYOND THE ADVENTURE
Trudvang is a living and breathing world, where the player
characters have the chance to gain fame and become
true heroes, have their praise sung in taverns and inns,
and their names forever remember by their people. They
might take on mighty wurms, battle jotuns or king trolls
deep in Darkwoods or discover long forgotten tombs of
dwarven kings. They might need to interact with kings
15
and queens, deal with swindling Storm-Hansa or wrestle
half-trolls in taverns. Or, they might have to solve riddles,
consult maps, interpret ancient Futhark runes, or even
partake in wars that will shape the future of Trudvang. A
Trudvang adventure might force the player characters to
travel far away from home, even further than they have
ever travelled before.
But where is home? Why does it matter?
Player characters in Trudvang are just as much a part
of Trudvang and the cultures that shape it, as the cultures
and Trudvang are part of them. The player characters
might have a family, a farm or business, to attend to, some
profession they have and something to do while not out
adventuring. There are but few people who do not have
a place that they call home, a place to go to when the
adventure is over.
A hero is defined by more than the heroics they perform.
A hero is a part of a culture, a society and, often, a family
as well. This fact makes the heroics seem even more great,
since they are not performed for fame, glory, or treasure,
but for something or someone else. Something that the
hero holds dear to their heart.
By going beyond the adventure and giving your players a
chance to become invested in the society that their player
characters belong to, you empower them and help them
find motivation for the actions of their player characters.
In a game where treasure is scarce, where commerce is
mostly through barter and trade in products (and not coins
or valuable gemstones), this is important. There are very
few places in Trudvang where heroes might find loads of
treasure and valuable items, and for most parts, these
places are either jealously guarded by powerful beings
like lindwurms or hidden deep within castles and keeps of
kings and queens.
However, when the player characters have had the
chance to interact, partake in other non-adventure related
social activities and are invested in the society and have
their honour to look after, they might find it easier to find
motivation for risking their lives fighting monsters and
other adversaries. A player character that has a business,
a family or even some political or social responsibilities,
might be more willing to defend their village from a
Wildfolk attack, than someone who just happens to be
passing by.
Take time to explore the possibilities of Trudvang, give
the players and player characters a chance to become
invested in the setting and your narrative. Allow them to
build relationships and become a part of whatever society
they wish to belong to and use this to further your narrative
and make each adventure stand out.
Downtime Activities
Being a part of a living, breathing world, the player
characters have something to do between adventures. By
giving the players a chance to explore and get to know
Trudvang in the downtime, they become more invested
in the narrative, the setting and the story become two
integral parts of a larger picture.
In the chapter Between Adventures, you can find
many ideas for things that the player characters might
do in between adventures. It is your role, as a Game
Master, to build a narrative that takes these activities into
consideration and adds them to the narrative, so that every
player character has something at stake and sees the need
for risking their life, next time a threat arises and there is
a need for heroes.
However, there should be more to the downtime activities
than just revisiting your hometown, paying attention to
your business, or researching a formula for a magical
item. By building a narrative, by making the downtime
activities an integral part of the narrative, you make the
setting come even more alive. A vitner weaver returning
home might find their hometown’s crop withered and
ruined, only to discover that their very own use of vitner
has caused this (this being the effect of a vitner negation),
a dweller might find their shop dusty and the tools in
disarray, a Stormkelt might find their blotpole fallen and
the stave church in dire need of repair, a warrior returning
home after years of being away might be celebrated as a
hero upon their return.
There is more to the narrative of every player character
and use the time in between adventures to help the
player characters build theirs. Though these intermission
narratives are short, they help the players to flesh out
and develop their character, invest in them, and truly
experience Trudvang as a setting.
TRUDVANG ADVENTURES
All adventures are stories, and, in these stories, you set up a
problem that the player characters need to solve. As a game
master you run the show, you call the shots when designing
an adventure and decide how the narrative unfolds.
Trudvang is a unique fantasy setting, heavily inspired by
Nordic myth, the Icelandic sagas, Kalevala and Beowulf.
Many Trudvang adventures are inspired by this literature,
in one way or another. Whether you look for something
fantastical, family feuds, cultural differences, or other
themes, these are a great place to start. Many monsters in
Trudvang are inspired by these stories and epic poems, as
are the cultures and people of Trudvang.
16
A great Trudvang adventure is where all your players
feel invested and emerged in the setting, liking their player
characters and eager to play again. Familiarize yourself
with the setting, tell a story you would love to hear yourself,
and enjoy being the storyteller of.
Before running a Trudvang adventure, whether you
create one yourself or run a published one, there are a
few things that can be good to keep in mind. Trudvang
stories and adventures have a few things in common, and
knowing this, can help you deliver an even better Trudvang
experience.
STRUCTURE
Published Trudvang adventures are often divided into
three different acts, both formally and figuratively
speaking. The acts each have a specific role in
the narrative structure, the first one serves as the
introduction, the second act is where the player
characters unfold the narrative, and the last act contains
the confrontation against the opposition.
Trudvang adventures and modules have more in
common. They contain a credible threat, one that is
firmly rooted in myths and history of Trudvang, where
the opposition has goals that the player characters can
uncover and battle, if they so wish.
The player characters are also central to the narrative,
this is their story, and their actions count. The people of
Trudvang acknowledge the player characters as heroes
and it is their role to restore the status quo or the balance.
Also, it is important to remember to pose different
types of problems, or problems that emphasise different
solutions, where each player characters have a chance to
shine and stand in the limelight. A rogue might find use for
their skills within a dungeon, a warrior takes the centre
stage during combat, a mythspinner has a chance to shine
while translating an old poem and so on.
Finally, it is good to keep in mind to incorporate different
campaign elements within a narrative. Make sure you have
your player characters travel from one place to another, give
them a chance to explore a location and make discoveries,
create an opposition that is believable and easy to stand
against, and, last but not least, ensure that the player
characters make friends and allies along the way, and have
other things to attend to between adventures.
Act 1
In the first act the player characters get drawn into
the narrative, through a hook which contains enough
information to pique their interest. It is also important
that the hook provides enough information about how the
opposition has disrupted the balance or the status quo for
the player characters, since it can help them find a good
reason for acting upon the information received.
It is important to kick-off an adventure, and the first act
often opens with scenes that are exciting and fun. These
first scenes can be followed by more introduction, with the
player characters receiving more information on how the
balance has been disrupted. The player characters might
seek information from different sources, or even receive
information unasked for, such as via dreams or visions.
The first act usually ends when the player characters
have received enough information about how the
opposition has disrupted the balance to make decision
on how and where to pursue their goals in thwarting the
opposition’s plans and restoring the balance.
Act 2
In the second act the player characters start to investigate
and explore different locations, to discover who is behind
disrupting the balance. This might entail long journeys,
exploring massive, ruined complexes or dark forests,
digging through dusty tomes, or following leads and clues
to piece the puzzle together.
Tension gradually builds, as the player characters get
closer to discovering who the main antagonist is, just
as they unravel more how and why the villainous forces
have disrupted the balance. Here, the player characters
17
make discoveries that change their perspective and
understanding of what is going on around them.
At the same time, the adversaries are trying to execute
their plans and it becomes ever more apparent how fragile
the balance is. The opposition uses different methods to
enact their plans, resorting to all sorts of skullduggery,
threats, misleads and even trying to kill the player
characters outright.
Act 3
In the final act, the tension reaches its peak – where the
player characters finally confront the opposition and try
to defeat it. A strong climax has the players sitting on the
edge of their seat, the fate of not only the player characters
hangs in the balance but also the fate of other people, the
player character’s families, friends and allies. Should they
fail the balance cannot be restored. The outcome can only
be decided through multiple rolls of dice, which is why
many roleplaying narratives end in great battles and is
not one that has been prescripted. If the player characters
succeed, mythspinners should be singing the player
characters’ praise for a long time and their heroic actions
acknowledged by many people.
Often there are threads of the narrative left hanging,
which allow you to build on, to create more Trudvang
adventures. Such threads help you link from one adventure
to the next and build an even longer narrative.
18
TRUDVANG
Trudvang, a world of sagas, legends, and myths. A place
where nature rules over all with greater power than
Men, Elves, Dwarves, and Trollfolk combined. A world
of magnificent mountains, roaring rapids, and deep,
enchanted forests.
WILDERNESS AND TRADITION
Trudvang is a land of extreme wilderness and ancient
tradition. Trolls lurk behind moss-covered rocks and
pierce the cover of night with their yellow eyes in search
of unwary travelers on the muddy Darkwood roads.
Great horsemasters with swords and shields thunder
across the plains of Mittland upon their mighty steeds,
in search of conquests that will allow them to take their
place among the heroic kings of old. To the east, in the
Stormlands, a hard and grizzled folk sheds blood in the
name of the gods of storm and chaos. Bound by ancient
customs, they seek to honor their forebears and clan in
defying the untamed wilderness that they call home. To
the west, the Viranns sit in lofty towers of stone, seeking
ancient knowledge that mankind thought lost forever,
while in the south the Elves seek to understand why their
gods once left them in their time of greatest need. Under
mountain, rock, and stone, the sons of soot hammer
away at their anvils by the roaring logi furnaces in the
underbelly of the world. And to the farthest north, there
is only the Great Ice Plain, a place so cold and dark that it
is said that none can remain alive there longer than they
can remain awake.
As a campaign setting, the world of Trudvang is imbued
with great mystery and adventure, but also sadness and
weariness to a certain extent. In contrast to many other
fantasy worlds, Trudvang is highly influenced and colored
by Norse and Celtic mythology and history in all forms.
In creating the world, great inspiration has been drawn
from many places, but none are more apparent than the
art of John Bauer, the Finnish national epic Kalevala, and
the story of Beowulf.
THE WORLDS AND THE MIST
Trudvang is and ancient and wide world, but it is not the
only existing one. When the mists fill the land, the barriers
between realms are weaker, and lost wanderers may
perceive glimpses of what is beyond or even, unexpectedly,
19
cross the borders. The Elves speak about “Sarvisa” or
“The Other Side”, the place where one goes after death.
However, the fog usually leads the incautious travelers
to a far more dangerous world, which ancient scholars call
“Misthall” or, as it is more commonly known, “Dimhall”,
the place between life and death, where demons and
undead dwell.
Dimhall and Sarvisa are not simple realms, they both
consist of hundreds, maybe thousands, of different places
and smaller kingdoms, each reflecting some human
mythology or religious variant, with its own nature, good
or bad, but always mysterious to mortals. Some parts of
Dimhall are Himhall and Othwa, where the fallen in battle
go according to the ancient Mittlander myth, and also
Stormvakk, also called Jarnglimma, the blessed hall of the
mighty god Stormi. Darker parts are Helgardh, the dark
kingdom of death for the Stormlanders, and Bloodheim,
sometimes called Blotheim, where demons are said to
dwell according to the Gavlians.
Beyond Trudvang, Sarvisa, and Dimhall some wisemen
claim that a fourth major realm exists – Raudins – the
World of Dawn, the World of Destiny. They say that the
ones who have not yet been born but have already received
a fate, exist there, in Raudins.
MYTHS OF THE PAST
Trudvang’s history is not just a series of events, but it is
rather the product of sagas told by old men around the
fire, of sermons delivered by priests and of poems sung
by inspired skalds in the halls of kings. Opinions, legends,
lies, and myths, all combine to make history, and only the
gods know how everything truly was at the beginning,
when Trudvang was a young world. There is not just one
cosmogony in Trudvang, but there are as many cosmogonic
myths as there are cultures and religions. However, all
those narratives seem to have some recurring details,
which may underline a common foundation on the same
facts. But who is going to record and tell all those facts?
The Wildfolk’s perception of the past relies primarily
on the blurred reality of orally transmitted myths, and the
same is true for most Stormlanders, who have no interest
in exact chronologies, while their sagas about earlier
times clearly intermix different events and ages. Dwarves
never cared about anything beyond their mines and the
Mountain’s roots, while nobody dares ask the Bastjurs,
Trolls, and Giants about what they know.
 Elves are the only ones who have a faint idea of how it was
in the beginning, since their recorded history spans through
the millennia, but their perspective is an alien one, as they
see things through the lens of the passing seasons and
natural cycles, rather than in terms of years and the meager
events of human lives. Elves nowadays do not like sharing
their wisdom, but there was a time when human ears were
allowed to listen, especially among the Thronelanders of old,
whose kings had elven brides. Their scholars were the first
Humans to use the Elven method of dividing history into
Great Ages, but adapting it into year-by-year chronologies
written in big tomes, mostly lost to today’s scholars.
Scraps of that ancient knowledge were inherited
by learned Mittlanders, especially in Majnjord, where
chronicles were compiled and updated with new events,
recognizing New Eras as they arose. They also struggled
to coordinate the old wisdom with the ancient oral tales of
heroes and kings, as sung by the skwilde, whose sagas are
still preferred today by most Mittlanders, over the stories
written in dusty books. On the other hand, more accurate
scholarly attempts at understanding history were done
in the monasteries of Westmark, although the Viranns’
perspective is nowadays based on a clear-cut difference
about the “Dark Ages” before Siro Werte, and the “Light
of Gave” which came afterwards.
Given the complexity described above, one single,
true and objective narration of the whole history of
Trudvang is impossible to write. What follows is just a
compromise, displaying a sequence of some of the main
facts which happened in the past of this world. The list
is not comprehensive, and most events are unknown to
most people, or told and re-told through sagas and poems
which may have distorted the original reality of the facts.
For many events, no year is shown, but only the generic
chronological position during the ages: this is done since
nobody but the oldest Elves know everything, and they
often are not willing to tell, or did not care about what
humans were doing elsewhere.

TRUDVANG’S HISTORY
Cosmogony: When Trudvang was a young world…

This is an ancient world, far older than its inhabitants, and all
cultures have their own myth about how everything started.
Stormlanders speak of the “Vonjor”, when the efforts of
Stormi and of his mother Windinna against Storm and
Chaos allowed the birth of Trudvang. On the other hand,
the Eald Tradition stresses the role of Whote, whose spear
became the mighty tree Yggdhraasil and who is reputed to

20
be the Father of Mankind. Dwarves laugh at such stories,
since they know that, like themselves, those despicable
Humans were born from sparks from the mighty anvil
of Borjorn, while the Mountain is much older than what
others believe. But all of this is just childish idiocy for the
initiates to the Tenets of Nid, who are aware that only Gave,
the One, created everything, since he was the only One who
could divide light from darkness, existence from un-being.
All these different cosmogonies are told and believed by
the people of Trudvang today, however, sometimes old songs
or badly weathered inscriptions in ruined cities seem to
reveal scraps of other, different stories, which were told and
forgotten a long time ago. Nobody knows or believes those
old tales nowadays. However, it may happen that crazy seers
have visions about the “Misturelves”, which are sometimes
also called “Serguronts” in old scrolls. These Creatures of
the Mist supposedly created the world, where the Giants
were later born from ice, stone, earth, and sea, while from
the stars in the sky the Misturelves created the Vanirs, the
ancient gods of the Elves. Whether this is truth or just the
ramblings of madmen is difficult to ascertain, but sometimes
foolishness may hide some fragment of forgotten truth.
THE AGE OF DREAMS
(Infinite amount of years ago)
This era encompasses most of the history of Trudvang,
as it lasted for an unknown number of eons, long before
the first Man ever walked the world. There are countless
events whose protagonists were Creatures of the Mist,
Gods, Dragons, Giants, and Demons, wandering Trudvang
even before the rise of Elves and Dwarves. Their actions
had important consequences for today’s Trudvang, and
sometimes the few and mysterious signs of their past
presence can be seen in ruins so ancient that they seem
like natural features, mistaken for mountains and hills.
Humans know nothing of this mythic time, and even the
sequence of the few recorded events is unclear.
✦ The Tree: The mighty oak, Yggdhraasil, appeared in the
mists betwee the worlds. According to some of the earliest
legends sung by bards in Trudvang, the appearance of the
tree led to the gods leaving the world, while others say that
everything which exists is a fruit of that tree. According to
the Ealdfolk mythology, the tree spread from the Spear of
Whote, the Mittlander and Thronelander god, who was
perhaps also a Vanir according to some Elven-influenced
scholars. On the other hand, some later Gavlians say that
Yggdhraasil was nothing but the same Black Oak on which
21
Gave was nailed by demons and from where salvation and
knowledge spread. This may even be a later appropriation
of an ancient symbol, or even pure heresy for other, more
orthodox Gavlians. Whatever the truth (which is nowadays
impossible to ascertain, hidden as it is among myths and
legends), the Tree and its cult are fundamental in Trudvang,
whatever form the “Tree Myth” takes.
✦ The Arrival: The Elves, led by Wellithelli (Vainemojna),
arrived in Trudvang from the starry sky. They were not alone,
as their gods, the 900 Vanirs, were with them. The world
was already ancient at the time, but much of what Trudvang
is today was shaped by those travelers. Elves spread all over
Trudvang and spent the following 1000 years building 900
spiral cities in the crowns of Trudvang’s mightiest trees: a
city to honor each god. The Elves were happy to live with
their creators, as they were also immortal, like the Vanirs
themselves, and they did not know suffering or sadness.
✦ The Awakening: Down below, in the roots of earth, the
Dwarves awoke from darkness, stone, and fire, claiming
to have been created by mighty Borjorn. Their independent
culture thrived for millennia without any care for the surface
dwellers.
✦ The First Thuul: The Dwarf Isgjard Onehand of Grim’s
blood, after hearing whispers of long-forgotten gods from
the depths of Muspelheim, inscribes the first Rune of Power
on a stone slab. A tradition was born.
✦ The Great Kingdom under the Mountain: Two great
Dwarven leaders, Tvolog Bigbeard of the Borjornikka and
Master Smelter Semjalinka of the Buratja, led their armies
in a long war under the roots of the Great Iron Tooth.
The victorious Tvolog was proclaimed “Storthune” and
founded the Kingdom of Tvologoya (later called “Trilheim”
by Humans), destined to become the mightiest of
Dwarven realms. As Tvologoya prospered, more Dwarven
colonies appeared everywhere in the underground world of
Muspelheim, usually maintaining a link of vassalage with
the Great Kingdom of Tvologoya.
✦ Kirov Djatkovo: The “Battle of the Thousand Hammers”
starts in Tvologoya: a millennia-long period of growth and
expansion throughout Muspelheim.
✦ The Lost Troll Realm: At some point during the Age of
Dreams a Troll civilization flourished in the land today
known as Djughart. Fjoll Trolls lived there, but how those
lost cities fell, nobody today knows.
22
✦ The Long Storm: The forces of darkness were sickened
by the light-worshipping Elves, and smoke rose from the
smithies of evil where countless Trolls and Jotuns forged
weapons for the final battle. The Storm that followed
would tear the Elves’ world asunder, as the Logiwurms and
their foul spawn rose from their dark pits to devour the
champions of the Elves. A foul cloud spread across the land,
so that neither sun nor starlight could reach the earth. It
was pure Darkness. The war meant that the immortal Elves
experienced pain, sorrow, and the death of their siblings for
the first time. On the other hand, the Vanirs were unscathed
by the fire and sorcery of the Logiwurms, but their gaze was
darkened, as they withdrew to their cities, leaving the Elves
to fight alone against the Dragons.
✦ The End of Parkashajlo: The Star of the East, located in
present-day Fynnheim, was burnt down by the Wurms.
Wildheart and the Bjarnwoods were split into two forests
by the many battles that took place there.
✦ The Illjjnaika’s Fate: The “Illjjnaika”, the wingless albino
Logiwurms, were among the most powerful enemies the
Elves faced. The most famous was Nifelfang, reputed to
have been defeated by both Elves and Gods (although
which gods it is difficult to ascertain, given the Vanirs’
general passivity). He took refuge in Helgardh, where his
own essence was transmuted by the Kingdom of Death. On
the other hand, Nifelfang’s sister, Bloodfang, took refuge in
a small cave not far from the Ymergate Mountains, where
she entered a slumber, waiting for future millennia.
✦ The Sad Victory: At the end of the Long Storm, the Elves
were victorious but had saved only five of their 900 cities,
a small part of their people, and a mere fragment of the
knowledge which had been brought to Trudvang. The war
was won at the gates of Valtoris, when Jepua Jokipihi slew
the dragon called Grymskjafte. So many Logiwurms were
slain that their kin were not seen again in Trudvang until
the Age of Prophets.
✦ The Great Betrayal: When the Elves finally emerged victorious,
the Vanirs decided to leave Trudvang behind. The Elves on
the other hand, found that they couldn’t follow their masters,
as they had been bound to Trudvang for too long. As Death
and Sorrow has entered their once fully immortal lives while
their Gods did nothing to save them, the Elven worldview
was shaken. In the proud city of Turvanaika, the gods were
cursed, and the Elves there “left the world behind”: their
descendants became the Korpikalli. The remaining Elves
gathered around Queen Valki, and these Elves instead viewed
23
the flight of the gods as a test, the task of the Elves, they said,
was to find their way back to the stars to reunite with the
gods: they were the first Illmalaini. There are hints about the
existence of other Elven lineages, but they are unknown to
most people in Trudvang.
✦ The Coming of Death: The Elves soon learned that they were
no longer immortal, as death took more and more of their
kin, even outside of warfare. As the centuries passed, an
increasing number of Elves started experiencing disease,
old age, and suffering. Only a score of Elves remained
immortal, like Queen Valki, but their number diminished
through the millennia, even among Elven kings and queens.
✦ Ginnungagap:. At the end of the age, some Dwarves left
their underground realm for the first time, witnessing the
immensity of the open sky and the terrifying light of the sun.
As they, half-blinded, walked over the surface of Trudvang,
the Dwarves met the Elves for the first time.
THE AGE OF THE IRON WURM
(19,890 elven seasons or 4,972 years)
✦ Year 1: A group of Dwarves led by the greedy Tankockz
of Faldrin’s blood dug too deep into the Mountain’s
roots, awakening a previously unknown breed of wurms
of a long-forgotten age. The first Jarnwurm, now called
“Tankockzbane”, brought devastation and despair to the
whole of Tvologoya. Even the Storthune, Tvologrim the
Usurper, perished.
✦ The Great War: The first centuries of this era are called the
“Great Tribute” by Dwarves and the “War of the Singing
Strings” by Elves. Every year new Jarnwurms appeared,
bringing death and mayhem all over Trudvang. The Bastjurs
(Trolls and Giants) exploited the situation, sometimes acting
as servants to the Wurms, at other times just occupying the
mighty Dwarven halls which were emptied by the Wurms’
fire. Dwarves were the main victims, as the Jarnwurms and
Trolls were envious of the Dwarves’ wealth, but the Elven
forests suffered too, as the Bastjurs longed to eat Elven flesh.
✦ The Rise of the Blood of Vurfim: As a new ruling bloodline
assumed power in Tvologoya, the Dwarves tried to face the
Jarnwurms. Master smiths developed a new kind of Black
Mitraka armor, resistant to dragon fire. These were given
to selected Dwarven warriors, bound by holy vows: the
Zvordorkûm were born.
✦ The Coming of Glaupkelp (“Yttamari” to the Elves): One
huge Jarnwurm attacked the Elves on the island of Samia.
The hero Annilas was sent to kill the beast. Both hunter and
dragon died in the struggle on the island nowadays known
as Daalheim.
✦ Circa Year 402, The Old Alliance: Dwarves and Elves formed
an alliance against both Jarnwurms and Bastjurs.
✦ Circa Year 565, Broken Vows: The Elves withdrew and left
the Dwarves to continue the fight alone, beginning an
eternal grudge between the two races. There are many
conflicting tales about the Elven betrayal, but Elven songs
speak about how the sacred island of Osklo was defiled
by the Dwarven hero, Fudorov Skiljov, who came there to
hunt down a Jarnwurm. Having lost their Elven allies, all the
upper levels of Tvologoya were lost to Trolls and Dragons.
Dwarven sagas tell of how more Dwarves died during that
year than during the previous five centuries.
✦ The “Gydadunn”: As the Blood of Vurfim was extinguished,
power came into the hands of the Blood of Bomin, and the
Dwarves launched a new counter-offensive, which the sagas
call the “Battle of Gydanski” against the Bastjurs, which
lasted sixty years. The Sons of Borjorn were victorious in
the end, but their kingdom was now in ruins.
✦ The Conquest of Muspelheim: After all the centuries of
separation due to the war, the old Dwarven colonies elsewhere
in Muspelheim became independent kingdoms, with their
own Thunes and Storthunes. They remain so until the present
day. After the Gydadunn, the colonizing efforts of Dwarves
also gained momentum, as the clans looked for new resources
elsewhere, spreading their communities throughout the
underground world. The power of Tvologoya was weaker, and
the new communities were usually independent. Nearly all
these ventures were led by Borjornikka Dwarves, founding
legendary realms such as Glitzmakulji (later called “Glitthamn”
by Humans) in the West or Grunkovorda (“Graydeep”) in
the East, although one single Buratja bloodline, the Blood of
Angor, founded a legendary kingdom, Lovlinjikka (“Sparklur”
to the Elves) in the North-East.
✦ The Rise of Men: At some unknown point during the second
half of the age, Humans mysteriously appeared, stepping
from the mists, possibly originating from the fruits of the
lost Yggdhraasil. The old legends of the Eald Tradition speak
of Nine Kings of Men who, following the Star of Whote,
left in different directions to discover the world. “Majne”
the First King was among them, and his mythic feats are
24
sung in Ealdfolk sagas. Elves and Dwarves, on the other
hand, report that the first Humans during this age were
not glorious heroes, but rather, animals invading lands
left unoccupied by the older races, after the devastations
brought by both Wurms and Bastjurs. Truth be told, a
few Men remembered myths from the mists, and their
wanderlust was fueled by dreams of the lost Yggdhraasil.
✦ The Great Migrations: Elven songs report how, at the end of
this age, there were many different Human tribes wandering
throughout Trudvang’s wilderness. Possibly originating
from today’s Runewiik, the ancestors of the Bults colonized
the plains of Sylvan while the first Arks climbed Jarngand
(the Great Iron Mountains). The Arks’ savage way of life,
including consumption of Thorn Root and breeding of
Thorn Beasts, started at this time, and continues, almost
unchanged, until the Age of Stars.
✦ The First Horse-Tamers: The Wildfolk known as “Hanirs”
possibly originated in the eastern part of what is today’s
Runewiik. Their ancestors were kin-blooded of the Viranns’
ancestors. They were possibly the first Humans to tame
horses (although this claim is disputed by the Okis of
Bydland). A mythic figure, Troglass Hwin, lead the Hanirs
eastward, colonizing the lands which are now known as
Fylges, Arji, and Dranvelt. Some say that they even colonized
Bysent. In the East, they fought the Bults of Sylvan. Later
on, a tribe of rough hunter-gatherers, the Kremors, came
from the West to colonize the easternmost coastal areas of
the lands today known as Arji and Dranvelt. The Kremors
had friendly relationships with the Hanirs, and from them
they learned horsemanship.
✦ The East: Different waves of Wildfolk invaded the lands now
called the “Stormlands” and once known as “Östheim”.
First to come were the furious Wildbrons (who stories say
had already mastered the berserkergang fury), followed
by a wave of horse-riding Kremors, blood-kin to those
which remained nearby the lands of the Hanirs. Later, the
mysterious Broths came from an unknown land beyond
the Grim Sea, bringing with them a cult of both Death and
Fertility.
✦ Bloedis’ Dunn (the “Day of the Red Snow”): New savages
migrated to the East, the Agroths, blood-relatives of both
Arks and Bults. Led by the legendary Grimur Moonfriend,
they faced in battle an alliance of Broths and Kremors near
the edge of the Bjarnwoods. The Agroths were victorious,
but decided to journey northward, where they eventually
settled in Wildland.
✦ The Battle of Betmold: Around the Silferspiir Mountains
a collection of quarreling chiefdoms, somehow related
to later Viranns, prospered due to the immense silver
deposits which were found in the area. The Dwarves of
Glitthamn descend from the Fjaldgand Ridge, expecting
a quick victory, but they were surprisingly defeated by the
Humans in Betmold.
✦ The Fury of Unghorvin: As the age closed, the number of
newly awakened Jarnwurms diminished. One of the last
was the great and old Unghorvin, who awoke in the depths
of Tvologoya. However, after having heard of the riches of
Lovlinjikka, the Jarwurm moved eastward. It was the end for
the Buratja kingdom.
THE AGE OF THE QUEEN
(24,001 elven seasons or 6,000 years)
✦ Year 1: The immortal Elven queen Valki, for the first time
in millennia, gave birth to a daughter, born with the gift of
immortality. Dreams and hopes of a renewal of their world
filled the Elves’ hearts, and they named the child “Valaijna”,
which means “Queen”. With her birth, a new age began.
✦ The Hanir Dominion: During the earliest part of this age,
the Hanirs reached the peak of their prosperity in the plains
of today’s Fylges, especially after they learned how to mine
salt. They were mostly horse-riding nomads, but their way
of life was far more advanced and civilized than that of
other tribes. They were feared by the wild Bults, and lived in
harmony with the coastal-dwelling Kremors and the nature-
worshipping tribes, which were often peacefully absorbed
into their own society. It is safe to say that the Hanirs had a
kind of primitive empire, but their culture was always open
to foreign influences.
✦ The Blood of Bomin and the Grimlaws: The mighty
Storthunes of the Blood of Bomin still ruled Tvologoya for
the first two millennia of this age. They did not have political
power over the other Dwarven kingdoms, but they retained
a cultural authority. They proclaimed the “Grimlaws” which
have been copied by all Dwarven kingdoms. This collection
of laws gave the Thuuls great power, and whoever refused
to accept their dictates was punished severely.
✦ The Foundation of Throneland: Early during this age, a
legendary Human hero, Hutiger Bearsoul, led his eight
companions in the search for Yggdhraasil. Having found
25
one leaf of it, they established the heavenly throne of Ard
Kampu in the West, after having defeated many Wildfolk
tribes. Hutiger did not want to be king, so Whotgall took
the power, establishing a dynasty which would rule for
millennia. The heroes took Elven brides of high, immortal
lineage (like Savilloha, the King’s bride) and they sired sons
whose lifespans were unnaturally long. Throneland was
born: the first real Human kingdom. Elves taught wisdom
to the Thronelanders, who thrived and enjoyed a prosperity
unknown to the rest of humanity. Some scholars suggest
that even the cult of Whote has Elven roots, but this cannot
be said for sure. The myth of Yggdhraasil was still sung
by the Thronelanders, and their culture would later be the
basis for the Eald Tradition in Mittland. Other Human tribes
looked at Thronelanders with admiration and, according to
some scholars, individual Thronelander heroes founded
isolated colonies northward to Silvtronder (in Elbir) and
eastward, although almost no knowledge remains today of
those early expansions, which were lost in later centuries.
✦ Whotgall’s Death: The first Thronelander king died and his
widow, the immortal Queen Savilloha, decided to return to
the blessed forest of Valtoris, leaving her son as the new
king.
✦ The Rise of the Hrimwurms: For the first time in millennia,
a new breed of Dragon appeared in the far north. The
Dwarves and Elves trembled, remembering what the wurms
did in the previous ages.
✦ The Great Plague: A thick mist swept across large parts of
Trudvang, and all those who were engulfed became ill and
died. It came directly from Dimhall, according to some sagas.
Whole tribes and clans were extinguished, while others
fled, causing a series of migrations and invasions. Groups
of refugees established three kingdoms in what is today
Viranno. From nearby Throneland, they took the worship
of Whote, but they did not experience the same success as
their neighbors. The Viranns’ life was mostly miserable for
centuries, as they experienced long years of warfare against
Trolls and countless raids by Wildfolk slavers.
✦ The Great Bults’ Invasion: The war loving Bults were now
powerful in Sylvan, and they launched a conquering attempt
against all the nature-worshipping tribes which inhabited
the lands nowadays known as Mittland. Even the mighty
Hanir horsemen could not resist the violent Bult invasion,
whose strength and violence ended the Hanir dominion on
the plains. After news of these events arrived, the legendary
Thronelander warlord Hadliard Starson led a brave army
 eastward, where he repelled the Bults, forcing them back
into the Dragon Forest. Unlike what was to occur in the
following age with the Ealdfolk, the Thronelanders of this
age were not interested in conquest, so they retreated, but
their fame started to be sung in the sagas of the Hanirs,
and of the local nature-worshipping clans, foreshadowing
the early roots of future Mittlander culture.
✦ Tir´Na Nogg: The land today known as Runewiik, during
this age was known as “Tir´Na Nogg,” the “Land of the
Eternally Young.” The local human tribes worshiped ancient
spirits, and tried to live in harmony. They resisted centuries
of attacks by the ferocious Arks, Kandovs, and other
Wildfolk from the mountains which were envious of the
land’s prosperity.
✦ Silvtronder’s Foundation: At the end of the age, a single
“Silverking” managed to unite all the many minor chiefdoms
south of the Silferspiir Mountains. Silver produced the
prosperity of what is now the second-oldest realm in the
West. The “Knight’s Laws” were established, and with them,
only the Silverking controls who gets shares of the silver
trade by awarding the “ronder” or royal seal. Ironlords,
Knightly houses, and orders will thrive in Silvtronder from
now onwards.
✦ Sangd Ribland: Legends speak of this mythical man, a
farmer’s son, who became a noble and started the knightly
tradition in Silvtronder. His chronology is unclear, but many
are his deeds. His most famous venture was the slaying
of the wurm called “Gummersheld” (Black Fire) with his
mighty Tongerslip sword. As the hero returned to the
Dwarves the treasures stolen by the dragon, a new era of
friendship started with Glitthamn.
✦ Siro Werte: At the end of the Age of the Queen a boy was born
in Viranno that would change the world forever. His name
was “Werth”, and he would later become more commonly
known as “Siro Werte”. By looking for the Fjoll Trolls, Siro
Werte received a vision from Gave, the previously unknown
god. Gave had been sleeping for countless millennia, since
before the Age of Dreams and, as the right time arrived,
Gave woke up, listening to Siro Werte’s cry. He was there to
save the world from darkness, and the fallen men from the
sorrow of their lives. Siro understood that it was He, Gave,
the “One” who existed before anything else existed, even
before the myths of Whote and the Yggdhraasil Tree, which
were perhaps nothing but deformations of the truth. It was
on a Tree, in fact, that Gave died, nailed by demons, and
from Gave’s blood Siro gained the knowledge, and he knew
26
how Gave raised himself from death, defeating all demons.
After the vision ended, the young Werth was no more, and
the legend of Siro Werte began. He went everywhere and
spoke to the suffering and to the desperate. The new faith
gave Siro Werte the strength to unite his fellow Viranns and
to defeat the tyranny of the Wildfolk and Trolls. Everyone,
knights and farmers alike, raised their heads and followed
his lead against the heathen slavers. As a new god was
being accepted in Viranno, the old age was finally over.
✦ The Death of Valaijina: Roughly at the same time as Siro
Werte was having his visions, the immortal Elven queen
unexpectedly died in Soj. Disease, poison, or curse: the
exact cause is unknown. Her few immortal sons and
heirs disappeared, nobody knew whether they were killed
or hidden for their own protection. The grieving Elves
understood that the world was irreversably changed.
THE AGE OF THE PROPHETS
(12,678 elven seasons or 3,169 years)
✦ Year 1, The First Ovus: Siro Werte was proclaimed the
first Ovus, and spent his life sending missionaries to
the unbelievers, fighting the forces of evil, and writing
the nucleus of what would become the “Rhowtann,” the
Holy Scriptures of the Tenets of Nid. During the next few
years, the faith was peacefully spread in both Silvtronder
and Whistergalp, exploiting the regions' common Virann
ancestry and hatred toward Trollkin and Wildfolk. From
now onwards all these westerners recognized the concept
of “Westmark,” and started calling themselves “Viranns,”
encouraged by the new faith.
✦ Years 46-56, The Rhowtann: After long years of study and
prayers, the Third Ovus, Algowis, completed the Rhowtann
in its final form, with everything that was revealed to
Siro Werte, including both the First Ovus’ writings and
everything which was orally transmitted until that time.
✦ Years 92-99, The Vitnerbane: The Sixth Ovus, Hupard,
dedicated his life to fighting the vitner weavers. From this
moment onward, they were banished from Westmark as
wicked beings.
✦ Year 140, The Old Elven Pact: In what the Elves consider the
562nd Season of the age, a previously unknown number
of Giants charged down from the Trollridge Mountains,
aiming at conquering the whole peninsula which would
27
 later become Ejdland. Unexpectedly, for the first and only
time in history, the wild Korpikalli Elves from Copperwood,
usually unfriendly toward Humans, made an alliance with
the savage Wildbrons, to face united the common threat.
After the alliance’s victory, the Elves withdrew back into the
woods, refusing further contact with Humans.
✦ The Return of the Logiwurms: The ancient enemies of the
Elves were seen again, wandering Trudvang after they were
thought to have been extinguished in the Age of Dreams.
Most dangerous among them was Bloodfang the Illjjnaika,
the albino wingless she-Wurm, who had slept since the
wars against the Elves, so many millennia before. After her
awakening, she began terrorizing the lands today known as
Bydland.
✦ Trilheim’s Vicissitudes: During this whole age the Dwarves
of the Great Kingdom of Tvologoya experienced an
incredibly varied successions of bloodlines, each bearing
the Storthune’s power. All the ancient and legendary ruling
bloodlines (Tvolog, Vurfim, and Bomin) were reputed to be
extinguished.
✦ Nidhist’ Failure in Thoorkaal: At some point during the first
half of this age, the Viranns tried to conquer the heathens
of Thoorkaal, but they were defeated in the battle of
Farygghala. Later Nidhist chronicles apparently downplayed
the dimensions of this failure. As a matter of fact, from that
moment onward, the Thoorkaals were labeled as hopeless
savages, more similar to beasts than to Men, without any
hope of being enlightened by Gave’s light.
✦ The Kulhjan Ascendance: In Throneland, the royal power
passed from the Whotgall clan to the Kulhjan clan, as the
immortal elven Queen Savilloha returned to marry into the
Kulhjan bloodline. The new royal dynasty would rule for five
generations of long-lived human kings with immortal Elven
blood in their veins.
✦ Tir´Na Goragg: During the early Age of the Prophets,
the land once known as “Tir´Na Nogg” became known
as “Tir´Na Goragg”, the “Land Without Peace”. The
inhabitants turned to rougher ways of life after centuries
of warfare against Arks, Kandovs, and other Wildfolk. The
most powerful ruler was the mythic Urgnal the Arkslayer,
who in his heyday united the land, ruling over more than
ten thousand warriors after having defeated the Arks more
than once. His legend did not end well, as he eventually
died a prisoner in an Ark’s slave camp, while his country
was torn between Wildfolk and quarreling warlords.
28
✦ Year 927, Halawén’s Exile: Halawén, one of the sons of the
Thronelander King Vidaris Kulhjan, killed his best friend
Iohéin Tagilfarí for the hand of the fair princess Bewan
Swanwing. Halawén punishes himself with self-exile,
leaving Throneland for the East. He was so loved that
10,000 Thronelanders followed him, and his exile caused
the end of the Kulhjan dynasty as kings.
✦ Year 927, New Whotgall Dynasty: The Whotgall were made
Kings of Throneland again, but their once almost immortal
blood was now thinned and their lives became increasingly
shorter in the following centuries.
✦ Year 950, The Foundation of King’s Call: After more than
twenty years of wandering, Halawén Longlife and his
Thronelanders founded the mighty city of King’s Call in the
land which would later be known as Vortland. He planted a
famous Iron Oak which is still visible today. The inhabitants
of the city were sometimes called “East-Throners” but they
still identified themselves as Thronelanders.
✦ Years 1204-1215, Ovus Valtoi and Carlonn: For centuries the
missionaries of the Tenets of Nid had been slaughtered in
the land of Carlonn, torn by the eternal conflict between
the tribes of Tervings and Grethings. Under Valtoi, the 74th
Ovus, and the leadership of Widur Longhair (who severely
ravaged the lands) the Viranns finally conquered Carlonn
after a long war.
✦ The First Blood Crusade (or “Bloodståg”): Under the reign
of the 75th Ovus, Margall IV (1215-1233), a holy war was
launched against the land of Tir´Na Goragg. A huge holy
army was led by the heroic Rennas Iljo, mostly including
farmers from Viranno and the recently converted Carlonn.
This war was different from all the previous conquests, as
the Ovus explicitly declared the Blood Crusade, summoning
all the faithful (and not just those living in Viranno) for
the clear purpose of expanding the faith. The crusade was
a success, and the land was re-named “Runewiik”. Many
lands were awarded to faithful Viranns. The subjugation
of Runewiik took years, as heirs to the old Urgnall’s line
emerged, but finally the land accepted the new faith and
only a small minority clung to their old beliefs.
✦ Year 1394, The Big Quake: Exactly 3,333 years ago, a powerful
earthquake was felt throughout Trudvang. There are legends
which connect this tremendous happening with the birth of
an Elven, immortal queen, somewhere in the far North. The
mythical “Norim Elves” (if they ever existed) are connected
to this myth, but the details of this saga are nowadays lost.
✦ Years 1427-1727, The Fall of Palliolanta: The Elves say that
at some point in this period the mythic Norim kingdom of
Palliolanta fell in the north, destroyed by hordes of Bastjurs
and the power of an unknown evil entity.
✦ Year 1437, King’s Call Fall: Halawén Longlife died after
almost half a millennium of ruling. An enormous horde
of Trolls swarmed from the Bjarnwoods and King’s Call
fell. Halwin, Halawén’s son, was forced to flee. The
Thronelanders were scattered throughout the countryside,
where they fought Trolls for more than a century: four of
their kings fell in battle against the Bastjurs.
✦ The Law of Oathronder: In the middle of this age in
Silvtronder, huge parts of the Rhowtann were included
in local laws, as the Tenets of Nid was now clearly the
dominant religion of the realm, having also influenced and
modified the local knightly traditions.
✦ Years 1588-1606, Malhewen’s Long Road: Six hundred years
after the first Thronelanders disembarked from their ships,
they decided to abandon the lands of the East. Half of them
sailed out on the stormy Oster Ocean and were never seen
again, taking with them treasures unknown. The other group,
led by Malhewen Trollseeker, descendant of Halawén of the
Kulhjan dynasty, went north to the border of the Darkwoods,
and then took the overland route westward. Malhewen’s people
never forgot their origins, but they began to call themselves
“Eadlfolk” rather than Thronelanders. For eighteen long years
Malhewen led his people in wars and wanderings. Along the
road some decided to stay, however, most of the other Ealdfolk
followed Malhewen in his wanderings.
✦ The Ealdfolk Invasion: The Ealdfolk entered the land known
today as Dranvelt, defeating the local Kremors many of
which, crossing the sea, sought refuge among their blood-
kin in what is today Vortland. Malhewen continued his
wanderings, but some groups of Ealdfolk, led by Berngall
and his younger brother Arlglaff, decided to remain.
They managed to make an agreement with the horse-
riding Hanirs, while they conquered the proud Kremors
of Dranvelt with sword and spear. The Ealdfolk invasion
pushed southward, to the coastline of the land today
known as “Arji”. Here, they came to the city of Morringen
where, finally, the remaining Kremors managed to stop the
Ealdfolk conquest of the area.
✦ Year 1606, Majnjord: When the Ealdfolk arrived in a fertile
area south of the Great Iron Tooth, Malhewen finally decided
to stay and found the city of Majnjord which means “King’s
29
Call” in Old Thronelandish. Some skalds sing of how the
name was also chosen because it recalled the name of
“Majne”, one of the mythic nine kings who came from the
mists and Yggdhraasil, during the Age of the Jarnwurm.
According to legend, Majne ruled in this area many millennia
before the coming of the Ealdfolk, and Malhewen dreamed
of the ancient hero. Whatever its real origin was, Majnjord
was destined to become Trudvang’s mightiest city ever, more
important than any city or fortress in Throneland. They allied
with local clans from whom they learned the best arts, riding
on the steppes with the Okis and mining the Great Iron Tooth
with the Kandovs. On the other hand, their culture influenced
the local tribes, creating what we know as the “Eald Tradition”
in which the old Thronelandic cult of Whote intermixed
with reverence for natural spirits like the Flowras. The new
religion was the hallmark of the Ealdfolk, but its myths and
legends were far more ancient, with roots hailing from both
Throneland and old local tribes. The Kulhjan dynasty thrived
and Malhewen’s son, Malw Malhewens, even travelled
to Valtoris, where he took a fair Elven bride, Korillasja, the
most beautiful woman the world had ever seen. The Kulhjan
crown, “Perkaloka,” was a wedding present given by the
Queen of the Elves of Soj. With the passage of time, the High
Thronelandic blood thinned among the Kings of Majnjord of
the Kulhjan dynasty, shortening their lifespans, although they
still lived longer than normal humans.
✦ The Eald Tradition Expands: At the peak of its power,
Majnjord ruled lands spanning from eastern Carlonn to
Dranvelt. Even when direct domination ended, the mighty
kingdom remained the most important realm in Trudvang.
Through its influence, the Eald Tradition, the cult of heroes,
and the Ealdfolk civilization influenced huge parts of what
is today Mittland, eastward, soutward, and westward,
including the few remaining non-Nidhist communities
in north-eastern Runewiik, and even beyond, reaching
Bysent to the north-west. There was a reason for the Eald
Tradition’s success. The newly converted Eald Followers
could recognize it as a new religion, as well as something
which was incredibly familiar, as it included nature cults
and old myths, like the Yggdhraasil cult, which were already
millennia old and spread among many tribes and peoples.
✦ Bydland’s Heroes: Possibly due to the influence of the
Ealdfolk’s heroic culture, the nomadic horse-riding Okis of
Bydland founded two cities: Outwind and Blodt. The second
city was built on the tomb of Bloodfang, the dreaded albino
logiwurm, finally killed by the Oki hero Jowja or Jowjahims.
His mighty deeds will be sung for millennia by Bydlander
skalds, becoming a basis for the Bydlander ethnic identity.
30
✦ Little Westmark: About half a century after the Ealdfolk’s
failed invasion of Morringen, a ship arrived from Erviddor,
bearing Godobald, the first Virann missionary of the Tenets
of Nid. Nidhist missionaries noticed how the locals’ myths
about Yggdhraasil could be easily exploited, by emphasizing
the idea that Gave was nailed to a Black Oak. This syncretic
idea helped the Tenets of Nid to spread, but it also laid the
foundation for heresy, as unfortunately became clear only
in the following age. During the following decades the local
Kremors became so receptive of this new religion that the
land became known as “Little Westmark”.
✦ The Dragon Kings of Bysent: During the previous centuries,
the Kandovs of Bysent had prospered due to their abilites
in mining. At some point in this age, a single king, named
“Daurglung Blackbeard,” managed to unite them all into
one realm. After his death, his three sons, the “Dragon
Kings,” ruled jointly but in the end, they fought each other
for ten years. At the end, the Arks and other Wildfolk
exploited the situation, raiding and pillaging the lands for
years. Thousands of Bysentians ended up as slaves in Ark
camps. Peace and prosperity were lost.
✦ The Bysent Pacts: To save their own people, a council of
desperate Bysentian elders traveled southward to Carlonn.
Here, they make a vow to abandon their own religion (a
harsh version of the Eald Tradition, mixed with old nature
worshipping) and to convert to the Tenets of Nid. So they
did, and the forces of the Ovus came to Bysent and defeated
the Arks. In the following centuries the Tenets of Nid were
forced on Bysentians with torches and weapons, but the
locals never forgot the legend of the Three Dragon Kings
who were bound to return.
✦ The Troll Wars: Every year, for the whole second half of
this age, the Trollridge Mountains and the Bjarnwoods
vomited hordes of Bastjurs. Later Stormlanders would
recall that their ancestors fought the “Troll Wars,” a never-
ending series of battles and skirmishes which lasted for
centuries. The fabled “Dragon Horns” are the most famous
relics of those times. The conflicts were instrumental for
the evolution of tribal identities. Except for a few pure-
blooded Wildbron and Agroth, by the end of the age the
wars had allowed the turning of Kremors, Broths, and most
Wildbrons into Ejdlanders, Vortlanders, and Fynnheimers.
Even so, the local clans were not conscious yet of being part
of the same culture.
31
✦ The Rise of Fynnheim: A man of Broth’s kin, Vrungir
Redbeard, called the “Iron Hand” by the Trolls, managed to
tame both Bastjurs and Wildbrons. The land once known as
the Elven Parkashajlo became Fynnheim.
✦ The Eje Alliance: Eje Rudshort managed to unite all the
Clan Lords and Shieldjarls living on the borders of both the
Wildheart and the Copperwoods in a war against the Trolls.
The land of Ejdland was born.
✦ Haakon Hagtorn, and Wildland: For all the previous millennia
the Agroths of Wildland had lived their own primitive life
in the north of Wildland. At some point during this age,
the legendary Agroth leader, Haakon Hagtorn, managed to
unite all the local tribes and encouraged the migration of
Wildbron clans from the south. These newcomers brought
new ideas and technologies northward. Agroths became
parts of the Stormlander culture, albeit keeping their own
traits: the Wildlanders were born. On his deathbed Haakon
Hagtorn was crowned as the first King of Wildland.
✦ Saukka the Conqueror: In the dark realm of Sootbrand,
a proud Buratja Storthune rose: Saukka, whose armies
spread over the North-East, defeating both Humans and
Elves alike. Only the mighty Njal Hagtorn managed to unite
the Wildlanders and stop the raging Dwarves by using the
legendary Korlajon sword, crafted long before by none other
than Saukka’s ancestors. The Buratja had sworn revenge
against the Wildlanders and only the gods know how many
millennia a Dwarven grudge may last.
✦ Circa 2720, The Fall of Amur: An army of Hrimtursirs
destroyed the city of Amur, in today’s Fjaal. The Amurs
were forced to return to the wilder lifestyle of their Wildfolk
brethren.
✦ The Second Blood Crusade: So much knowledge has been
lost about this second holy war whose exact date is even
unclear, especially since different reports speak about
the reigns of two Ovus with similar names. Elven songs
speak about the 11,009th season of the age, which should
correspond to Year 2752, when Ovus Uventi Salbia was
ruling. On the other hand, Westlanders chronicles attribute
this Blood Crusade to the famous Ovus Uventi Salvias,
whose long reign spanned from 3105 to 3159. Whatever the
exact date, two facts are clear: the Kandovs of Bysent were
also conscripted by the Ovus and the target were the wild
Arks. Of that Blood Crusade, which basically failed, nothing
remains but a few scant ruins in Arkland, which is still today
a country ruled by wild savages.
✦ The Visenthic Blood Crusade: Not so much is known about
this Blood Crusade, whose existence is so uncertain that
historians do not count it among the six known Blood
Crusades. Led by the legendary Sang Herrtaug of Silvtronder
an army of thousands of faithful Nidhists came to Visenthia
to purge the land of demonic presences, but they were
defeated and disappeared. Later Ovus proclaimed a
prohibition to all the faithful to not explore this cursed land.
✦ Gerban Hvungdir: At some point during the last quarter of
this age, a Vortlander seer and a warrior, Gerban Hvungdir,
proclaimed Stormi and his pantheon as the supreme
religion, the “Great Faith”. He did not invent Stormi (who
was possibly venerated in the East in some form, at least
by some of the Stormlanders’ ancestors), but Gerban
has the merit of having spread his cult. This new religion,
“Gerbanis” or “the Great Faith” is fundamental in building
the Stormlander cultural identity which, for the first time, is
recognized in this period.
✦ The Battle of Brownhills’ Moor: This was the first real
battle in Stormlander history. A huge horde of Trolls and
still untamed Wildbrons invaded Vortland with the aim of
destroying the new faith. The army of the mighty Vidrik
Blacktongue (Gerban’s famous follower) was destroyed at
Brownhills’ Moor. Stormlander sagas tell of how the mighty
city of King’s Call was also destroyed by the same horde,
before they turned their ferocity to the lands of Nojd. This
cannot be true, since the Thronelander city fell in 1437, many
centuries earlier. On the other hand, it is certainly possible
that Trolls and Wildfolk sacked a Stormlander settlement
resting on the ruins of that ancient city.
✦ Glimmerford: As the horde returned from Nojd, Gerban’s
new army of Stormlanders faced it on Glimmerford’s
shore. The mighty seer died with a sword in his hand, but
the enemy was finally defeated. With the death of the last
prophet the age closed, but the Stormlander culture was
finally built upon Gerban’s heritage.
THE AGE OF STARS
(6,634 elven seasons or 1,558 years until present day)
✦ Year 1: Two new stars showed up in the night sky, and the
Elves named them “Talka” and “Hrinnu”. The Elves hoped
that the new stars were a sign from the gods that they were
returning to Trudvang. The new age was declared based on
this hope. In the same year, after many millennia, peace
32
was finally achieved between Dwarves and Elves when the
Great Thune of Trilheim sent a mighty rune-carved gate for
the defense of Valkalainen as a reconciliation offering, after
ages of spite. The Elven queen accepted the gift.
✦ Trilheim’s Ruling Bloodlines: The old Great Dwarven
Kingdom of Tvologoya did not know peace throughout
the Age of Stars, continuing the unsettled conditions of
the previous ages. A series of ruling bloodlines succeeded
one another, often experiencing peace and unity for a
few centuries but, sooner or later, they all failed, were
extinguished, or defeated. The most famous are the Blood
of Dvakk and, later in the age, the Blood of Illwir. They all
fell, leaving the kingdom in ruins.
✦ Heresy in Little Westmark: The “Fjatterlaran” doctrine of
the Gavlian known as “Koldobikka” spread at the beginning
of the age, among the Kremors in Morringen, in the land
today known as Arji but which at the time was called “Little
Westmark”. The fanatic cult of the martyrs turned to angels
encouraged sacrifice in the wars against the wild Bults in
the south. Orthodox Gavlians declared this to be a heresy,
and called Koldobikka a “demon”. They accused him of
venerating the martyrs more than Gave, possibly hiding
an old ancestor cult, something like the Ealdfolk’s cult of
heroes. The 185th Ovus, Galli (who reigned from Year 3159
of the previous age to Year 10 of this age) sent investigators,
and they found out that lies were intertwined in the faith of
the Kremors, even before the spreading of the heresy. Many
people in Little Westmark in fact believed the Black Oak
where Gave was nailed to be nothing but the Yggdhraasil of
Whote, and Gave to be nothing but Whote’s lost son. There
were even those who accused the heretics of practicing
blood sacrifices like the Stormlanders, maybe due to their
Kremor ancestry. That was too much for the pure Nidhists
to hear. A new Blood Crusade was proclaimed.
✦ The Third Blood Crusade: After Ovus Galli’s proclamation,
the Holy warriors took five years to gather in Erviddor.
While the forces were coming together, Morringen was
razed to the ground by the wild Bults led by Warlady Halagu
and, when the Westlander holy warriors led by the zealous
Thrynn arrived, they found only ruins. They did not know
that chieftain Ardarik has led the few surviving Kremors
into the hinterland, where their descendants would become
the people of Arji.
✦ Saint Thrynn: After the Third Blood Crusade was revealed to
have been just a failure, most of the holy warriors came back
to Westmark, but a few Viranns, led by Thrynn, remained
 in the area, rebuilding what they could of Morringen, and
sending missionaries everywhere along the coast, including
Sylvan. The missions had mixed success, and many holy
men were slain or lost. After decades, Thrynn came back to
Viranno, where he already had the fame of a saint. Here he
founded the stronghold known today as “Elcali”, destined
to become an important site in Westmark’s history.
✦ The Fylges War: During the early part of this age the wild
Bults of Sylvan, led by Chief Gurglagg, invaded the land of
the Hanirs of Fylges again. The horse-riding people asked
for help from the King of Majnjord, Morda Gwendan (who
ruled during the years 102-174). The King sent his son, Brand
Gwendansir, with numerous ironclad Ealdfolk horsemen
and, together with their Hanir allies, they defeated the Bults
in the battle of Cer’Da. The Ealdfolk horsemen were awarded
with fine lands and, from then onward, they lived together
with Hanirs and Okis on the beautiful Fylges plains.
✦ The Arjis: In the two centuries following the Third Blood
Crusade the Arjis (the “Broad Spear People”) prospered
by intermarrying with Ealdfolk, and the Eald Tradition
strengthened among them. A few pure-blooded Kremors
(now known as “Rippers”) remained, while others, known
as the Hrejds, married with horse-riding Okis. The realm
also suffered a period known as the “Ground Wars” when
33
different groups competed for land. The old “Fjatterlaran”
doctrine (as a heresy of the Tenets of Nid) was preserved in
some parts of Arji, although the Eald Tradition’s influence
changed it further.
✦ The East Vammel Dream: Around the middle of this age
the Paater of Vortland was Vjal Avlotsbarn, a man who
envied the strong organization of the Nidhist Church
and its dominion over Westmark. During his long reign,
Paater Vjal planned to unite the whole of the Stormlands
under his direct, religious, Stormi-empowered authority,
following a dream called the “East Vammel Kingdom”.
Many chieftains and jarls submitted to the Paater, from
Wildland to Ejdland. He made the city of Driik his capitol,
and established or reinforced five great fortresses, the
“Torch Towers”, in different Stormlands, to act as bases for
the stormhirdsmen. Examples were Jornwind in Vortland,
Tjute in Ejdland and the mythic Jarnrytti, built on the border
between northern Wildland and the Great Iron Mountains.
In the end, the East Vammel Kingdom started falling
even before Paater Vjal’s death. Warfare and rebellion
spread from Ejdland to Fynnheim and Wildland, as all the
Stormlanders are a quarrelsome, independent lot, not
made for obeying a single ruler, even if blessed by Stormi.
After this failed attempt, no Paater of Vortland ever tried to
unify the Stormlands again.
✦ Circa 750, The Fall of Dalmtatzba: Due to an unexpected
cataclysm, a huge part of this Dwarven kingdom in what is
today Daalheim was lost, drowning under the sea waters
which filled the tunnels.
✦ Circa 850, Dorg Gromitza Invasion: An incredible number
of Trolls invaded the subterranean Dwarven Kingdom in
the Gunnra Mountains. Of the original Eight cities, only
five would still stand in the future, untouched by the Troll
menace.
✦ Year 993, Turmoil in Majnjord: King Manawyddan Kulhjan
the “Traitor” loses power. A War Council, later led by a
Warmaster, would rule the lands while the Kulhjan scions
were in exile.
✦ Circa Year 1000, Gerbanis in Fjaal: Stormlanders sailed to
colonize the far-away Fjaal. After that tumultuous venture,
the Gerbanis religion was diffused among the Amurs,
although the Great Faith was perverted into a cult where
Chaos Gods were worshipped more than Stormi.
✦ Year 1108, Glitthamn’s Sufferings: The great jarnwurm
Borsjev, or “Bloodmaw”, invaded the southern parts of the
Dwarven underground realm of Glitzmakulji. Hundreds
of Dwarves died, and the lost holdings remain under the
wurm’s control until the present day.
✦ Year 1135 onward: The Great War Starts. A powerful
vitner weaver, the “Cloakmaster”, rose in power.
According to later Viranns’ legends, the Cloakmaster’s
power originated from the knowledge of “Tunnorsgam”,
the Black Song which in the ancient ages gave birth to
demons. The Cloakmaster slowly gathered an army of
Trolls, Giants and even Wurms. He also allied with both
Arks and Bults from Sylvan. The army increasingly grew
every year, attacking minor kingdoms and chiefdoms.
Encouraged by the Cloackmaster’s growing power, even
other, unrelated Bastjurs increased the pressure on the
Dwarven strongholds in Muspelheim. No Human on the
surface realized how large the threat was.
✦ Year 1139, The Assault on Majnjord: The Cloakmaster’s
great horde was ready, and aimed to conquer the great
kingdom of Majnjord. The hero Eoláin Aothwéin Kulhjan,
not a king but an ancestor of the Majnjordian king of today,
blocked half of the horde in Gunnershaal for five weeks.
Hrimtursirs tore Gunnershaal’s walls down. The hero died,
but his sacrifice bought time, allowing the Ealdfolk to face
the other half of the horde on the fertile plains just south of
36
the city of Majnjord. Here, the heroes of Mittland defeated
the Cloakmaster’s horde in what is remembered as the
“Throne’s Battle”.
✦ Year 1140, The Battle of Elcali: After the defeat in Mittland,
the Cloakmaster’s hordes spread westward, bringing
mayhem to Runewiik and Carlonn. As they entered Viranno,
the Cloakmaster’s horde laid siege to the city of Elcali. The
incredibly old and famous 264th Ovus, Visenti (reigning for
37 years from Year 1103 to Year 1140) led the defenders. The
Thronelanders decided to help the Viranns, attacking the horde
from the south. The clash was incredibly fierce. A poisoned
arrow killed the venerable Ovus and, while he was lying in bed,
his perplexed subjects did not allow the Thronelanders to take
refuge in the town. Consequently, the betrayed Thronelanders
were crushed, captured, and enslaved by Arks.
✦ Years 1140-1146. The Greatest War of the Age: For years
the Cloakmaster’s hordes devastated both Westmark and
Mittland, bringing mayhem also to both dark forests and
the underground world. Through countless minor victories
and severe defeats, the peoples of Trudvang suffered.
There seemed to be no limit to the number of Bastjurs and
Wildfolk which the mountains vomited forth every season.
✦ Year 1146, The Battle of the Five Spears: A previously
unheard-of alliance was formed, and five armies marched
together: the Viranns led by the 265th Ovus Ialhis den
Helige, the Ealdfolk of Majnjord, the Thronelanders from
the West, the Dwarves from Trilheim, and the Korpikalli
Elves from the Darkwoods. The dire threat turned old
enemies into friends: even the most fanatic Gavlians
recognized the need to fight alongside the wild Korpikalli,
and the Thronelanders decided to forget the Viranns’
betrayal at the Battle of Elcali. The final confrontation
happened on the Plains of Bohain, in Runewiik, where
the Cloakmaster’s dreaded army was finally defeated in
the largest and bloodiest battle ever fought on Trudvang.
Corpses of warriors and monsters from all over Trudvang
were spread for miles, and their half-buried remains,
rusted weapons, and old bones, would be found by future
farmers for centuries to come. The plains became haunted
by ghosts and spirits, both evil and good. The Elves
planted a golden willow to mark the spot where their great
commander, Aniota Starborn, had died together with his
beloved Salviperka. The tree would become a landmark,
visited by all travelling Elves. The events of this battle
would be sung for centuries in the sagas of all peoples. On
the other hand, prophecies were diffused, warning about a
future return of the Cloakmaster.
✦ The Tenets of Nid in Majnjord: During the previous
centuries Majnjord had already taken in its own share
of Virann migrants and missionaries. However, after
the Battle of the Five Spears, exploiting the renewed
relationships, the Tenets of Nid spread strongly across
Majnjord. A key figure in this movement was Ovus Jallis
the Holy, who fervently desired to bring Gave’s light to
the whole of Mittland through the announced word, rather
than with weapons. Oakchurches were built everywhere in
Majnjord, and Gavlians were more frequently seen in both
streets and noble courts. In the following centuries, the
Tenets of Nid would not replace the Eald Tradition among
the people, but it would certainly contend with it for the
hearts of the Majnjordians.
37
✦ Circa 1200, The Copper Kingdom: Copper mining and
trading brought wealth to Wildland, where the Hagton kings
(or Great Fylkjarls) prospered in their “Copper Kingdom.”
✦ Circa 1250, The Times of the Untamed: The Black Ice Cult,
venerating the dark goddess known as the “Snow Queen,”
spread in Wildland, corrupting the hearts, some say, of half
of the Wildlanders. The Snow Queen invaded Wildland
with an army of previously unknown creatures known
as “Orkhirs.” Two Hagtorn Brothers (the Great Fylkjarl
Vurmahj and Sajfrund, the bearer of the mighty sword
Koraljon) led the resistance.
✦ Naginolika (“The Last Stand”): On the plains of Eidlunn
the Wildlanders together with their unlikely allies, the
Hrim Trolls, faced the hordes of the Snow Queen. The Ice
Cult was defeated by the Hagtorn dynasty, but they were
impoverished, due to their debt to the Trolls. The “Copper
Kingdom” would continue, as long as the copper flowed, but
the monarchy ended and a “Fylk-Thing” composed of the
main Fylkjarls took the power in Wildland. In the following
centuries, all Orkhirs would be purged from Wildland. The
role of the Brycker of Wildland was reinforced, to keep watch.
✦ Circa 1260, The Filgeting: The council of all petty lords of
Fylges was established, bringing a loose kind of unity to
the country.
✦ Circa 1300, The Foundation of Daalheim: The son of Vret
Stormbeard, Rauk Gollstone, an exiled Ejdlander arrived on
the island today known as “Daalheim”, previously avoided
by both Bults and Stormlanders due to superstitions
connected with the Elves. Here, Rauk found an uninhabited
land (if not for the Dwarves hidden in the mountains) and
soon many more colonists, especially from Ejdland, came
to settle the island.
38
✦ Circa 1308, The Fourth Blood Crusade: The dreams of Ovus
Jallis about a united Mittland enlightened by Gave were
repeated by the mouths of thousand Gavlians, but the
urgency to convert the heathens led later Ovus to distort
Jallis’ vision. Stories came to the West of how the Eald
Tradition in Dranvelt was even further perverted by the
Gerbanian influences and the Stormi cult from the East.
Enraged at the possibility that another religion would steal
Mittlanders’ hearts, a new Blood Crusade was proclaimed
under the leadership of a great Westlander warlord,
Majorann of Erkhast, who led an enormous army toward the
shores of Dranvelt. There were more than 10,000 forcefully
recruited Bysentians, fanatic Carlonnians, and even a huge
number of Ark mercenaries. The whole eastern part of
Dranvelt was pillaged, until a Stormlander army appeared
on the eastern front. It was Paater Grejvur Bloodneck
leading Vortlander warriors to defend the Dranveltians,
in honor of their common Kremorian blood ties. The two
armies faced each other at the Battle of Draparmark, also
known as Graankul’s Hills. The Stormlanders suffered
incredible losses, and everyone despaired under the claws
of the Arks’ Thorn Beasts. However, at the end of the day,
the Viranns’ horde was defeated, even if at a dire cost in
 terms of Stormlander lives. The crusade was over, and from
that time onward the Stormlanders started shaving their
heads, after their first killings, as a memory of that bloody
day: the “skulljood” ritual was born.
✦ Circa 1360, The Fifth Blood Crusade: About half a century
after the failure of the previous crusade, a new one was
proclaimed, under the leadership of the pious warrior and
Rowthguard called Eldemarr, a totally different man from
his predecessor Majorann. He first came to Bysent, where
he did not force the Bysentians to fight for Gave. In fact,
Eldemarr spent a whole year cleansing Bysent from Ark
warbands, gaining in this way the Bysentians’ hearts. Later,
with his new allies, he went to Dranvelt where he faced and
killed Godegisel, a dreaded wurm which was threatening
the lands. Through his knightly example he showed the
Dranveltians the rightfulness of the Tenets of Nid. Through
his actions the whole of Dranvelt was united under a single,
local King, Olden Beardlakk, faithful to Gave and who was
crowned by the Ovus himself. On his deathbed, Eldemarr
was proclaimed to have turned into an angel, assuming the
name of “Belo Seoth”, the “White warrior”, venerated as a
Saint by all those who are faithful to Gave.
✦ Year 1321, The Kulhjan Return: The ancient Majnjordian
monarchy was re-established, and Weól Kulhjan was the first
to wear again the crown and wield the mighty Roggdrasil,
the ancient spear of Halawén Longlife, in three centuries.
However, the kingdom was different from what it once was.
Its influence could still be felt throughout Mittland, but
many of the farthest, ancient holdings and fortresses were
lost. The realm was also culturally divided by religion, as
the Tenets of Nid became a firm component of Majnjordian
society together with the ancient Eald Tradition. Usually,
the two components did not wage open wars against each
other, but tensions and problems became common.
✦ Circa Year 1450, The Fall of Whistergalp: The lands of
Whistergalp unexpectedly started to decay. Earthquakes
became common, and vegetation become poisonous in
some areas, as if the curse of nearby Thoorkaal has started
slowly to spread. Gavlians left the country, which fell into
civil war.
✦ Year 1478, The Coming of Morva: A sorcerer came to
Viranno, His name was Morva and he claimed to descend
from the Thronelanders betrayed by the Viranns at the
Battle of Elcali, more than three centuries earlier. He wore a
dark mantle, said to have belonged to the Cloakmaster, and
held a sacred horn, reported to have belonged to the god
39
Whote himself, which gave Morva power over crows. Morva
led an army of Trolls and Wildfolk. The fortress of Aillung
in Viranno was occupied, and the Viranns could not hunt
him. A curse was laid on the warriors of Viranno, making
them lose many unborn sons, therefore creating a serious
problem due to the lack of male heirs.
✦ Circa 1540, The Blood of Adakk: By might of arms and
skillful intrigue, the Dwarf called Sosyra Blood of Adakk,
from a minor clan, ascended to the position of Great
Thune in Trilheim, but his rule was not undisputed over
the whole of Tvologoya. Many ancient bloodlines conspired
and amassed armies and weapons on the fringes of the
underground realm. War was bound to start.
✦ Year 1553, The Sixth Blood Crusade: A new crusade was
proclaimed by Ovus Sulpi to bring Gave’s light to the
lands of Arji, where possibly not just heathens, but also
the old Fjatterlaran heretics of Morringen were hiding,
having escaped from the rightful wrath of the Third
Blood Crusade, at the start of the age. Rowthguard Salak
led the army through Fylges to the western part of the
Dragon Forest, aiming at surprising the warriors of Arji by
arriving from an unexpected direction. The holy warriors
disappeared in the forest and nobody ever knew what
happened to them.
✦ Circa 1528-1538, The End of the Copper Kingdom: The
copper in Wildland was almost depleted. Despair and
poverty spread among the old communities too tied to the
copper economy, while power shifts were common. The
situation was ready for a disaster.
✦ Circa Year 1553, Visenthian Plague: A mysterious disease
spread among the few Westlander settlements on the
Western Visenthian border. Crises and poverty spread, as
the Raubritters, outlaws from Whistergalp, started ravaging
the cities.
✦ Year 1558: The Present Day.
THE RETURN OF SORROW
Nobody knows what lies in the future, but seers and mad
prophets throughout Trudvang have been proclaiming
the coming of an age of swords and axes, an age of cold
winds and raging wolves. Whether this is true or not,
and whatever will happen, it is possible that the face of
Trudvang may be bound to change forever.
40
THE LANDS AND PEOPLES OF TRUDVANG
Trudvang is made up of the Stormlands to the east,
Westmark to the west, and Mittland between the two.
There is also the archipelago of Soj in the south, where
the Elves make their home, and the wild Nhoordland to
the north where Trolls, Wildfolk, and all sorts of unsavory
characters dwell in the shadow of the Great Iron Mountains
and the deepest forest of them all: the Darkwoods. To the
farthest north, where only Hrimtursirs roam, there is the
Great White, where few dare to venture. To travel across
such a vast continent is no light matter. Merely traveling
from city to city or from forest to forest can be the focus
of an entire campaign. The wanderers and heroes who
undertake such a magnificent trek will soon find that
nature itself can prove to be the mightiest adversary of all.
THE LANGUAGES OF TRUDVANG
The long, complicated history of this world has shaped the
languages spoken by its people today. By looking at who
speaks what and where, it is possible to trace reflections
of millennia of migrations, influences, and conquests.
“Futhark”, the tongue of the Dwarves, is the only
language reputed to have remained unchanged through
the millennia. Unmovable and stern as the people who
speak it, this language is like the Mountain’s stone and the
runes in which it is written have remained the same since
time immemorial.
On the other hand, the Elves today speak “Eika”, a
beautiful, musical language which has evolved from the
“Forneika” spoken by the legendary immortal Elves of
the Age of Dreams. The old language is nowadays mostly
not used. It is a melancholic relic filled with sadness, a
testimony of a time when the world was a better place to
live.
The Bastjurs, Trolls, and Giants, speak the dreaded
“Bastjumal”, whose cavernous sound is painful for the
Elves to listen to. However, there’s the sound of another
language that Elves fear to hear more: “Dragearthian”, the
ancient and obscure tongue of the wurms, today known
only by a few scholars. Dragons use it only when speaking
among themselves, and only about important topics,
especially since no other living being is reputed to be
worthy of listening to its sound, or even to try using it in
their impure mouths.
The languages of Men are even more different and
numerous, as different and numerous as Trudvang’s
peoples. One of the earliest tongues definitively was
41
“Ancient Vrok”, once spoken by the primitive heathens at
the end of the Age of the Iron Wurm and which, moving
from the area around the Great Iron Tooth, spread
everywhere.
“Wild Vrok”, the language of today’s Wildfolk, is certainly
the modern tongue which is most similar to its ancient
predecessor. Primitive and rough, this barbaric language
seems to have been spread out of the mists of time, almost
unchanged, just like the violent and savage culture of
those who speak it. Surprisingly enough, variants of Wild
Vrok can be heard in places as far apart and different
as Arkland, Sylvan, and Fjaal, a testimony to the brutal,
common origin of all Wildfolk.
On the other hand, “Vrok” is what Ancient Vrok became
in the east, in the lands which the Thronelanders called
“Östheim”, and which now are the Stormlands. Its roots
are in the tongue of the Kremors and Wildbrons, but highly
modified by the influence of sea-faring Broths. Today, even
the few remaining tribes of wild Agroths and Wildbrons
speak Vrok, as it has become the common language of the
East. This language has a written form in runes, albeit the
system is completely different (and far simpler) than the
millennia-old runic system of the Dwarves
Looking westward, the situation is different. Here, the
ancestors of the Viranns spoke the “Ancient Rona”, while
“Thronelandic” (or more accurately, “Old Thronelandic”),
a western Human language influenced by Old Elven
Forneika, was the most diffused and prestigious tongue of
all, as its fame was definitively linked to the mighty, long-
living Kings of Throneland. Those two western languages
are dead today, but they mingled, intermixed, and evolved
into “Rona”, a tongue which, due to Ealdfolk influence,
became the main language from Westmark to Central
Mittland, from Viranno to Majnjord, including Carlonn,
Bysent, Runewiik, Bydland, and Fylges.
The strength of the Rona tongue obscured and replaced
the Ancient Vrok-related tongues of the once-wild and
proud peoples like the horse-riding Okis and Hanirs in the
west, while their eastern descendants, who mixed with
Kremors, still speak Vrok, in Dranvelt and Arji. These are
the only two Mittlander countries where Vrok is spoken,
even among those who converted to the Tenets of Nid.
The reason behind this peculiarity is not just the proximity
to Vortland, but also the common origins from Kremor
bloodlines.
It is worth remembering here that Trudvang is a vast,
enormous world, and all the above-described languages
should be considered more like “language groups”,
than tongues which are perfectly homogeneous
everywhere. The Vrok spoken in Wildland will
contain Agroth-derived words which may sound like
Wild Vrok, while the Vrok spoken in Dranvelt will
certainly have more Rona-imported terms. Even
so, both Vrok speakers would almost perfectly
understand each other, even if regional variability
will be clear to both. The same is true for the
archaic tongue spoken in today’s Throneland or
the Rona spoken in the royal court of Majnjord,
certainly richer in Elven and Old Thronelandic
words, than the Rona spoken in Whistergalp,
Silvtronder or Viranno, which is more like the
44
Ancient Rona, spoken at the time of Siro Werte. Even so,
all Rona speakers will understand each other, as well as
recognize the specific differences.
Furthermore, there are even rarer, more obscure
languages. One of them is “Estiatic,” a learned language
developed by the wisemen of old times, as they were taught
the old Elven lore and tried to adapt it to their own Human
ways of thinking. There is also the “Fjettirspá,” an advanced
and poetic version of Vrok, used for Gerbanian holy books,
albeit written in common Vrok runes. Finally, in a few and
very remote corners of Trudvang, it is possible to find small
enclaves speaking very ancient tongues, unrelated to any of
the above-mentioned idioms, like the exotic and mysterious
tongue of the Joarings of Dain. Nobody knows where those
very rare languages and cultures came from, but they may
well be relics of old times, before the Ancient Vrok-speaking
heathens spread throughout Trudvang, making the world
become what is today.
MITTLAND
Mittland is, above all else, a land of great heroes and
mighty deeds, a place sprung from legend and myth
where plains of high grass spread out as far as the
eye can see, upon which wild horses roam, majestic
and free. Gryphons soar above mighty mountain
peaks that cut open the red sun in the sky as if it
were an open wound. Rapids thunder forth and
grow ever wider as they slither across and around
the hills and cairns that stand testimony to the lost
warriors and kings of old that all Mittlanders seek to
join in glory. Mittland is a place almost frozen in time,
greater and wider than any other realm in Trudvang. A
place where danger is as connected with death as
it is with the chance for glory and great deeds. A
place where skalds record and immortalize the
people who lead their lives by the sword in
search of the moment where all will be counted and
they will go down in history for what they have done. It
is an awe-inspiring place unlike any other, savage and
civil all at once, caught between the Stormlands and
the Westmark, not only geographically, but also in spirit.
To the east, the faith in the Eald Tradition is strong, but
from the west the influence of the Westmark and the One
god Gave grows ever stronger. Just as religion unites the
Stormlands, it divides Mittland.
Mittland is also very fertile, considered to be the
greatest farmland in all of Trudvang. Wheat and rye
and a man’s harvest will determine his riches, and the
greatest families and clans are often made by the land
that they own and farm. So even though Mittland is iconic
in its tradition of heroes and legends, its true power lies
within the earth, and sets it apart from other lands as a
place of prosperity and great fertility.
But even so, the Mittlander is defined by battle. Here,
all men and women are created equal under the sun as
long as they can wield a weapon and use it to strike down
their enemies. Courage and bravery are considered to be
traits that all great Mittlanders must possess, and death
by old age or sickness is considered a great dishonor.
This is perhaps why most Mittlanders welcome death
in battle gladly, as it might be their chance to claim a
glorious end. This has led many Mittlanders to use their
shields to deal blows instead of parrying them.
However, no death is worth much unless a skald
or skwilde sings of it. The skalds are as revered as
dimwalkers (the most common name for holy men among
all the peoples of Trudvang) might be in other cultures, as
they hold power over people’s destinies. Legends told by
skalds have come to define Mittland and its people, as
many religions, gods, and systems of belief have sprung
from them. In this fashion, most things are legendary and
mythological in Mittland. Beasts, people, objects, and
poems all hold power and legacy.
THE EALD TRADITION
The Eald Tradition is a complex belief system that
still rules over the eastern parts of Mittland, while the
western parts (and Dranvelt in the east) are slowly but
surely being converted to the Tenets of Nid. The rituals,
culture, and so much of what Eald followers believe
and practice have their origins in what Malhewen
Trollseeker and his Ealdfolk established in Majnjord.
However, that belief system succeeded in spreading over
Mittland, since its roots were much older than the Age of
Prophets. The Eald Tradition syncretized ideas hailing
from both Thronelander culture and the numerous spirit-
worshipping cults which were spread over hills, forests,
and plains, on all sides of the Great Iron Tooth since
the time when men first appeared in the area, during
the late Age of the Jarnwurm. What started as a simple
worship of Whote has developed into a pattern of myths
and customs that are deeply connected with nature and
the four seasons. The Eald Tradition has evolved into
the worship of great deeds and battle due to the hostile
climate of Mittland. Gryphons soar high in the sky,
lindwurms lurk in the marshes, and thorn beasts come
down from the mountains to swallow people whole.
The Eald Tradition is centered around reverence of
heroes and their accomplishments. All Mittlanders
45
grow up listening to the stories, like those of the Exiled
Prince Halawén Longlife, the first Ealdfolk Malhewen
Trollseeker, the mythic of the First King Majne, Jowja the
Wurm-Killer of Bydland, and Adarik the Conqueror of
Arji. Bravery in one’s heart is the greatest trait that one
can possess, and lone warriors and heroes often have
more power and respect than kings and lords that hold
great riches. The old hero kings who lived their lives by
the sword before they rose to power are truly respected.
One will often hear in the songs of the skalds that a battle
was won by a single hero or a beast was slain by a lone
warrior. The greatest wish of a warrior from Mittland
is to have a song or tale written about their deeds. To
reach such status is the ultimate proof that you will live
on forever.
Not only are heroes revered within the Eald Tradition,
but so too are the weapons and objects they wield. They
are inscribed, decorated, and given names and legends of
their own. Items are often passed down from generation
to generation, and continue the legacy of a family or clan.
It is not uncommon that such a weapon or object will
become more famous than the hero who wields it. People
who set out to make names for themselves as heroes of
Mittland often seek such items.
Eald Followers are not organized in a uniform, well-
organized church like the Tenets of Nid, and its structure
is almost non-existant, being even looser than what
Gerbanis has. Furthermore, the dividing line between
secular lords, heroes, and dimwalkers is more blurred
than in other lands, since heroic kings and chieftains
may have a role unknown in other religions.
Even the terms used for describing holy persons
among the Eald Followers are various. The word “Bruid”
is the term most commonly used for dimwalkers, but they
are more “heroes to be” than formalized priestly figures,
as in the Tenets of Nid and Gerbanis. There are also
the “Lairds” which are often clan and village chieftains,
and the “Malhewens” (called after the ancient hero) are
heroes who wander for a higher purpose or to fulfill an
important oath. Bruids which are nearer to the Flowras
take other names (like Curadd, Rigfhennid, and Teyrn)
but these are rare these days, and the rarest of all is the
“Ardirgh,” a hero so beloved by the Flowras that he must
not obey any earthly king.
The Eald Tradition recognizes the existence of old
gods, but the vast majority of those ancient beings
are nowadays mostly too far from men to be properly
understood. As a consequence, the Ealdfolk religion is
more based on the worship of dead heroes and of the
nature spirits known as “Flowras” or “Creatures born
in flowers.” Some say that there are countless Flowras,
but five of them are major and most popular: Nyneveh
the Mistress of Lakes, Thanja the Lady of Forests, Magh
the Spinner of Fate, Nema the Wind of the Plains, and
Morgu, the terrifying Queen of the Battlefields.
Eald Followers also practice archaic rituals unknown
elsewhere, like the veneration of lindwurms. They both
offer victims to these dragons and hunt them, when
needed. As bearers of both fortune and disasters,
lindwurms are an essential part of Ealdfolk culture, as
they are linked with many stories of heroes.
Some of the most prominent and renowned beings
within the Eald Tradition’s mythology are Whote the
restless wanderer, Othwolk the guardian of Othwa, and
Shurd the lord of darkness and dragons.
Whote
The most famous of the old gods, the great wanderer,
maker of the ancient tree Yggdhraasil, and the father of
all mankind, Whote was the one who would not sit and
hearken but instead abandoned the other gods and spirits,
and with his ravens and great spear wandered out into the
world to experience it for himself. He is often depicted as
a huge man even though Mittlanders seldom pray to or
worship him directly. He loves Humans most, as they
are his creation, and he often concerns himself with
their business, which he learns a great deal about
through his raven messengers.
Othwolk
Othwa is the realm of heroes and the kingdom
of the fallen, and Othwolk is its undefeated
guardian. He takes the shape of a great wight, with a
cuirass of skulls and a huge axe, or as a black lindwurm
that lurks in the shadows. In the mists between Othwa
and Trudvang, he stands watch. He enters Trudvang only
to retrieve the ones who have left Othwa, for no one has
that right. He is the great warrior who will meet the fallen
and judge them at the gates of Othwa. He is both feared
and respected.
Shurd
If Whote is the protector and guardian of Humans, his
son Shurd is their greatest enemy. Shurd is a dark lord
and master of great beasts such as dragons. He battled
the gods in the Age of Dreams and he later forged
bindings of shadow to shackle Humankind. He loathes
all that is synonymous with light and life, and always
seeks to thwart the prosperity of the world. Only dark
and obscure cults dare worship Shurd today, as he is
shunned by most people.
THE MITTLANDERS’ TERRITORIES
This is a wide, ancient land, divided into countries and
territories by nature and beliefs. An ancestral tradition
of “Ring-Breakers” (an old title for Kings) rules the
region, but the heart of Mittland is now disputed by
opposing cultures.
Majnjord
This country’s once larger borders are now
confined between the fierce Ravelsford river, to
the Troll-infested Valkarook
forest and the mystic
Meawar woodland in the north-east. Majnjord takes its
name from the main city, the capitol of the mightiest
realm in Trudvang, where Kings of the legendary Kulhjan
line still rule. This is the center of Ealdfolk culture and
religion, where heroes and skalds are held in high
esteem. The current Great King, Aothwéin Kulhjan, is
almost 70 years old, but still controls with a firm hand
all the warlords of Majnjord: the six Speargothis and all
the lesser Fieldgothis and Bladegothis. This is a land
of fortresses and cities, and they all obey the throne of
Majnjord.
The venerable King never abandoned the old faith of
Whote and the Flowras, but he understands that his
country is slowly transforming. About four out of ten
Majnjordians have converted to the Tenets of Nid, as the
Kulhjan kings have never been repressive towards this
western influence.
Bydland
This land is pure wilderness: vast grass-covered plains,
occasional tree scrubs, lakes, and the “Havansridge”,
a series of hills and eskers, forming like waves over
the incredibly fertile “sea” of land. The Bydlanders,
mostly descending from the Okis, believe their country
to belong to the Flowra named “Nema”, and they never
surrendered to the Tenets of Nid. The horse is important
for the Bydlanders, as they mostly live as nomads in their
lands. There are only two cities here, Outwind and Blodt,
founded on the bones of Bloodfang, the white wurm killed
by Jowja. Today, Blodt is a multi-cultural city, sited along
an important trade route from Soj to eastern Mittland,
and it is visited by Virann and Stormlander merchants
alike.
Dragon Forest
This ancient forest, once called Lothlinke by the Elves,
is a place of many mysteries. The ancient Elven kingdom
of Tusilletalava once was here, but it was destroyed by
dragon fire aeons ago. Humans fear wandering the area,
as they believe there is a gate to Othwa, somewhere in
the mists among the trees. The failure of the Sixth Blood
Crusade in this forest just reinforced the superstition.
Arji
The independent farmers of Arji are organized in
“Grofanns”, groups linked by common ancestors, all
competing for land ownership. All disputes are settled
by the “Kralj”, who is not a king, but rather a judge who
summons a council in Isenbrant every year. The current
Kralj is Hengest II Bokrallas.
47
The “Broad Spear People” or “Arji” are the main
population. They were Kremors led by Ardarik the
Conqueror and who, mixing with Ealdfolk, stole the best
lands from the forest. The Hrejds were originally Kremors
too but, after mixing with Hanirs, Okis, and Ealdfolk,
they adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle. There are also the
Rippers, pure-blooded Kremors, always prone to revolt.
People in Arji are mostly Eald Followers, although
followers of the ancient Fjatterlaran heresy (mixing the
cults of Whote and Gave) can still be found here. Arji is,
in fact, a mostly isolated land, as all trade passes only
through Hverd, a strange mix between a huge market and
an occasional settlement, where wagons and tents are
always moving and changing.
Dranvelt
The Tenets of Nid is strong among the inhabitants of
Dranvelt’s coastline, where the faith was brought by the
mighty Belo Seoth. This is especially true in Ildebaad,
the seat of the most powerful King in Dranvelt. The
current king, Lyd the Great, is the only Vrok-speaking
monarch in the east to follow the Tenets of Nid, therefore
the Ovus has a special relationship with him. Dranvelt
has its share of minor kings and horse-riding nobles, all
subjugated to the King of Ildebaad, who nominally rules
everyone from his city to the border town of Ysholt, on
the Darkwoods’ limits.
The ancient Eald Tradition has not completely
abandoned Dranvelt, on the contrary, it is still quite strong
in the countryside, especially among the highlander clans
of Hoglaland. These fierce warriors consider themselves
independent from Ildebaad.
A few Stormlander merchants of the Storm Hansa also
inhabit the southern coastline, having fortified the small
harbor of Runbelt. The hinterland here is dominated by
the Hornwife Forest, a wild woodland infested by Trolls
and, according to some, even a Spider God.
Fylges
This land of steppe and lush plains, sometimes called
“Fair Fylges”, was once the core of the empire of the
horse-riding Hanirs, a people open to dialogue and
external influences, just as their land was. Enclosed by
the Ymergate and Gunnra Mountains, at whose feet dark
forests prosper, Fylges has always been the first natural
raiding target for the Wildfolk of Sylvan. The Bults in
fact, have tried to conquer this country and its rich salt
mines for ages. It was during one of those invasions that
the Majnjordian horsemen came to help and remained,
intermarrying with the locals. The Eald Tradition is still
48
strong here, as nobody cares about Nidhist missionaries.
Fylges is not a unified nation, but it is divided into tribes,
clans, and city-states, ruled by a loose collection of petty
local kings and trading families. They all meet at the
“Fylgeting”, where descendants of Hanirs, Okis, and
Ealdfolk all gather once every three years in Hwut. This
is the only major town in the country, ruled by traders
of Hanir blood and it rests atop a system of shiny caves
rich in “white gold”: the salt which has attracted so many
invaders throughout the centuries.
Runewiik
This is a land of fortified farms and very few towns. The
peoples are organized around the concept of “Hilkaar”, a
collection of small farms spread over the same landscape
and controlling the same countryside, all obeying a
chieftain or council of elders. Vast tracts of lands are
uninhabited, or were wasted by centuries of warfare
and pillage. Due to its position, as a crossroads between
Mittland and Westmark, the plains of Runewiik have
witnessed countless battles, including the most famous
one, the Battle of the Five Spears.
The Tenets of Nid has a firm hold on the country, as only
a quarter of the inhabitants are Eald Followers, and they
are mostly clustered in the wildest north-eastern part of
the country.
Hrisej is the largest settlement in Runewiik,
although most of it is in ruins, having been
pillaged countless times. Its “Queen”
or “Tiskla” is traditionally advised by
Nidhist clergy, and she is considered
to be the main ruler in Runewiik,
although her power is in reality pretty
feeble outside Hrisej.
Dwarves have been here for so very long, some people
even say longer than the Elves. It is said and sung that
the Dwarves came from the sparks that were emitted
when the shaper Borjorn struck his mighty anvil with his
hammer and created the world. When these sparks hit
the ground, they took the shapes of worms that slithered
about and hid beneath rock and stone. Borjorn noticed
the sparks and was fascinated by their transformation.
He started to shape the worms and bestow them with a
consciousness, the power to craft, and strong and sturdy
souls. Ever since that moment when the worms became
what we today call Dwarves, there have been three types
in Trudvang: the Buratja, the Borjornikka (Gray Dwarves),
and the Zvorda (Troll Dwarves).
Today the Dwarves live in the underbelly of the world
known as Muspelheim, maintaining unchanged their
ancient traditions under the rulership of Thunes and
Storthunes, their equivalents of jarls and Great Kings.
They keep to themselves and hammer away by their
burning logi furnaces, forging things of such might and
beauty that ordinary folk cannot fathom the craftsmanship.
But the Dwarves, however stubborn, have no choice but to
communicate with the outside world, and it is most often

MUSPELHEIM
In the wild Nhoordland there is only
one people who embrace a certain level
of ­civilization: the Dwarves of Tvologoya
in the realm of Muspelheim. They are
steadfast and durable, like the mountains
they live under. They do not allow themselves
to be bothered or moved by arbitrary things
and events, standing where they always have
unlike the Humans that wage war or emigrate
for even the smallest reason. The sons of soot
and stone value that which is lasting, that which
remains, and those things that are as they always have
been, like the mountains. This is perhaps because the

49
the Borjornikka that deal with traders of the southern
Stormlands or the parts of Mittland that exist in the
shadow of the Great Iron Tooth.
The Buratja keep to themselves and labor by the
lava rivers of the deep chasms. They do not seek to
communicate with or understand others, and are perfectly
happy to simply do that which they do best: craft. They
spend so much time by the anvil and the logi furnaces that
their very skin has evolved to withstand their heat. The
Buratja are the greatest crafters of all the Dwarves.
The Zvorda Dwarves are sometimes called Troll Dwarves
by common folk. This is because of their immense size
and strength and their more brutish appearance. These
Dwarves often labor as warriors, masons, or tunnel
diggers, and lead lives of great unrest and weariness. This
50
may have to do with the fact that, until the Age of the Iron
Dragon, the Zvorda were few in number and were very
lonely folk.
THUULDOM
The Dwarves of Muspelheim worship the Mountain itself.
They believe in the stone, in its inner workings and the
precious metals within. Holy Dwarves are known as rune
smiths, or Thuuls. They are the ones who hold sway
over the mountain and the art of shaping it into things so
precious and near-divine that not a living soul in Trudvang
could hope to mimic them. Thuuls have learned the
secret ways to study and refine the mountain and its raw
materials. This art is worshipped by all Dwarves. The rune
smiths can spend days, weeks, and even years finding the
perfect materials and components for their divine craft.
It is as if they seek precious stones and metals that were
made by Borjorn himself for the sole purpose of being
used by the Thuuls.
This is by far the most important mission that the
Thuuls have in the everyday lives of Dwarves. Certain
minerals, gems, and ores have a single purpose. Some
are meant for weapons, and others for armor, houses,
or tools. Not until a Thuul receives a vision of what a
certain piece of rock should be used for can it be worked
by other Dwarves. Such destinies can be as mighty
as being the jewel in a king’s crown or as humble as
being a step in a stairwell. It is the “Kutjatti”, the Will
of the Mountain. When a Thuul receives such a vision,
they place a rune upon that rock, and its purpose is
then known to all. Some parts of the Mountain remain
unmarked for long periods of time, sometimes entire
ages. These mineral deposits and their purposes are
unclear to the Thuuls, and thus remain untouched. The
Dwarves have deep respect for such deposits, fearing
what slumbering power resides within, and avoid them
until they are marked by a Thuul. The Dwarves do not
know what events might be set in motion or what forces
might be called upon if they were to dare tinker with
such a rock. Therefore, entire cities can be constructed
around a single block of stone or a deposit of minerals
that has no known destiny
Dwarves know the names of many mysterious gods, like
Yukk the Snake, the fire-eyed Gutka, Brokk the Skillful
and Pezka the Dark. However, they also avoid naming
them, treating such entities only with superstition, always
fearing their wrath. Only the Runes and the Will of the
Mountain help Dwarves make sense of the world, anything
else is just worthless.
Borjorn
The great maker and shaper, Borjorn is believed to
have created the Dwarves and perhaps even the very
mountains themselves. When he struck his great anvil
with his mighty hammer, sparks erupted. From those
sparks, worms appeared and crawled around at his feet.
The worms slithered away to dig nests and homes under
the rock. Borjorn quickly grew fond of the worms, as he
did with all his creations. He saw that they loved the rock,
the soot, and the Mountain, and that they seemed to have
a connection with these things. He gave them souls and
hearts of their own, and the power to shape the rock that
they loved so much. He also gave to them the kingdom of
Muspelheim, where the Dwarves now dwell, deep in the
underbelly of the world.
51
The Mountain
If there is one thing that is holy to the Dwarves, it is the
Mountain itself. It is their home and the place from which
they draw their power. Their entire culture is centered
around the Mountain and the stone that makes up its
shape. Therefore, the Mountain is revered more than
anything else in Dwarven culture.
When Dwarves speak about the “Mountain”, they may
refer to a specific Mountain or to the wider supreme
spirit dominating the whole of Muspelheim, or to the
idealized concept of a Mountain or, maybe, to all these
things together. Elves and Humans never understand,
but Dwarves do not see contradictions in using the word
in such a way. The Mountan is all those things and even
more. Nothing in the world makes sense for the Dwarves,
if not seen and analyzed in comparison to the Mountain
and its Will, the Kutjatti.
In a world where nothing can be trusted, where the
ancient gods cannot be approached due to ancestral
superstitions, where everything continuously changes, the
Mountain remains the most comfortable ideal for Dwarves
to trust in.
THE DWARVES’ REALMS
Muspelheim is an enormous underground world,
encompassing the whole of Trudvang. During the past
millennia the Dwarves have established countless
colonies and it is impossible to list them all. What follows
is a list of the main Dwarven Kingdoms known by men,
using Human names, while the Dwarven names are given
in brackets.
Trilheim (Tvologoya)
The most ancient and greatest of the Dwarven realms
spans countless miles under the Great Iron Tooth.
Nobody really knows how large Trilheim is or how deep
the Dwarves have really dug after so many millennia,
since this underground empire is more a collection
of countless subterranean regions, rather than one
single, continuous place. Furthermore, Trilheim is
nowadays a fractured realm, as the Great Storthune,
the Borjornikka Dwarf called Syloga Sosyra, Blood of
Adakk, who got the title by force and treachery, has
not managed to be recognized as the single, legitimate
authority.
The upper levels, known a “Gydanski”, are filled
with mines, border settlements, and Troll-infested
areas. The middle levels, or “Tvolgorad”, is where the
great city of Novskorsk rests, the traditional center of
power, where the Great Thune sits on his throne in the
magnificent Chambers of Norg. The lowermost levels,
or “Nifulong”, are inhabited mostly by the Buratja
smiths who have dared to build their fortified colonies
in the vastness of these dark and mysterious caverns,
where spirits and beings older than Trudvang itself
wander.
The Ymergate Mountains (Brokmuskrym)
This once mighty realm is now divided among at least
seven major Thunes and countless lesser leaders,
of both Borjornikka and Buratja breed. Civil war and
competition are now constant, as they all dream of being
recognized as the sole heir of Grigorg Brokmusk, the
mythic first Great Thune of this realm. Dwarven seers
known as “Eigle Thuuls” have all had discordant visions
about what to do. Something unnatural and dark rests
in the depths on this kingdom and, even if nobody has
ever seen it, it may be the supernatural source of so
much strife.
Djutt Mountains (Dalmtatzba)
This once important kingdom is almost completely
destroyed, as sea waters invaded its tunnels. Daalheimers
almost ignore that a few Dwarves still live here, as Dwarves
have always avoided them.
Gunnra Mountains (Dorg Gromitza)
The “Realm of the Five Halls” exists in a perpetual state
of warfare against the Trolls which have invaded its lands.
Three cities have been lost centuries ago and, since that
time, Dwarves have been waging an eternal war against
the invaders.
Erzmir
This is a huge chasm opening in the plains of Sylvan. The
Wildfolk fear approaching it, even if the know the area to
be rich. Borjornikka Dwarves have built a vertical kingdom
on the chasm’s walls, and their main products are coal and
possibly the most beautiful gems in Trudvang.
Glitthamn (Glitzmakulji)
Today’s second-mightiest Dwarven kingdom in
Muspelheim lies in the middle of Fjaldgand Ridge.
It was founded millennia ago by exiled Borjornikka
Dwarves of the Blood of Trodnikk, who were destined
to die in the Endless Dark Chasms. On the contrary
they prospered, causing wrath and envy in Trilheim, and
conquered the greatest natural deposits of “Glitzaljas”,
magical crystals which emit light, and which are traded
everywhere in the underground world. Happiness
52
cannot last forever in this world, as almost half a
millennium ago the southern half of Glitthamn was
conquered by Borsjev, or “Bloodmaw” (as Humans call
it), the largest Jarnwurn seen since ancestral times. The
Dwarves still dream of retaking what has been taken
from them, but no new army has dared attacking the
dragon for a long time.
Graydeep (Grunkovorda)
Located in the wild Trollridge Mountains, this ancient
and once powerful realm of the Borjornikka Dwarves
is now divided into five different, separate holdings,
without a single central authority. Graydeep was once
the main rival of Trilheim, but centuries of warfare over
the depleting Mitraka veins have destroyed that unity.
Nowadays, Thunes rarely fight, but their separated
realms are divided by miles and miles of underground
tunnels, ancient holdings filled with treasures and,
unfortunately, Troll tribes which are very numerous in
these mountains and which have conquered some parts
of the kingdom. Stormlanders covet the marvelous items
crafted by Dwarves here, but only very few of them are
traded, and then for a very steep price.
Sootbrand (Muspelgnist)
The only fully-Buratja Dwarven kingdom is sited on the
north-east of Trudvang, hidden somewhere between
the Great Iron Mountains and western Wildland.
A Master Smelter, Beldor Blood of Angor, and not
a Great Thune, rules this proud kingdom, whose
entrance is forbidden to all strangers, especially if they
are Humans. The Buratja here are masters in Mitraka-
crafting and have built their holdings on the ruins of a
much older Dwarven kingdom, the legendary Sparklur
(Lovlinjikka), whose deep halls were sealed with
powerful runes, after the invasion by the mighty wurm
called Unghorvin. The blood and the ambitions of
Saukka the Conqueror run deep through the Buratja’s
veins here, and sooner or later vengeance will be
brought upon the Wildlanders who dared to resist the
Dwarves, so many centuries ago.
Thoordunn
This unified kingdom of Borjornikka and Buratja, located
between Whistergalp and Thoorkaal, has been almost
destroyed by a catastrophe a few centuries ago, when
poisonous gases infiltrated the tunnels. From that time,
the Dwarves have lived mostly on the Mountain’s surface,
and have tried to recover and protect what they could of
their lost treasures.
NHOORDLAND beasts. Tvologoya or Trilheim is the kingdom beneath the
mountains in Muspelheim, where the Dwarves of soot
Nhoordland is untamed wilderness. Its main feature and stone dwell.
is the Great Iron Mountains, or “Jarngand”: it is the The Wildfolk are a barbaric and untamed people
greatest landscape in the far north, and stretches from that live all across Nhoordland and beyond in the
the shorelines of the west to the cold forests of the east. wildest corners of this world, from the deep forests and
In its midst sits the mountain range of the Great Iron inaccessible mountains of the Stormlands to the coasts
Tooth (or “Jarngandskilen”) that splits the land in half of Sylvan and the war-ravaged land of Thoorkal in the
like a great tooth, its peaks so high and inaccessible west. They are often viewed as unsavory characters,
that not even the greatest Giants or well-traveled
Dwarves have managed to tame or master them. Like
a great wall, the range stretches across all of Trudvang,
and protects the world from the dark forces of the
unexplored north.
Nhoordland is home to the legendary and mythological
forest of Darkwood, which is known far and wide as a
dangerous and treacherous place. Under the cover of
its gnarly and twisted branches, tribes of Trolls and
wurm-like dragons keep secrets untold, unfathomable
to Humans and Dwarves. A few fierce and independent
tribes of the Korpikalli Elves live here, separated from
any contact with the civilized settlements of the southern
coasts.
The Great White (also known as “Isvidda” or the “Great
Ice Plains") is also considered part of Nhoordland,
a region of icy plains where no Human, Dwarf, or Elf
dwells, or at least this is what most people in Trudvang
believe. Here the land is so cold, dark, and ancient that
it is nearly uninhabitable. The snow lies so deep and
cold that most people cannot summon the strength to
travel through it. The barrier made by the mountains
reaches so high and are so ice-clad that no explorer
could hope to climb them. Many a brave adventurer lies
buried beneath the ice and snow, slain not by foe but by
weather. Here the great frost giants, the Hrimtursirs,
roam the landscape and build great castles of ice.
Here the wind bites the skin like a thousand icy
daggers and moves great mounds of snow with
such fury that some say Stormi himself seeks to
subdue the landscape. The Great White is the
true domain of the wild.
Nhoordland is so vast that many people and
creatures call it home, including dragons,
Wildfolk, Trolls, and many others. But
when people talk about Nhoordland,
most speak of two kingdoms: one
above ground and one below. Arkland
is the name of the kingdom in
western Jarngand, where the wild
Arks roam with their horrid thorn

53
with a nature more like that of beasts than of Humans.
They view themselves differently, and call themselves
“Hwelpor,” or the Wildborn. Comprised of smaller groups
and peoples connected by their savage way of life and
culture, they include tribes like the Amurs, the Bults, the
Kandovs, and the Arks.
Wildfolk live in hidden places that others find hard
to access. They dwell in deep forests, high up in the
mountains, and in abandoned hillforts and cairns far from
the watching eyes of others. Their way of life is barbaric
and primitive, and they value strength and conflict as the
only true meaning in life. Most Wildfolk live like nomads,
moving from place to place without settling for too long
in any one spot. They are also held together by Haminges,
the dark faith.
HAMINGES
Haminges is the dark and barbaric faith practiced by the
Wildfolk and the Trolls of Nhoordland. The backbone of
the religion is simple: strength. Followers believe that
the soul has power, and that within every living creature
resides its strength and might. They believe that this
soul can be controlled and whipped into submission
and, in the end, consumed. When you kill a body in
which a soul resides, that soul and all its power will be
transferred to the one that struck the killing blow.
Those who practice Haminges worship violence,
battle, bloodlust, death, and chaos. To be strong and
hold command over others are awe-inspiring traits
in the religion. The Wildfolk and Trolls that follow
Haminges have started many a war and slain many foes
in the belief that by doing so they grow stronger. This is
also why many Wildfolk, Trolls, barbarians, and other
evil creatures don the skulls and remains of their slain
foes, not only to display their power but also to enhance
it. Because of this, Haminges is often connected with
cannibalism.
The practitioners of Hamingers completely lack any
resemblance to a formalized, hierarchical religious
structure, as their dark religion is directly connected to
the tribal and primitive ways of life of Wildfolk. Shamans
can be known by many obscure names (e.g. arkoja,
honnajorl, thowatz) which all mean the same, “Coercer
of Spirits”. The difference between religious and secular
authorities is often blurred, if it exists at all, since many
dimwalkers become chieftains using their roles in the
Dark Faith, claiming a commonality of identity with a
specific dark god.
The most prominent gods in Haminges are Gellti the
Dark Mother, Vigan the Giant, and Mastru the Deceiver.
54
Gellti
One can say that the goddess Gellti is the aspect of life for
those who follow the dark traditions of Haminges. She is
the great devourer and the dark mother. Gellti both gives
life and takes it away, as she eats from the corpses of the
dead and then gives birth to new life from her womb. She
is heavily connected with the earth and all that grows,
but also that which withers and fades away. Sometimes
female dimwalkers take the title of “Gellti” if their fertility
and dark aspects give them authority.
Vigan
The leader and destroyer. Vigan is often depicted as a
great Giant wearing a bone mask, and those who wish
for power in battle or victory often make sacrifices to him.
His great strength comes from his size and brawn, but
primarily from the wailing souls he gathers and consumes
as he treks across Trudvang. Violent dimwalker chieftains
sometimes assume the title of “Vigan”, and are often
masters of warfare.
Mastru
The master of lies and deception. The Great Deceiver.
Mastru is an untrustworthy god, poorly thought of and
often depicted as a slender and crooked man with a ram’s
head. He holds the power of falsehood and truth, and
since no one can truly know the ways of Mastru or how he
wills things, no one trusts him. However, it is impossible
to ignore him since he holds sway over luck, and those
who cast him aside often find their luck failing them.
dimwalkers who assume the role of trickster in a tribe
sometimes assume the title of “Mastru”.
THE WILDFOLKS’ LANDS
The fierce bearers of Wildfolk culture are spread
throughout Trudvang, mostly inhabiting border areas
avoided by civilized people, living a violent and savage
life which is a relic of long-gone times, when Humans
were more like ferocious beasts, surviving amidst an
unforgiving nature.
Arkland
The North-Western side of the Great Iron Tooth is the
home of the savage Arks, whose feral culture is spread
among the mountains and deep valleys. The bloodthirsty
Arks are born to fight and kill, as they live and die only for
waging wars. Due to their cruel fame, they are often hired
by unscrupulous warlords as mercenaries, albeit their
ferocity and untrustworthiness are well known. Arkland
is not a united country, as their tribes are divided among
different leaders, called Bloodsworn and Warsworn. Their
tribal economy is based upon slaves taken as captives from
other nations, and they use them to harvest and treat the
Thornroot, an intoxicating drug on which Ark culture
is based. The Arks are also known to breed and
ride the flying animals known as Thorn Beasts,
whose ferocity is feared everywhere in Trudvang.

Fjaaal
The Amurs live in the barren north-west,
among cold plains and grim forests, said to
be inhabited by demons. Orally-transmitted
myths suggest that the Amurs’ ancestors
once lived a more civilized lifestyle,
before the great city of Amur
was razed to the ground by
Hrimtursirs from the Great
Ice Plains, about 2,000
years ago. Constantly at
war against countless
Troll tribes, the Amurs
are ruled by warriors
called “Enhärjare”
or “Einharjis”. The
strongest among
them ride tamed Garms,
wear bear pelts, and
display gruesome body
parts as trophies from
tortured enemies. The
town of Amurir (also known
as Stormihafn) is inhabited by
Stormlander colonists who came
here 500 years ago. Due to their influence,
many Amurs have been converted to a dark
version of Gerbanis, worshipping the Gods
of Chaos. The Amurs have good relationships
with the Dwarves of Glitthamn, as they
produce coal for them.

Thoorkaal
This volcanic country is an incredibly
dangerous place to live, having been shaped
so, according to local lore, by the wrath of
Ygghala, worshipped by the locals as the Fire
Lady of Logi, Muspeljotuns, and Logiwurms.
Earthquakes are common here, while the
vegetation is sparse and poisonous, except
for those animals and men who were bred
in Thoorkaal. The only river here is Ygghal’s

55
Tongue, whose waters are warm, due to geothermic
phenomena. Many Troll tribes wander its banks, while
giant snakes swim through its perillous waters, which
can be crossed only by using bridges. Only the beautiful
Orkhelm forest seems to have been spared by Thoorkaal’s
curse, although this may be due to the presence of Elves
and Yggdras.
The wild men who live in this country, the Thoorkaals,
paint their dark-skinned bodies with ashes and charcoal
while they dye their spiked hair red. The Fire Priestesses,
the “Orla”, lead these bloodthirsty nomads, who have
always been incredibly resistant to any attempt by Nidhist
missionaries to convert them. Only the vitner-cursed ruins
of Goldum, illuminated by an eteneral flame at their middle,
attest that civilized lifestyles were once known even here.
Visenthia
Many rivers cross this land, like the Vittna River in the
west, and the long, elaborate water courses which spread
out from the end of the great Ravelsford, forming an
incredibly vast delta here. The neverending swamps of
Visenthia are plagued by eternal mist and, according to
many, ancient dark vitner curses and demons. Many are
the stories about what the fog hides; ancient Dwarven
ruins, or even a place known as “Stongherd”, a gateway to
Dimhall, and the Ovus has proclaimed an edict, banning
all the faithful from entering Visenthia.
Only the Boglanders live here, a breed of incestuous
savages whose filthy huts are built on poles. Many scholars
consider Boglanders to be even more animalesque than
other Wildfolk. Physical deformaties are common due to
inbreeding, as well as a ”gift” for mastering Dark Vitner.
They do not follow Haminges, but an odd cult focused on
worshipping their ancestors’ bones and snakes.
The Havma Forest has grown in the moist landscape.
Here one can find rare Trollbreeds, specially adapted to
aquatic life.
The only port in Visenthia is the poor Daalheimer colony
of Dalefish.
The westernmost border of Visenthia has a few civilized
towns, like Peaceville and Visentine, mostly inhabited
by Westlanders with trading interests along the Vittna
River. However, these settlements have recently declined
in prosperity, due to the spreading of plagues and the
numerous attacks by the Raubritters, evil outlaws from
Whistergalp.
Sylvan
The savage Bults of Sylvan are reputed to be the best
warriors in Trudvang. They claim to descend from both
56
the mythic hero called Hrong the Great and a huge female
bear known as Raak. Sylvan is a barren, rocky land, framed
by the Dragon Forest and the stormy seas. Furthermore,
even if the muddy waters of the Blaack River host a
variety of fishes, most of them are not very nutritious. This
economic paucity is the reason why Bults have invaded
their neighbours countless times throughout the millennia,
always attempting to expand their holdings to find access to
new resources. These bloodthirsty Bult armies are feared,
as their invading forces may go without sleeping for many
nights, due to the heavy consumption of the Tunglis drug.
Bults have honed their skill at warfare so much that
even Virann knights or Stormlander Berserkers have
occasionally come here to learn or refine their fighting arts.
Bults are not ship-borne people, but they have built a small
harbor town in Vodd, where Stormlander shipwrights are
hired to build the best vessels, used by the Bults to sack
Daalheim or Dranvelt. Sylvan is not a unified country,
being divided into three smaller kingdoms whose borders
continuosly shift, as the constant wars evolve.
SOJ
It is known by all people on Trudvang that the Elves live
on Soj, an archipelago far to the south in the stormy Althis
Ocean. They came from beyond the rim of Trudvang,
where everything is dark and cold and silent. Like spears
of burning starlight, they blasted down upon the surface of
our world with their gods and makers, the Vanirs. When
the Elves and the Vanirs came to Trudvang, many things
had already been shaped and crafted. But this new people
of starlight came to grow and make many things of their
own. They laid seeds in the earth that soon blossomed into
forests deep and enchanted, and thus, together with their
gods, they created much of the world that we know today,
including their home of Soj. They made it into a place of
untamed nature unlike many other places in Trudvang.
The stormy Althis Ocean smashes against great jagged
sea rocks that rise so high that those who have never seen
them could not fathom their enormity. The forests are so
deep and the gnarly dwarf pines grow so tightly next to
each other upon dark lyktgubbe moss that not even the
most skilled adventurer can hope to traverse them without
risking becoming lost forever within.
The land has been allowed to become like this since so
few Humans have settled upon Soj. Apart from the island
of Daalheim (ruled by Stormlanders) and parts of Edras
(settled by Thronelanders), Elves rule supreme on Soj.
They do not interfere with nature. They do not farm the
land or cut down trees to fuel furnaces. No, they live in

harmony with the land, and they do not stay in one place
very long to avoid harming the flora around them. Like
nomads, they move from place to place, always seeking to
uphold the balance of nature.
To understand who the Elves are today, one must
understand their history and their relationship with their
gods, the Vanirs. For the times of prosperity and beauty
would not last for long on Soj. The wurms, dragons, came
from their blackened pits and spread their dark wings to take
Trudvang as their own realm of chaos. The Elves and the
Vanirs rushed to defend their creation and defy the dragons.
The two battled side by side, the Vanirs seemingly unscathed
57
by dragonfire, and together they turned the tide and held back
the oncoming darkness. But so it was that one day the Elves
went to do battle, and the Vanirs did not join them. The Elves
were abandoned by their makers, and had to face their foes
alone. The Vanirs watched from afar as many Elves fell to
the fire of the dragons hiding in the shadows. And so, in the
end, the Elves paid a mighty price for their hard-won victory
against the dragons. When the Elves sought the Vanirs to
ask why they had turned their backs in their people’s hour
of need, the gods were not there anymore. The Vanirs had
left Trudvang and returned to the cold darkness whence
they came. Unable to follow their gods, the Elves could do
nothing but watch the stars grow ever smaller in the night
sky as the Vanir drifted farther and farther away.
And so the Elves were left to themselves. They wandered,
unsure what to do with themselves now that the Vanirs were
gone. Soon, they found that they were beginning
to grow old. Time had caught up to them,
for when the Vanirs left, they took
with them the Elves’ immortality. The
Elves began to die, as they had never
done before. Generation by generation,
their bloodline grew thinner and
thinner, and the lives of Elves
grew shorter and shorter. From
this almost cataclysmic change,
two groups began to take shape: the
bright Illmalaini and the dark Korpikalli. The
Star Elves and the Dark Elves. The two peoples
were divided in their view of the gods. The Dark Elves
cursed the Vanirs and raised their fists in anger toward
the makers that had left them, vowing never again
to acknowledge the gods or call upon them. The
Star Elves, however, sought to understand the gods
and why they left Trudvang. They view this time as a
trial that they are meant to overcome, so they must
persevere and not lose faith.
Illmalaini make up the majority of Elven kind in Soj
and very few of them wander across the southernmost,
warmer forests of Trudvang. On the other hand, Korpikalli
are more commonly found in the darkest forests of the
north, especialy the immense and dreaded Darkwoods,
but they are also present in the Copperwoods, in the
southern part of Ejdland.
There are myths about other, rare kinds of Elves
in Trudvang, like the mysterious “Talviakka” (the
“Frozen Ones”) or the immortal Norim Elves, reputedly
descendants of the “Nor’Imalein” or ”the First”, the closest
to the Vanir, but also of their descedants, the mortal Iron
Elves, of which even less is known. Scholars believe that
58
those ancient bloodlines, as well as many others, were
extinguished long ago during forgotten aeons, leaving only
the two most known kinds of Elves wandering the lands
of this world.
Very few immortal Elves remain on Trudvang from
the time of the Vanirs, but they can be found, if only in
dreams and visions. They are the relics of an era which is
long gone, and whose perfection is bound not to return to
Trudvang.
TOIKALOKKE
Toikalokke is the name for the divine practices learned by
Elven stargazers and priests (though the Elves call them
the “high gifts”, after the “high gods”). Those who master
these gifts are called Ihana. The Ihana decipher the stars
with the help of their Star Harps, in an attempt to contact
the departed gods, the Vanirs. By doing so, they learn the
ways of the gods, what trials they have placed upon the
Elves, and how the Elves might again walk in their bright
starlight. Some Elves decipher the stars to understand
current events, to draw power, to gain advice on what to
do next, or simply to meditate and calm their senses.
The Vanirs and the Stars
When the Elves arrived in Trudvang, they shot down upon
its surface like great spears of starlight with their gods and
shepherds, the Vanirs. Together the Elves and the Vanirs
made many a thing of great beauty and magnificence, and
they brought into existence deep forests, roaring rapids, and
chirping birdsong. But when the Elves’ hour of need came,
when dragons of soot and fire marched out from their deep
pits to do battle, the Vanirs were not there. The Elves had to
endure this great war alone, and even though they stood as
victors when the end came, they paid a mighty price. Alone
and confused, the Elves wandered the surface of Trudvang.
Some shunned the Vanirs and turned to the deep forests,
but others wanted to understand the gods.
The Elves believe that the stars that shine upon the
night sky are in fact signs of the Vanirs, drifting in the void.
The ones who seek to decipher the patterns of the stars
to understand the Vanir are called Ihana. By using their
star harps, they can know if the gods are coming closer
or drifting farther away, and perhaps what their intent is.
SOJ ISLANDS
The Soj Archipelago is known especially for the Elves,
albeit they are not the only inhabitants. Not including
Daalheim (which is culturally part of the Stormlands),
there are three main islands in Soj, but the Althis Ocean is
also filled with countless minor isles.
59
Oskla
This is a sacred island, access is in fact strongly
prohibited, as the Elves actively enforce this ban. It
was here that the Dwarven hero, Fudorov Skiljov, killed
an enormous Jarnwurm, only to be later killed by the
Elves, triggering in this way a millennia-long enmity.
Himmgrim, a vast dark forest made up of only dead
and charred trees, lies in the northern part of Oskla.
According to the Elves, dragonfire has been in action
here. Nobody returns alive from these woods, as nobody
knows what threat lies in its center. Daalheimers have
tried to build houses on this island, but their colony
failed and only ruins remain.
Samia
The largest of Soj’s islands hosts the last-surviving Elven
city from the Age of Stars: the holy Valkalainen, lying
amidst the beautiful Valtoris forest. Valkalainen is a city
like no other in Trudvang, as the houses are built hanging
from trees and are connected by bridges.
Samia is the first place seen by the Vanirs and Elves
when they arrived in Trudvang, and also the site of
the first battles against the logiwurms. The land is
filled with beautiful natural sites, sacred springs are
everywhere. Trees here are taller and more majestic
than anywhere else, while flowers are more beautiful
and the soil is more fertile. A Few Trolls are reputed
to live in the Poyotta Mountains, albeit more peaceful
and friendly by Troll standards. Hunting grounds are
indredibly rich, and the Elves enjoy them. Everything
is perfect in Samia, as if it came out of a dream, almost
always reflecting the happiness which was experienced
during the early Age of Dreams.
There are a few isolated ruins of old human settlemens,
built by Thronelanders and others, but they are all
deserted these days, as their human inhabitants died
long ago.
Edras
The Thronelanders of old times founded two towns
here, Edron and Ywol, receiving land from the Elves, and
they are still ruled nowadays by Thronelandic laws and
traditions. Thronelanders and Elves have been living
together in harmony here for centuries. The Pohanta
forest is deep and dense, and it is home to Elves who like
to wander around the island in a nomadic lifestyle. The
Tring Mountains are impressive, even if they are not the
tallest Mountain range in Trudvang. They contain Stallik,
a small colony of Buratja Dwarves who try to avoid both
Thronelanders and Elves.
THE STORMLANDS
From the Wildfolk of the north and west there came
a people that today are known as Stormlanders. This
grizzled and hardy folk, bound by their traditions,
customs, and faith in the Great Storm, live and do battle
against the forces of nature that seek to overthrow their
settlements in the eastern parts of the world known as
the Stormlands. The Stormlands is the most iconic and
wild land that often comes to mind when thinking about
Trudvang. With roaring rapids, deep and untamed
forests, snowy mountain peaks, and treacherous
alpines, it is a hard land where nature still rules with
a greater power than in other parts of the world. Here
one lives in close contact with nature, both in spirit and
in labor, as there is no other choice for the people who
have decided to live in such extreme environments.
The summers are short but fruitful, and the winters are
long, barren, and dark. It is religion, above all else, that
binds the Stormlands together as one. Before Gerbanis
came to be adopted by the Stormlanders, most folk
simply worshipped loosely connected nature deities
and their forefathers. No raid, ruler, or common cause
was so great that it would unite the peoples of this
harsh land. In the end, it was the god Stormi, blood
gifting, and belief in the Great Storm that united the
Stormlanders as one people.
Many warriors of the Stormlands shave their
heads after their first killing, and keep on doing so
throughout their lives while others, especially among
the Wildbrons, keep wild long manes. Stormlanders
love wielding broad axes and their frenzied rage is so
great that some liken them to the vicious Wildfolk of
Nhoordland. The Stormlanders are, of course, more
civilized, even though they are descended from such
folk.
The borders of the different countries that make
up the Stormlands are loosely defined. They change,
expand, and decline as new jarls and chieftains rise to
power. Jarls, Shieldjarls, Swordjarls, Fylkjarls: many are
the names of Stormlander chieftains and their powers
and titles change, as their communities are conquered Djunghart, and Daalheim (an island closer to the Elven
or expanded. No single king can rule over all these archipelago of Soj but ruled by Man, nonetheless). The
fiercely independent warriors, and even the Paater’s sole Stormlands is home to the legendary forest of Wildheart.
religious authority is often questioned. As skirmishes Many years ago, three peoples arrived in what is today
break out here and there, land is taken, lost, and then known as the Stormlands. These are today known as
taken again. It is often said that a jarl’s land is no greater Kremors, Broths, and Wildbrons. A fourth, later group,
than that which his sons can successfully claim. Even so, was known as the Agroths. They settled here and lived
the Stormlands is clearly made up of these countries: off the land. Eventually, they started to mix together and
Wildland, Vortland, Ejdland, Fynnheim, Nojd, Dain, transform into what is today known as the Stormlanders, a

60
people that have traits from all these groups. Something of
these ancient tribes still exist in small enclaves throughout
the Stormlands. There are, for example, large settlements
of Wildbrons that remain, though they are often frowned
upon or even resented by common folk. It is not uncommon
that jarls and chieftains will hire Wildbrons to boost their
fighting forces, as these tribes are known for their rage
and bloodlust. It is also not unusual for these tribes to
break loose, and they are often the instigators of many
conflicts throughout the Stormlands.
The religion of Gerbanis primarily binds the Stormlands
together as one land where Stormi, the “Allfather”, rules
over the people in their everyday lives. Lives that are
imbued with myths and tales of heritage, a culture of
fertility and sacrifice, and a deep reverence for nature.
The Stormlanders are heavily shaped by the somber
environment that they live in. They are hard, resilient,
steadfast, and deeply traditional. It is perhaps because of
this that the Stormlanders are deeply wary of magic and
that which they cannot understand. Combat, axe, shield,
and sword are things that are easy to wrap one’s head
around. Some Stormlanders might be able to fathom
being given powers by nature and Stormi after a blood
gifting, but magic woven and used as a weapon is deeply
troubling and mysterious to this people. This has led to the
Stormlanders being a superstitious folk who prefer that
which is tangible and quantifiable.
GERBANIS
Most Stormlanders worship the great god Stormi and
the deities that live by his side. Stormi is the Allfather of
the religion that has been given the name of Gerbanis,
after its original prophet, Gerban Hvungdir. The “Great
Faith” proclaimed by Gerban never was a monolithic,
monotheistic religion like the Tenets of Nid, but it is rather
a complex mythological system, whose roots may even
be older than Gerban himself, and which is permeable
to the inclusion of other, local (and sometimes even
prehistoric) cults. Many Stormlanders in fact expand their
belief beyond their devotion to Stormi and worship their
forefathers, the moon, and other nature deities, like the
Wolf-cults and the Bear-cults. There are even stories about
ancient, dark, death and life deities of the Broths to be still
worshipped by some, although this may be untrue, and
the stories exist just to hide the dark, secret rituals held
in honor of the Hvergelift by fallen and desperate peoples,
hidden in the darkness of the forests.
The religion of Gerbanis is one that is imbued with the
rite of sacrifice. Stormlanders make Blood Gifts to the
gods and to Stormi himself to wish for a good harvest, a
61
merciful winter, or even to save a dying person from their
fate. The greater the favor you ask from the gods, the
greater you must sacrifice. A firstborn son is considered
to be one of the most powerful things to sacrifice. A blood
offering is usually held at a ritual spot where a Blot Pole
has been raised, and the offering is drained of its blood
by a sacrificial blade. This blood is then drunk by a priest
and showered over others who take part in the Blood Gift
using a Blot Broom.
All the Gerbanians in theory respect the supreme
religious authority, the Paater of Vortland, and are
expected to pay at least some homage to the Gerbanian
dimwalkers, the Stormkelts, and their superiors, the
Bryckers. In reality, the religious structure is not so
tightly established and evenly organized throughout the
Stormlands as the Church of Nid is in Westmark. The
Paater has a direct and supreme power in Vortland, where
Bryckers are more important than jarls and chieftains, but
the religious structure in Dain, Djunghart, or in most of
the rest of Wildland is much looser, even if they have their
own share of Stormkelts in those countries.
The diffusion of Gerbanis’ clergy is anything but
homogeneous. Larger Stormlander settlements have
monumental “Stave Churches” where Stormi is venerated
by rituals overseen by scores of high-ranking Stormkelts,
with many specialized “Stormbarling” poles for sacrifices.
However, most small villages and isolated farms have to
wait whole seasons before proper rituals are held, since they
have to share the same, poor and wandering Stormkelt. This
is a further reason why cults and rituals, more ancient than
Gerbanis itself, are especially common in the countrysides,
especially in nations farther from Vortland.
Gerbanis is, more than anything else, the religion of
the Stormlanders, and not something to be spread by
converting non-believers. Gerbanis is the reason why
all Stormlanders feel themselves to be part of the same
ethnic identity, even if there are some who do not respect
Gerbanis at all. There are a few instances where Gerbanis
has been spread to non-Stormlanders (e.g. in Fjaal), but
this is rare and the ancient beliefs are often perverted and
changed.
Those who follow Gerbanis view the universe as a great
chaos storm filled with evil and eldritch forces that seek
to penetrate the world, with Trudvang in the eye of the
storm. When a person dies, they are cast into this great
storm and must take heart and be strong to navigate the
maelstrom without being consumed by evil powers. If they
succeed, they will find their way to a great green country
where allfather Stormi rules. But the storm must be braved
over and over again, for often Stormi will venture into the
darkness of chaos and battle the forces that reside there.
Those who have managed to reach him will accompany
him into the storm and do battle at this side. Therefore, it
is not necessarily a bad thing to die young and strong in the
Stormlands.
Gerbanis has a great number of gods, which are split
into three categories: Stormasirs (storm gods), Hvergelift
(chaos gods), and Vanerlift (death gods). Stormlanders
usually worship only the Stormarsirs, which include not
only Stormi, but other gods like his mother, the wise
Windinna, his half-brother Enken, his son Jorn, and his
daughters the beautiful Sunvei and the vengeful Tyrd.
Stormi
The allfather, god of wisdom, might, and wind. His
chainmail is blackened by the fire of a thousand wurms
and his strength is supreme. Stormi is the main god in
the Gerbanis pantheon and the god that is most tightly
connected with this barbaric and ancient religion. A
mighty black ring is his symbol, revered by all who follow
Gerbanis. In fact, on his arm, Stormi bears a mighty ring
of iron named Gutra that empowers him with the strength
of a thousand dragons and a thousand Giants so that when
he thrusts his mighty spear into his foes, the very fabric
of reality trembles. None can defy his physical might, and
with it he defends the weak and the ones that pay tribute
to him. He dwells in the midst of the great chaos storm
and gathers his warriors to join him in the final clash when
the powers of chaos must be subdued.
Jorn
The aspect of night, the son of Stormi, and the god of those
who dwell in the shadow. Jorn is night incarnate. He slithers
and weaves around the world, stepping from creature to
creature without ever being noticed. You can never be sure
where his motivations lie or what his true intent really is. He
is cold and cunning and can never be captured or caught,
even when he battles the other gods. For when he wraps the
cloak of Fjorsvartnir around himself, he is as abstract and
unfathomable as darkness itself.
Enken
The eyes and ears of Stormi, he who sees all, he who
on the final day will call upon the warriors of the storm.
Enken, the god of nature and the protector of animals, is
sometimes seen as a great bear. He observes the small
things and the great things in the world and is constantly
watchful. At any time, Enken can shapeshift into any beast
or animal that he wishes and thus can be anywhere and
see anything. He is the aspect of freedom and vigilance.
62
THE STORMLANDERS’ TERRITORIES
The lands once known by ancient Thronelanders as
“Östheim” is now divided in a mosaic of peoples who all
identify themselves as Stormlanders.
Daalheim
The youngest of the Stormlands was founded a few
centuries ago by Ejdlander adventurers who landed where
the city of Hvergil now stands, as the largest Human
settlement of the Island. Most of the rest of Daalheim
is uninhabited and dominated by spectacular natural
features, like the monumental Djutt and Hellak mountain
ranges and the wild Vislatt river. Elves once lived here, but
nobody knows why they left. A few Dwarves still wander
the semi-drowned underground kingdom of Daalmtatzba,
but they avoid the Daalheimers.
Dain
This barren land of old volcanic plains, marshes, and
sparse forests is where the people known as “Joarings”
were pushed out by the ancestors of the Stormlanders,
east of the Trollridge Mountains. The Joarings are an
ancient, treacherous breed, still prefering the use of
bronze and used to sorcery, intrigue, and conflict. They
worship an alien pantheon of strange gods, unknown
to others. The few Stormlanders in Dain inhabit some
rare settlements on the coast, trading and often fighting
with the Joarings.
Djunghart
This land, south of the steep Trollridge Mountains, hosts
the ruins of a fallen Troll civilization, which nobody knows
how to interpret. Djunghartians are a breed of large-limbed
and yellow-eyed brutes, who have an exaggerated hate and
fear for any vitner weaving arts. Most people believe that
these Stormlanders have too much Troll blood in their
veins. They are ruled by “Drotts”, chieftains who all belong
to the same “Great Lineage”.
Djunghart is a land of steep coastlines and occasional
beaches, whose sand is rusty brown in color. Many
Djunghartians are raiders and pirates, and they compete
with the Sea Wolves of the Hartpike Islands. Redborg is
the only decently large city, and has a large harbor too, as
it lies on a common stop on the trading routes to Mittland.
Ejdland
This country is a collection of Jarldoms inhabited by
the descendants of Wildbrons, Kremors, and Broths
who colonized the coastlines surrounding the mystic
Wildheart forest. They mostly obey the three Shieldjarls
of Saaga, Trollmark, and Outwind, which form the
Council of Ejd. A few pure-blood clans of Wildbrons still
inhabit the inner parts of the Ejdland peninsula, hiring
their swords to the highest bidder among the various
competing Jarls. Elves, possibly of the Korpikalli breed,
are said to still live in the Copperwood forest, but they
mostly avoid contact with the Humans.
The city of Saaga is the most important settlement of
Ejdland, where the Council of Ejd meet, and also one of
the main ports along the coastal trading route to Mittland.
Fynnheim
A mythic Elven kingdom was said to exist in this river-rich
land during the Age of Dreams, but it is now inhabited
mostly by the descendants of Broths. This is a fertile
land, divided in many parts by the rich east-west water
63
courses. Many prosperous Stormlander settlements can
be seen here, and they all obey the three “Stormi Kings”
or “Prästkungars” (Priest-Kings), belonging to three noble
clans (Eskla, Njal, and Forvagra) which use Gerbanis as a
way to legitimize their power.
Magnerym is the religious center of Fynnheim, and the
power center of Urdi Njal, who is both a Storm jarl or
Stormi King and Brycker of Fynnheim. This large town
hosts the Glaserkalk, one of the largest Stave Churches
ever built.
The northern border of Fynnheim is marked by the
Bjarnwood, a dangerous forest where Trolls wander, and
which in ancestral times was connected to Wildheart.
North of the forest there are the Icepeak Mountains, whose
rocks are so hard and whose landscape is so inhospitable
that no Dwarf has ever managed to build a colony there.
Nojd
The Stormlanders in Nojd are a divided people. Those who
inhabit the countryside define themselves as “Children of
Broin”, using the name of the mythic ancestor who led his
people here. They are savage and varied in their cultures and
religions, as they inhabit a wild land of forests and mountains
(on this side of the Trollridge), where every settlement is
isolated. On the other hand, the Stormlanders on the coastline
are more civilized and connected to the other Stormlands.
Nojdans traditionally meet in seasonal markets,
organized at nearby religious sites, rich in monoliths
and other monuments, belonging to ancestral cults. The
Gerbanians have colonized these markets, building Stave
Churches on the ancient sites, trying in this way to more
properly convert the Nojdans to Gerbanis.
The merchant-ruled city of Fengsale is among the main
harbors in this land, and a center of trade with Mittland,
especially with Dranvelt.
Vortland
The descendants of the Kremors dominate this country,
which is also the center of the Gerbanis faith, since the
Paater sits here, in Stormrock. This city is a marvel to see,
rising as a granite spear from the plains. It is here, in this
country, that the epics of Gerban developed, and to be a
Gerbanian is an important part of Vortlander identity.
Here the Stormkelts are more important than clan
chieftains and jarls, as it is also a land filled with history
and memories. The exiled Thronelanders here founded
King’s Call, whose ruins still impress travelers, and whose
stories are still sung in sagas.
There is a strong connection between Vortland and
Fynnheim, as the two peoples are often allied, given how
important the Gerbanis faith is in both their societies.
Wildland
This vast land is the northernmost Stormland, inhabited
by descendants of the Agroths and Wildbrons who first
colonized it. Wildland is both a land rich in millenary history,
as well as an eternal frontier, where Humans cannot hope
to completely tame the savage nature of the North. The
Hagtorn kings once ruled here, when Wildland was known
as the Copper Kingdom, due to its vast copper mines,
which are nowadays almost completely exhausted. Today,
the land is ruled by the various Fylkjarls who meet together
at the Fylk-Thing to decide about common problems, while
usually every clan or family rules its own lands, as they
please. The Council meets at Storhavn, which is the main
harbor of Wildland. The city is ruled by an independent
Swordjarl, not bound to obey any specific Fylkjarl.
64
WESTMARK
The lands of the West, known as Westmark, are ruled by
the great Viranns. Westmark is a realm of wisdom and
knowledge. Its people are not short of great heroes or
strong armies, but the Viranns do not value such things
as highly as the Mittlanders and Stormlanders do. In
the beginning, they were just a quiet fishing people who
wished for nothing else than to be left to themselves in
peace, far away from any unrest or conflict. But this was
long ago, before Gave came to the people of Westmark.
That was a time of darkness and despair. A time when
the people of Westmark were thrown into shackles and
marched into the north, never to be seen again. This was
an age when Trolls, barbarians, and Wildfolk ruled over
the lands of the West, and the peaceful Viranns were
enslaved by their evil. When Viranns tell of this time, they
call it “the Darkness before the One.” And such it was
that the One indeed came one day.
Siro Werte was a crownless king, a man from a
knightly family. He looked out at the lands around him
and didn’t see Westmark that he knew and loved. He
wished for nothing more than to free his people from
these evil masters, so he swore on that day never to
rest his head or lay down his blade until the Trolls were
undone and the Wildfolk had been driven back to the
mountains. And so Siro went forth and fought his wars
all across the land. What began as small skirmishes here
and there soon developed into great clashes between
armies of thousands in open fields and by the moats of
castles. More and more came from all over Westmark to
join Siro Werte in his conquest, and time and time again
he was victorious: it seemed as if no foe could slay him.
It was whispered that Siro was sent by a divine being,
for he had spoken of visions that showed him how the
One would arrive and finally defeat the darkness. All this
turned out to be true, as one day this deity came down
from the blackness above and, with Siro Werte, undid the
darkness and drove evil back to the pits whence it came.
This god’s name was Gave, and he blessed the Viranns as
his children. Since that day, the people of Westmark have
been strong and united under the Tenets of Nid, and the
One true god, Gave.
Westmark is the home of knights, great rulers,
philosophers, and holy men. It is a place driven by
knowledge and war. The influence of Westmark is
widespread and its religion, the Tenets of Nid, is perhaps
one of the strongest in Trudvang, as it daily converts new
followers to its teachings. The countries that make up
the core of Westmark are: Silvtronder, Bysent, Carlonn,

Viranno, Throneland, and Whistergalp. Fjaal that lies to
the north of Silvtronder, and Thoorkaal that lies to the
south, have more in common with the Wildfolk and are
therefore counted among their lands, even though the
Viranns themselves consider Fjaal and Thoorkal to be
parts of Westmark.
THE TENETS OF NID
The Tenets of Nid revolve around the One god Gave. He
is the True Allfather, the creator of the world and of all
living things. He came from the nothingness before even
65
he was shaped, and from that nothingness he separated
light from darkness, and that which was from that
which was not. He is the One, almighty and all-seeing.
Those who follow the Tenets of Nid believe that Gave
is the only true god, and all other deities should not be
recognized as anything other than simple but powerful
nature spirits or, in some cases, dark entities that can
be likened to demons. Those few who, to some extent,
recognize the existence of gods from other religions see
them as minor deities on a much lower level of divinity
than the One Gave.
The Viranns believe that they are the chosen people.
That they were once angels beside Gave and are thus, to
some extent, divine. They believe that their angel blades
(shoulder bones) bear witness to the wings they once wore
before they fell from grace. In the end, they will be lifted up
by Gave as long as they remain true and walk by his side.
They believe that the reason other creatures have similar
bones is that they too can adopt the One Gave and become
his servants. If you live your life free from blasphemy and
heresy, you will be lifted up by the One. If you do not, you
will be cast down into darkness.
The Viranns of Westmark formed their society around
their religion to a great extent. Many wars and battles
have been fought in the name of the One, trying to convert
other peoples to the Tenets of Nid. The great blood
crusades are spoken of with fear across all of Trudvang.
For instance, many parts of western Mittland have been
converted to follow Gave and his teachings. Many holy
men in Westmark hold great power. Greatest of them is
the Ovus, the spiritual leader of Westmark. People gather
in churches and temples to pay tribute and listen to holy
men who, like the Ovus, read from the Scriptures.
The most common ones are the Gavlians, the
Nidhist dimwalkers, and the Rowthguards,
the dedicated holy warriors which blend
the otherwise secular knightly traditions with a
fanatic cult of Gave. These men are thought to be the
spokesmen for Gave, shepherding people into the light
and away from darkness. This power is not only used
to lead people into the light, but also used to imprison
those who live in darkness, to torture blasphemers, and
to punish heretics.
Gave
He is the One. Gave is the creator of the world and all that
dwell upon it. He is light and his judgment is swift, just,
and absolute. In the time where everything was nothing
and there were neither beginnings nor endings, Gave was
first. Deep within the void he sprang from the expanding
nothingness. He separated light from darkness, that which
was from that which was not, and he found that he wielded
power over creation itself. He crafted everything from
nothing, and he brought into existence the first beginning.
Siro Werte’s vision revealed to him that Gave was nailed
on a dark oak by the work of demons. This is the reason
why both men and women among the followers of the
Tenets of Nid braid their hair, as the braids symbolize
the branches of the tree where Gave died to save them.
Knowledge and salvation were spread from Gave’s blood
on the oak tree, and all believers know how Gave came
back from the dark realms of the dead to save his people.
Gave, the One, is the central figure in The Tenets of Nid.
As his title implies, he is the only god and therefore the
entire religion is centered around him. In fact, the entire
world is centered around him. For those who follow the
One believe that other religions are not in fact religions
but, rather, obscure traditions or perhaps even outright
blasphemy centered around supernatural beings, like
Stormi or the dark entities of Haminges, which are
certainly not gods, but only inferior spirits born from
darkness. On the other hand, life and death circles only
around Gave, for he made it so.
Simag
The false prophet and archenemy of Gave, Simag is the
most powerful demon that has ever existed. Cast aside
by Gave in the time when Humans still bore wings, she
despises the One and all that he loves. She wishes to
corrupt his creation, which is why she spreads her dark
seeds all across the world. Always she carries a bag
filled with seeds of evil that she plants within all that
draws breath and can carry out her will. Even the most
powerful beings and deities of evil bow before Simag in
her kingdom of Blotheim. Legions upon legions march
shoulder to shoulder from her fortress of darkness, ready
to do her bidding and plunge the universe into chaos. It is
not surprising that the crown that sits upon her dark brow
is the most prominent symbol of darkness and evil in the
Tenets of Nid.
WESTMARK’S TERRITORIES
The Viranns inhabit numerous lands in the West. This is
the core of the Tenets of Nid faith, albeit this religion is not
equally strong everywhere.
Viranno
This is the cradle of the Nidhist faith and the home of the
ruling Ovus, who sits on his throne in Erviddor, a city which
is claimed to be the largest in the world, albeit this claim
66
clashes with what others say about Majnjord. Viranno is
one of the mightiest Westlander nations, whose border on
the north is the fierce King’s River.
The Ovus rules the land, and the present one is called
Ovus Sulpi, who has adopted a reclusive political role in
today’s Viranno, but despite this, he is extremely popular,
as he is considered to be the holiest man in the world. For
centuries this land has been dominated by Gavlian priests
and those brave holy warriors known as Rowthguards.
There is also a complicated system of councils, all
subservient to the Nidhist Church’s power. The lands
are organized in “Gesters”, groups of related farms and
families, each one choosing their representantives to
send to the councils.
After the curse of Morva, the number of available male
heirs has collapsed, which means that many women are
taking on, often in an unofficial way, previously unknown
positions of power and authority in Viranno, something
which was unconceivable a few centuries ago, and about
which many traditionalists complain.
Silvtronder
Two important things are reflected in this country’s name.
The first is “Silver”, whose rich deposits in the Silferspiir
Mountains have made Silvtronder rich and prosperous,
and the second is the “Ronder”, or “Sigil”, the symbol
of the Knight’s Laws, which have ruled this country
since time immemorial. This is in fact a land of Knightly
Houses and Knightly Orders, all under the leadership of
the Silverking, usually chosen from House Gavlond, and
who has authority over all other houses, each one led by
a minor Ironlord. The Tenets of Nid nicely combined with
local knightly traditions, inspiring generations of heroic
knights and defenders of the people against evil Wildfolk
and Trolls.
The current Silverking is Sang Alben Gavlond, a hero
and valiant warrior, strongly allied with the Ovus in
Viranno, but also unfortunately cursed by a lack of sons
and heirs. The royal seat is in Silverport, the magnificent
White City built in shining white sandstone. According to
some scholars, Silverport rests on the ruins of Perlenne, a
mythical Elven city of the Age of Stars. This is the greatest
harbor of north-western Trudvang, a hub of trade and
civilization.
Carlonn
Three things are well-known in Carlonn: the ever-present
ferns, the widespread use of poison, and the firm rule of
the Tenets of Nid. This country is in fact a vassal kingdom
to Viranno, ruled by a Prince who owes direct fealty to the
67
Ovus. The Prince commands over 100 elite Rowthguards
called Droplords, each one wielding a special Pendulum
Axe as a symbol of their power and authority, and ruling
over a number of knights and farms. Also part of the
system are the 100 Carlonnian Gavlians, each one holding
a special Oak Staff and ruling over a monastery. The whole
system is conceived to keep the Nidhist Church strong and
also to collect the “Blood Tax” to help spread the Word
of Gave through either missionaries or wars against the
heathen Wildfolk and the evil Trolls.
When great Blood Crusades are proclaimed,
Carlonnians are always amongst the most numerous
participants. Divisions between rich and poors are in
fact strong here, and the only hope of social ascension
for Carlonnian serfs is to volunteer as a Blood Crusader.
They serve the Ovus in battles abroad, to return after 10 or
more years as “Thegs”, or Free Men, exempt from paying
the Blood Tax and worthy of full respect, due to having
fulfilled their duty to Gave.
The current ruler, Princess Chrotine, is only 12 years
old, and she was raised to the throne too young, as her
father Godshaft was poisoned three years ago. This is the
reason why the tyrannical Droplord Gelimer acts as her
guardian. They sit in the fortified city of Erkhast, which is
Carlonn’s heart, resting among a landscape riddled with
tunnels, quarries, and mines, from where Carlonnians get
stone, iron, copper, salt, and even silver.
Throneland
This rugged highland over which wild Gryphons fly
display some of the most impressive landscapes in
Trudvang. Throneland is the most ancient and long-
lasting Human kingdom, as it was founded early during
the Age of the Queen. Its partially Elven-inspired culture
has been felt throughout this world for centuries,
especially with the later Ealdfolk, and their myths and
legends which shaped so much of the Eald Tradition in
Mittland. Thronelanders do not care or know much about
the Flowras worshipped in Mittland, as the Ealdfolk did,
but they keep a pure and untouched worship of Whote.
The cult has remained unchanged through the millennia,
due to the Thronelandic love for the “Manjaval”, the Song
of People and Gods, transmitted since time immemorial.
Nidhist missionaries have never been succesful here:
Oakchurches were built just to be abandoned. The truth
is that, even considering momentary conflicts, Viranns
unconsciously feel a kind of bond with Thronelanders,
as attested by their frequent alliances against common
enemies, as demonstrated in the war against the dreaded
Cloackmaster, 400 years ago.
68
Throneland is still ruled by Kings of the Whotgall bloodline,
whose lives are still long by human standards, but nothing
compared to what their ancestors had, when the immortal
Elven blood was less diluted in their veins. The incredibly
more-than-100-years old King Eomenric Whotgall still sits
on the throne of his ancestors in Ard Kumpu, the Heavenly
Throne on the Cnoc na Stuin (the ”King’s Mountains”). On
the other hand, the largest city of Throneland, Erwhain, lies
on the fertile lands of Erowi, north of the glowing waters
of the Artenskimmer Lake, on whose shores golden fields
shine. This has always been a prosperous center, less
cerimonial than Ard Kumpu, but exploiting the fishing and
rich trading routes on the Artenskimmer.
Bysent
Descending from the Kandovs and masters of mining, the
Bysentians live in the divided, sparsely inhabited country
east of the Fjaldi River, with no single king or knight ruling
them all. A loose confederation of elders keeps the many
communities of herders and farmers culturally linked.
The presence of occasional Nidhist monasteries and rare
Rowthguards attest to the alliance with the Tenets of Nid,
as well as being the only organized military force with the
power to repel the centuries-old attacks by the Arks from
the mountains. Of the ancient Bysentian Dragon Knights,
not much remains, except the House of Avold, whose
very few knights are still dedicated to fighting wurms and
Wildfolk in the Sooty Mountains, respecting the heritage
of Daurglung Blackbeard.
Legends speak of the lost times of the Daurglung and
his sons, the Dragon Kings, and of how their heirs will
one day come back and make Bysent a kingdom again but,
as a matter of fact, Bysentians have no alternative but to
rely on the Nidhists for their protection. Some pockets of
archaic cults, possibly linked with rougher versions of the
Eald Tradition, still linger on the borders of the country,
especially in the Sooty Mountains and along the upper
Darken River, but their lives are even harder, due to their
proximity to Wildfolk and Troll threats.
Whistergalp
This land was once green and prosperous, until a century
ago when earthquakes and poisonous gases made it more
similar to the cursed Thoorkaal. Gavlians have investigated
the matter but, at some point, they all decided to abandon
the land, without revealing what they found. Throughout
all of Westmark, people have started murmuring that
Whistergalp’s decay reflected some unknown betrayal
of Gave. Relationships with Viranno are now difficult, as
many Rowthguards have started plundering Whistergalp.
The few Elves who live in the forest of Kantergriff testify
about the dusk that has settled over the country, and
prepare for the inevitable.
This is a ruined realm in a constant state of civil war.
Four different noble human families have been fighting for
Whistergalp since the day that Gavlians left: the Klodviggs,
the Hugleik, the Grimolds, and the Herrenstaals. This
last family was strong due to their traditional alliance
with the Dwarves of Thoordunn, but its leader has been
recenly murdered. In reality, only the outlaws known as
Raubritters are the real winners in this situation. The
fortress of Iggland is becoming a dangeous place, as
savage Thoorkaals and even vitner weavers have been
ammasing under the banner of warlord Swandell, surely
planning to conquer the realm.
FURTHER INSPIRATION
This chapter’s aim is to give the reader glimpses of the
complexity of Trudvang. More light on many regions and
cultures will be shed in future sourcebooks, however GM
and players alike may want to expand the world with their
own creations. In order to keep the same feelings and
flavors, it is important to underline how Trudvang evokes
ancient worlds and nordic cultures which really existed,
and whose languages, names and words can be used to
mimic specific parts of Trudvang. However, Trudvang is
not a straight reflection of our old world, since multiple
influences intermix in this world’s cultures.
✦ Stormlanders are definitively inspired by early-medieval
Norse culture, but they are not just empty copies of Odin-
worshipping Vikings. In fact, one can even trace elements
of Slavic and even Mongol folklore, tales and mythos, as
reflected by their grim religion, dark forests, and warlike
culture. Old Norse names are definitively widespread,
but the use of other names is not unheard of.
69
✦ Mittlanders’ culture is definitively inspired by the old
Celtic culture, like ancient Irish legends and the Old
Welsh Mabinogion. However, Mittlanders are not pure
celtic warriors. The focus on heroes, lindwurms, and
kings may reflect ideas appearing in the Old English
Beowulf, the Niebelungenlied and even some Icelandic
sagas. This is further confirmed by the presence
of celtic names mixed with anglo-saxon/germanic
names, as Whote, clearly a version of Wotan, and the
Yggdhraasil tree
✦ Viranns’ culture is a knightly one, but not inspired
by the courtly stories and shining armor of later
troubadouric literature. The warriors of Westmark
are depicted in a darker hue, reflecting the zeal of the
early Norman crusaders and later Teutonic knights,
intermixed with ideas and themes from early medieval
Frankish culture, as well as Alemannic inspirations,
as demonstrated by the use of names evoking old
germanic inspirations.
✦ Wildfolks’ names may sometimes sound like Mongol
or generically Central Asian. In reality, their cultures is
not created using a single inspiration, but they should
always appear fierce and proud. All Wildfok are barbaric
members of an ancestral culture which has remained
pure and untouched, even after millennia.
✦ Elves are melanchonic, always longing for the
immortal happiness they experienced with their
lost gods, or fiercely rejecting its memory to ensure
a stronger link with nature. Their names clearly
betray Finnish inspiration and the influence of the
Kalevala.
✦ Dwarves are deeply linked with the Old Nordic myths,
living underground and being masters of runes and
craftmanship. However, there are also some completely
alien traits, as demonstrated by the Baltic and Slavic
influences which may be traced in their names and in
their words.
70
ADVENTURING IN TRUDVANG
While one or two sessions of play are often a single
adventure, several adventures strung together is called
a campaign. During a campaign, adventurers will
encounter different environments and experience many
things.
There’s more to Trudvang than meets the eye. This is a
living, breathing world, where the player characters need
to deal with hostile environments, deceitful merchants,
and disease-ridden Trolls. But there are also helpful
travelers, knowledgeable mythspinners, and chieftains
eager to see the adventurers reach their goals.
Trudvang is place of many tales, of thousands of
myths and a myriad of legends. The player characters
have the opportunity to shape their fate, to become
heroes that the skalds and fulkas will sing about for
many years to come.
The campaign is their story, their moment to shine.
ENVIRONS OF TRUDVANG
The various environments of Trudvang Adventures, as
well as the effects they may have on the characters and
their situation, can be at times very dangerous and even
deadly.
Trudvang is a world sprung out of sagas and legends. It’s
a place of mystique, where nature has greater power than
Elves, Humans, or Dwarves.
The deep woods, with their endless shade and moss-
covered rocks, hold unimaginable secrets and treasures.
Wild rapids roar as if they were thunder itself. Maleficent
Trolls lurk in the shadows, but sneak out to kidnap Human
children once darkness falls.
Under the firs’ needle-clad branches, a distant hooting
breaks the silence. From behind the boulders comes the
noise of snapping branches. And in the dark of night, you
see piercing yellow eyes from afar that follow your every
movement.
All this and beyond is the vast continent of Trudvang.
The Elves say that it takes a raven with quick wings
at least one moon cycle to fly from north to south, and
twice that to fly from west to east. But it would take a
hiker several years, perhaps decades, to fully wander
this extensive realm. And in this unforgiving land, strong
wind, heavy snow, and driving rain meet wanderers
wherever they turn.
71
TERRAIN AND NATURAL HAZARDS
There is, of course, a huge variety of different terrain and
environments in the sprawling lands of Trudvang. Below
are brief descriptions of some of them, along with a small
selection of the dangers that one may have to overcome
when dwelling there.
Forest
Forests dominate a lot of the landscape of Trudvang. They
are guaranteed to be dark, mysterious, and full of secrets.
The forests hide not only Trolls and dangerous monsters,
but many other wonderful and horrific things.
The forest is a special environment because it usually
remains unaffected by the spread of civilization. Certainly,
one can find a few areas of deforesting and clear-cutting that
testify to the destructiveness of people, but usually forests are
a pristine wilderness that boasts towering trees and ancient
moss, a testament to the region’s supernatural resilience.
One of the biggest problems with venturing into a forest
is that travelers very quickly lose track of where they are.
Many become hopelessly lost, and in their eagerness
to find their way back, they make foolish mistakes and
succumb to the hardships of the wild.
Fighting in a forest is also quite difficult. Both the trees
above and the undergrowth at your feet hide the enemy
and restrict movement, something that the Game Master
should consider whenever fighting breaks out here.
Vegetation
The forest has all sorts of surprises, some dangerous
and some surprisingly welcome. Dense vegetation could
hide trolls and goblins, but may also serve as protection
against rain and wind. Vegetation may, in itself, become
an important component of an adventure. Moss-covered
trees, ferns, mushroom fields, and valleys of blueberry
shrubs can be fantastic details to include when describing
a forest. The more developed the forest and its vegetation,
the more mysterious, exciting, and fun it will be for the
players. Just the massive trees themselves may constitute
a complete adventure.
There are many varieties of trees in the forests
of Trudvang. The more common include standard
pines, spruces, birches, and oaks, but there are also
more unusual species. In the eastern forests you may
encounter troll pines that are gnarled and whose
needles shift from gray to green, copper oaks renowned
for their incredibly sturdy wood, or black bear oaks and
willow spruces. In the west, one may encounter iron
oaks, whose wood is black as coal and whose hardness
is known throughout Trudvang. And though they are
incredibly rare, you may encounter elfarka trees in the
southern parts of the continent. Of all types of wood,
elfarka is perhaps the most legendary alongside copper
oak. Whereas copper oak exhibits almost magical traits
and is full of vitner, elfarka is so strong that it is often
considered a metal rather than wood. There is also
the most mythical wood of all, that which has its own
consciousness and is said to be filled with such magic
that it can shake the very foundation of Trudvang: the
yggdra trees.
Natural Hazard: Trollbog
Trollbogs are waterlogged bogs, deep within forests. Trolls
and other creatures often prowl and hunt in these parts of
the woods, though the area is difficult to traverse. Fog and
mist shroud these bogs, which makes it even harder to get
a good bearing and sense of direction.
Trollbogs are difficult terrain. All Wisdom (Survival)
checks to find the right path or stay on track are made with
disadvantage.
Natural Hazard: Ground Erosion
Moss and other plants on the forest floor in many
woodlands and forests hide crevasses and deep cracks
where the ground has eroded. When a creature moves
onto an area where the ground has eroded, it must make a
DC 10 Dexterity save. On a failure, it takes falling damage
dependent on the falling height, and lands prone.
Natural Hazard: Vitner-Tainted Ground
Deep within the forests of Trudvang are places where the
vitner has become tainted. The tree limbs are twisted,
and malignance lingers in the air. When you roll to see
if a Surge of Vitner happens, you roll with disadvantage
within an area that is vitner-tainted.
Mountains
The mountains of Trudvang can be wonderful and
beautiful, but also inaccessible and desolate. The sharp
edges of the ranges are difficult to pass, so typically people
find ways around the mountains rather than go over them.
The mountains form barriers between countries. Many
times, they have prevented war, but just as often their
glittering interiors have caused it.
Some mountains consist of seemingly infinite, craggy
surfaces of gray stone, while others are lined with
lovely forests. Rock faces with splendid cliff sides are
72
present in virtually all the countries of Trudvang, and
powerfully evoke emotions such as grief, sadness, or
humility. The most impressive range of all is The Great
Iron Mountains, which stretches all the way from the
Stormlands in the east to Westmark in the west. This
incredibly dense range is one long magnificent fortress
of stone, snow, and ice. The utter desolation one
experiences in the mountains is often absolute, so few
come here for any reason.
Natural Hazard: Landslides
Wandering in the mountains is usually a harrowing
ordeal. The ground is hard, the visibility is poor, and the
road is incredibly difficult to focus on with all the snow,
ice, and cold winds. As if this weren’t enough, you will
also need to watch out for landslides. It can be a minor
collapse that only drops you a few yards and skins a knee,
or the ground may simply disappear beneath your feet
and plunge you tumbling toward certain death thousands
of feet below.
When a creature is hit by a landslide, make a Strength
saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes bludgeoning
damage and is pushed to the edge of the landslide (see
below). On a successful save, the creature takes half
damage and manages to hold its ground.
LANDSLIDES
Size DC Damage
Small (15-feet cone) 10 3d6
Medium (20-feet cone) 15 4d6
Large (25-feet cone) 20 5d6
Huge (30-feet cone) 25 6d6
Gargantuan (35-feet cone) 30 7d6
Natural Hazard: Ravines
Most people can wander the mountains even without a
clear path. If you have all the time in the world and are
careful, you can ascend into Trudvang’s peaks. But when
you come to a ravine, there’s no option but to stop. Only
experienced mountaineers can cross these treacherous
rifts in the earth. It takes careful planning and equipment
to cross these chasms, and to try on your own, without
a guide or experienced climbers, usually ends with a
predictable death.
Ravines are difficult terrain and require a clever use of
skills and climbing kits.
Ocean and Sea
The oceans of Trudvang are endless, dark, horrifying, and
tumultuous. They are as dangerous as the deepest forests,
and as treacherous as the snow-clad mountains of the
Great Ice Plains. Foaming waves crash over small boats
that try to weather the seas, and wash wailing sailors
overboard into the depths.
But the oceans of Trudvang are not just endless
landscapes of waves. They are also filled with deadly reefs,
secluded islands, and vertical cliffs that shoot up from the
sea like those on the coasts of the Stormlands.
73
Many people in Trudvang never venture out on the
sea, whilst other people make their living off of it.
Sea sickness is not uncommon, and can render even
the most stalwartly warriors useless and weak. When
the seas are rough, all creatures aboard a karve or a
knarr must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw
or become seasick. A seasick creature gains one level
of exhaustion and must repeat the saving throw every
day, gaining another level of exhaustion on a failure. If
the save is successful, the creature shakes of the sea
sickness and no longer needs to roll on that sea voyage.
Natural Hazard: Stormwaves
Stormwaves are what sailors call the enormous waves that
rip cliffs apart and break boats in two. They are feared in
all Trudvang coastlands, and all those who travel by sea
have heard stories of these waves. They break like huge,
collapsing castle walls, and surge over boats and crews in
a way that spurs even the most hardened warriors to call
for their mothers and homes. Most often they appear when
a storm is at its most furious point and the seas are most
disturbed. Often, they demolish everything in their way.
Stormwaves are most common in the cold Grim Sea,
but during winter it is not uncommon to encounter them
in the eastern parts of the Althis Ocean as well, outside the
coast of Daalheim.
Experienced sailors are rumored to be able to navigate
stormwaves with meticulous timing and proficiency, so
that the boat meets the waves with ideal positioning. But
sometimes even that is not enough.
Stormwaves. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, reach 30 feet,
all vehicles or structures in reach. Hit: 10d10 bludgeoning
damage. When a boat is hit by a Stormwave, all creatures
onboard must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be
thrown 10 feet in a random direction where they fall prone.
If the creature falls overboard it must make a successful DC
15 Strength (Athletics) check to swim toward the boat.
Natural Hazard: Rocks and Reefs
Rocks and reefs deter most sailors from the jagged shoals
of Trudvang’s coasts. Being forced into them by hard
winds or strong currents usually means one thing: a ship
dashed and splintered against them. Experienced sailors
avoid these as much as possible by navigating detours and
plotting a wider course.
Rocks and reefs are difficult terrain, where ships can
be stranded. Make a DC 15 (Vehicle (Water)) check. On a
success you manage to steer clear of the rocks and reefs.
On a failure, you strand your ship.
Natural Hazard: Dangerous Currents
Strong undercurrents can drag boats toward dangerous
rocks or pull even the best swimmers down into the
depths. The Vilore Sea in particular is known for the
undercurrents that line its coasts.
When a creature enters or starts its turn in an area with
dangerous currents, it must make a DC 10 Constitution
check or be pushed 15 feet with the current. When a vehicle
enters or starts its turn within an area with dangerous
currents, make a DC 10 (Vehicle (Water)) check. On a
failure, the vehicle is pushed 1 square with the current.
74
Arctic
In the north of Trudvang are the Great Ice Plains, a vast
glacier where only the strongest and hardiest creatures
survive. Glaciers can also be found in some of the many
mountain ranges of Trudvang, like the Icepeak Mountains
of the Stormlands. In these inhospitable landscapes,
Hrim Trolls and other creatures and monsters that can
withstand the cold environment live, and only the bravest
heroes dare to go.
There are more hazards to be found on the glaciers. It
is easy to become lost, and finding shelter is a challenge.
A character must make a successful DC 15 Wisdom
(Survival) check for digging oneself down, staying alive
below the snow is hard. Only veteran mountaineers and
those who know the icy regions know what dangers lurk in
the glaciers. The chances of survival after being caught in
a ferocious snow blizzard are slim, to say the least.
Natural Hazard: Thin Ice
Thin ice has a weight tolerance of 3d10 x 10 pounds per
10-foot-square area. Whenever the total weight on an
area of thin ice exceeds its tolerance, the ice in that area
breaks. All creatures on broken ice fall through, facing
whatever dangers are below, whether it is friged cold
water or a long drop.
Natural Hazard: Snow Crevasses
Many snow crevasses are easy to spot because they are so
vast and deep. However, many are covered by snow and are
rather difficult to discover when even light winds mask the
ground and play tricks on your eyes. And in almost every
case, if you fall into one, you are lost. Snow crevasses are
rarely straight, often changing shape and direction every
few tens of yards down, which make it almost impossible to
rescue someone from one or climb out yourself. On top of
this, there are plenty of jagged, icy surfaces to cause injury
within their depths. Razor-sharp blocks of ice often jut out
from the frozen walls or floors of these crevasses, further
pinning or impaling those unlucky enough to fall in.
When a creature enters an area with a snow crevasse,
it must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall into
the crevasse, taking falling damage, depending on how far
they drop.
Natural Hazard: Avalanches
Like a blizzard, an avalanche often arrives as an uninvited
and unexpected guest. It is a rumbling snow slide of ice,
rocks, and anything else (like brush or debris) that it
uproots along its path. Avalanches are treacherous and
deadly, and very few people are able to escape one alive.
 When a creature is hit by an avalanche it must make
a Strength saving throw or be pushed to the edge of the
avalanche. A creature that fails its saving throw takes damage
dependent on the avalanche’s size and is buried underneath
the snow and must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw
at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion.
AVALANCHES
Size DC Damage
Small (15-feet cone) 10 3d6
Medium (20-feet cone) 15 4d6
Large (25-feet cone) 20 5d6
Huge (30-feet cone) 25 6d6
Gargantuan (35-feet cone) 30 7d6
Swamp
There are a few swamps and quagmires in Trudvang, where
the land is boggy and soft, riddled with dark puddles and
plagued with insects. These are home to strange creatures
and people who seek solitude to pursue dark things and
forbidden arts.
The swamps and mires are hard to navigate, even more
so in the ever-persistent fog. That fact alone makes many
swamps and mires forlorn and alien to locals, and most
steer away from ever entering a swamp except in dire
need. Still, there are rangers and travelers that have made
the swamps and mires their favorite terrain, and those
that have mastered the swamps and mires often find these
places full of game.
When the player characters find themselves in swamps
or mires, the DC of all Wisdom (Survival) checks made to
navigate, find game, or forage, are raised by 5.
Natural Hazard: Plague of Insects
In summer, swamps and mires are a dreadful place, full of
biting insects and buzzing flies. This makes traveling there
an awful business, and only either the most foolish, those
that have no other place to go, or those with a serious need
to go there, venture into a swamp or bog
A creature that finds itself in a plague of insects must
make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the
creature takes one level of exhaustion.
Natural Hazard: Quicksand
Traversing through a swamp or mire exposes one to many
natural dangers, and perhaps none has claimed more lives
75
than quicksand. Many adventurers have gotten stuck in such
a hazard, and only the most experienced know not to panic.
A patch of quicksand will usually appear solid and
might even be covered with debris. An adventurer who is
traveling at a normal pace (not running) can recognize the
danger with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check.
A running creature is not allowed a saving throw, and
travels 5-10 feet into the pit (roll 1d2 x 5 feet). A typical
quicksand pit should be around 20 feet in diameter.
Creatures in quicksand need to make a DC 15 Strength
(Athletics) check to move 5 feet (in any direction), failure
results in sinking 5 feet and beginning to drown. A creature
whose head sinks beneath the surface of quicksand will
need to succeed on a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to
get closer to the surface or be rescued, otherwise, see the
drowning rules.
Natural Hazard: Will-o’-the-wisp
Many rangers and hunters that frequent marshes and mires
have told stories about the strange, ghostly lights that haunt
the marshes on dark nights. The novice and less-experienced
often mistake these for candles in some windows or the
burning fires of a campsite. Eager to find shelter, these
unfortunates charge heedless to their own death.
A creature must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw
or be charmed by the lights. A charmed creature walks
toward the lights, oblivious to any danger, whether it
is quicksand, or deep, murky water infested with giant
snakes or even more dangerous creatures. A charmed
creature repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its
turns, or if it takes damage. If the creature succeeds at the
saving throw, it is no longer charmed.
Underground
Deep beneath the soaring mountains of Trudvang you
can find enormous and breath-taking Dwarven kingdoms.
There, Dwarves have toiled for centuries, forming stone
and mountain to create incredible halls and hallways,
engraved with futhark runes, which are beyond any
craftsmanship you see above ground.
There are, however, more caves and underground halls
than those made by the Dwarves. Goblins have carved out
their own halls, though not as beautiful as those the Dwarves
make, and have created their own network of underground
passages. There are also natural caves, where all sorts of
creatures and beasts have made their homes. Earthquakes
and volcanic eruptions, erosion by water or ice, even large
monsters, have all left their mark on Trudvang, and it is not
hard to, especially when traveling in mountainous areas,
find openings and caves that lead deep into the ground.
76
77
Natural Hazard: Cave-In
One of the most dangerous things while traveling
underground, is to experience a cave-in. Not only can it be
deadly to have the cave ceiling fall on you, but it can easily
trap one inside the cave or underground, without any hope
of getting out again.
A creature caught in a cave-in must make a DC 15
Dexterity save. On a failure the creature takes 5d6
bludgeoning damage and is restrained. On a success, the
creature takes half damage and is not restrained.
Natural Hazard: Geothermal Gas
Traveling underground puts one ever closer to magma
chambers and geothermal activity. Many places are
therefore hot, even extremely hot, making the air hard
to breath. In some places, geothermal gas seeps through
cracks in the stone. Often you can often smell the sulphur
in the air, but sometimes the gas is undetectable, which
makes it more dangerous.
When entering an area where there are geothermal
gases, on a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception)
check, a creature can smell or detect the change in
the air. If the check fails, the creature must make a
DC 18 Constitution saving throw or take one level of
exhaustion. When a creature enters or starts its turn
in the area where the gas is, the creature must make
a saving throw, a failure means that it gains a level of
exhaustion. A creature that doesn’t need to breath
is immune to this effect, therefore one can often find
undead lurking in places like these.
Natural Hazard: Glass Stone
Obsidian, diamonds, and other gemstones can be found
underground, something which the Dwarves discovered
long ago. Though these can often be fashioned into
beautiful works or art or jewelry, there are chambers and
caves where glass stone is especially dangerous, and can
leave unwary adventurers wounded or even dead.
An area of glass stone is considered difficult terrain.
Once a creature enters or starts its turn within the area,
it must make a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check
to move. A failure means that the creature takes 2d6
slashing damage and moves down one step on the wound
Track.
Grasslands and Plains
There are few plains in Trudvang, and most of the
grassland was once forest but has been ploughed away
and repurposed for grazing. There you might find sheep
and cattle, a few herders, and farms. The grasslands
78
are often crossed by roads and trails, where one might
spot an often-used campsite of traveling merchants and
adventurers.
Still, as peaceful and tranquil as grasslands and
plains might look, danger can be as easily found here as
anywhere else in Trudvang. Highwaymen and robbers
waylay travelers, wolves and other predators prowl for
easy prey, and tribes of Wildfolk hunt for food. Traveling
is never an easy business in Trudvang.
Natural Hazard: Razor Grass
Sometimes the grass becomes hard and sharp, making
it difficult and dangerous to travel across such a field.
Though the cuts the grass produces are not deep, they are
uncomfortable and leave a nasty sting, and small cuts that
can become infected.
When a creature moves into or starts its turn in an area
with razor grass, it must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving
throw or take 1d4 slashing damage. If a creature fails the
saving throw, it must make a DC 10 Constitution saving
throw or become poisoned.
Natural Hazard: Spiked growth
Vitner can have strange effect and sometimes the use of
vitner leaves terrible marks on ground, making the flora
either turn to ashes, become tainted or grow exceptionally.
In some places, the flora has grown spikes. Trees and
bushes seem to earn some sort of consciousness and will
fling their spikes at anything within range, be it a bird or
an adventurer.
When a creature moves within or starts its turn within
30 feet, it must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or
take 1d6 piercing damage.
Natural Hazard: Dried lakebed
In times of drought, creeks, lakes, and rivers dry out. This
usually means a disaster for the local flora and fauna alike.
Once it starts raining again, sometimes river and creeks
change their ways, forming new paths and even new lakes
and ponds.
Dried lakebeds can be dangerous to cross, since the
earth can still be wet and quickly form mud, making this
a difficult terrain. When a creature crosses this type of
terrain, it must make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check.
If it succeeds, the creature can see that this terrain can
slow their travel. If the check fails, the creature must make
a DC 12 Strength saving throw at the beginning of its turn
or be restrained.
WEATHER
Living out in the wilds of Trudvang for prolonged periods
of time is not something anyone does with ease. Torrential
rains, driving wind, bitter cold, blanketing snow, and hard
surfaces to sleep on are just some of the natural factors
that affect a person’s time in the wilderness.
WEATHER HAZARDS
Weather can have a huge impact on whether a trek or a
quest is successful. The summers are warm and beautiful
in most of Trudvang, albeit short in the north. While most
travelers use the summer to move from one place to the
next, many need to be out and about during other seasons.
Snow and cold are common dangers in many regions
across Trudvang, especially in the Stormlands, Mittland’s
northern reaches, the mighty forest of Darkwood, and the
dreaded range known as The Great Iron Mountains.
Trying to endure freezing temperatures and furious
winds quickly saps one’s power, and few can focus on
more than simple survival. As if this weren’t bad enough,
you will also suffer blizzards, crevasses, avalanches, snow
blindness, frostbite, and a host of other surprises that can
make your life unbearable.
Frostbite
It is said that there are some places in Trudvang where a
person will instantly succumb to frostbite if they remove
their gloves or headgear. The Great Ice Plains are such a
place, where any exposed skin is a liability. However, most
frostbite comes from a lengthy stay in cold environments
that are far less severe, due to a lack of sufficiently warm
clothing and winter gear. The danger increases with
the strength of the wind, which makes an already bitter
environment even less hospitable.
Often the toes, fingers, cheeks, nose, and ears are
affected by frostbite first. A victim can recover from
superficial frostbite that is taken care of quickly, but it gets
far worse if left untreated.
A creature exposed to Frostbite must make a DC 10
Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or take
1d6 cold damage and gain one level of exhaustion. Every
hour spent outside adds +1 to the DC. All creatures with
resistance or immunity to cold damage automatically
succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures wearing cold
weather gear.
Blizzards
Blizzards usually strike quickly and mercilessly. The
surroundings may have been quiet all day, but suddenly
79
change completely. The wind whips up the snow from
the ground in a blinding flurry, and hail as big as nails
plummets from black clouds above. Anyone who is not
prepared for a blizzard usually succumbs. It is possible to
avoid being surprised by a sudden blizzard by succeeding
on a DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check.
Because blizzards come in varying degrees, the game
master determines what happens when someone gets
trapped in one. Two simple rules of thumb apply to every
blizzard: visibility is rarely more than 10 feet, and the
risk of getting lost is high. Any objects that are not firmly
attached, like a blanket that is strapped to a backpack or a
cloak that is fastened with a buckle, will almost certainly
blow away.
When a creature is hit by a blizzard while traveling, it
must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or gain one
level of exhaustion. Every hour spent in a blizzard while
traveling adds +1 to the DC.
Wisdom saving throws made to gain the effects of long
rest in blizzards are made with disadvantage.
Snow Blindness
Spending too much time in a snowy landscape may
cause snow blindness. Because the sunlight reflects so
powerfully off the snow, hitting you from above and below,
it’s common for a character to suffer from watery eyes and
a blinding sensation from the damage being caused.
When a creature has been exposed to bright sunlight
in a snowy area for more than an hour, make a DC 10
Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature has
disadvantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
on sight until after a short or long rest.
Fog
Fog often occurs in Trudvang: it is common to see fog
blanket the landscape save for during the middle of
biting winter or when the land has received a more or
less supernatural touch. In the Stormlands it is believed
that the areas usually affected by fog are still in the realm
of the dead, Dimhall, as all of the Stormlands once was.
In fact, a common perception in most of Trudvang is that
the fog creates a space where the veil between Trudvang
and Dimhall becomes visible. It is said that anyone who
wanders into the fog may get lost and end up caught
either in the borderland between the two or in Dimhall
itself, forever. The lucky one who doesn’t get lost may still
encounter undead creatures forever cursed to wander
the borderland. In Mittland, there is a common belief
that one can find their way through the fog to Othwa, the
kingdom of heroes.
Dimgates
In the fog, there is a chance you may encounter Dimgates,
portals to other places. These are difficult to spot, as they
usually appear as a thicker density of fog. Sometimes,
however, Dimgates can be something more apparent, such
as a pair of dead and twisted trees, or a cave that detaches
itself from the fog. Stepping through a Dimgate can take
you to a different location in Trudvang, to another realm
(such as one of the vassal kingdoms under Dimhall), or
perhaps even to Othwa, the kingdom of heroes, where for
every day spent, a full year passes in Trudvang.
It is hard to find Dimgates (a quest in itself). With a
successful DC 20 Intelligence (Nature) check, you find
evidence that a particular site can serve as a Dimgate.
Opening a Dimgate always requires some kind of ritual
and a sacrifice of some sort. With a successful DC 20
Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (Religion) check, you
figure out what is needed to open the Dimgate.
The Unnatural Nature of the Fog
The fog in Trudvang is laden with eldritch mysteries
and Dimvitner, making it not only a source of many tales
and legends, but also a dangerous natural phenomenon.
Undead often accompany the fog, due to its link with
Dimhall. Many brave and veteran adventurers say it is only
the foolhardy who wish to spend nights outdoors when the
fog creeps over the land.
When you spend nights outdoors in fog, there’s a high
risk of being attacked by undead creatures. When rolling
for random encounters, double the amount of undead
rolled for.
Wisdom saving throws made to gain the effect of a long
rest in fog are made with disadvantage. Necromantic vitner
spells get a +1 to damage for every die the caster rolls.
TRAVELING THE WILDERNESS
Trudvang is a living, breathing, and dangerous place,
where you need just as much wits as bravery to survive.
Traveling from one place to the next can be an adventure
in itself; finding the right way, navigating and steering clear
of natural hazards, not to mention outlaws, Trolls and
Tursirs.
Sometimes you might go days without ever seeing
another living humanoid, when the foliage blocks out the
sun and you seem to wander aimlessly in the woods. At
other times, you might find yourself on a Stormlandian
knarr, braving Stormwaves and Sea Wolves, to find your
destination. At still other times, you might be climbing a
glacier-capped mountain.
80
Whether you use the travel-montage approach or hour-
by-hour approach, traveling in Trudvang is important to
get a good feel for the setting, the lands and the different
cultures. Terrain, weather, hazards and encounters with
monstrous creatures are all part of what makes Trudvang
great. It’s not all about the destination, but also about the
journey and the dangers you face along the way.
Persistence in the Wild
Most travelers in Trudvang have learned how to persevere
in the wild while traveling. Knowing the most common
wilderness signs, having a good feeling for weather, and
being a good hunter have saved far more groups of travelers
than having your backpack stuffed with necessary and not
so necessary equipment.
Encumbrance, camping, wayfinding, foraging, and
hunting are all part of Trudvang journeys, and each group of
adventurers have their own set of roles, which the members
try to fill. While one or two members of the group go out
hunting, another member takes stock of rations, while yet
another lights a fire and keeps watch.
Being able to live in the Wild is a necessity, since most people
in Trudvang live in small communities that rely on being able
to travel from one place to the next. Therefore, persistence in
the wild comes naturally to the people of Trudvang.
A creature can survive being lost in the wild without a
permanent camp for but a few days. After a number of days
equal to your Wisdom (Survival) modifier, you make a DC 10
Constitution saving throw + the number of days that exceed
your Wisdom (Survival) modifier once a day. For an example,
a ranger with a +6 bonus to Wisdom (Survival) check, would
roll a DC 11 Constitution saving throw on day 7 and DC 12
Constitution saving throw on day 8, etc. On a failure, you gain
one level of exhaustion.
Encumbrance
Veteran adventurers and heroes know that it doesn’t
matter how much equipment you bring along, as long as
you bring the right equipment. Many heroes have forsaken
great treasures, simply because they needed to travel light,
or the treasure was weighing them down.
When traveling, keep a note of encumbrance. Not being
encumbered can be what keeps you alive in dire situations.
Therefore, many adventures have learned, some the hard
way, to only bring along what you can’t either find on the
way or get at your destination.
An encumbered person’s speed drops by 10 feet, and
they have disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, and
an encumbered person can’t travel at a fast pace. A heavily
encumbered person’s speed drops by 20 feet and they have
81
disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving You move at half speed in difficult terrain— moving 1
throws that use Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. A foot in Difficult Terrain costs 2 feet of speed—so you can
heavily encumbered person can only travel at a slow pace. cover only half the normal distance in a minute, an hour,
or a day.
Travel Pace
While traveling, a group of adventurers can move at a normal, Camping
fast, or slow pace, as shown on the Travel Pace table. The There are two types of camps, temporary camps and
table states how far the party can move in a period of time and permanent camps.
whether the pace has any effect. A fast pace makes characters Temporary camps are suited for one night, where you
less perceptive, while a slow pace makes it possible to sneak have a campfire and bedrolls. This is the most common
around and to search an area more carefully. type of camp. Temporary camps offer no benefits to either
Forced March. The Travel Pace table assumes that short or long rests.
characters travel for 8 hours in a day. They can push on Permanent camps are suited for a longer stay, where
beyond that limit, at the risk of Exhaustion. you have tents, a water supply and a good firepit. Many
For each additional hour of Travel beyond 8 hours, adventurers that explore a specific area build a permanent
the characters cover the distance shown in the Hour camp, where they can venture out from on expeditions
column for their pace, and each character must make a and exploration treks. Characters benefit from permanent
Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour. camps and gain advantage when rolling to see if they
The DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed managed to get a long rest while in the wild.
saving throw, a character suffers one level of Exhaustion.
Mounts and Vehicles. For short spans of time (up to an Terrain and Rest
hour), many animals move much faster than Humanoids. Terrain has an effect on rest. Being in a dark lonely wood
A mounted character can ride at a gallop for about an differs greatly from resting in a known campsite by a well-
hour, covering twice the usual distance for a fast pace. If traveled road. The following table shows the base DC for
fresh Mounts are available every 8 to 10 miles, characters the Wisdom saving throws for each type of terrain.
can cover larger distances at this pace, but this is very rare
except in densely populated areas.
Characters in wagons, carriages, or other Land Vehicles TERRAIN AND REST
choose a pace as normal. Characters in a waterborne
vessel are limited to the speed of the vessel, and they don’t Type of Terrain DC
suffer penalties for a fast pace or gain benefits from a slow By roadside 5
pace. Depending on the vessel and the size of the crew, Plains 10
ships might be able to travel for up to 24 hours per day.
Mountains 15
Sea 15
Difficult Terrain
The Travel speeds given in the Travel Pace table assume Underground 15
relatively easy terrain: roads, open plains, or clear dungeon Woods 15
corridors. But adventurers often face dense forests, deep Swamp 20
swamps, rubble-filled ruins, steep mountains, and ice- Glacier 20
covered ground—all considered Difficult Terrain.

TRAVEL PACE
Pace Distance travelled Distance travelled Distance travelled Effect
per minute per hour per day
Fast 400 ft 4 miles 30 miles Disadvantage to Wisdom (Perception)
checks, -5 penalty to Passive Perception
Normal 300 ft 3 miles 24 miles -
Slow 200 ft 2 miles 18 miles Able to use Stealth

82
 Other things might influence the DC, such as if the
player characters are being hunted by a group of Trolls,
or if the player characters are wounded and in distress,
or if they have recently cleared the area of the most
dangerous predator. When the player characters are
in a situation where they are desperate, in danger, or
in a location completely unknown or alien to them, the
Game Master might raise the DC by 2. When the player
characters feel completely safe, are in a region they know
well, or spent extra time finding the right place to camp,
the Game Master might lower the DC by 2.
Rest is critical in Trudvang, and when the player
characters are out in the wild, it isn’t a commodity that
comes easily. Finding a good place to rest is just as
important as finding the right path, mending a broken
83
sword, casting a spell, or unlocking a locked door to an
ancient barrow.
Optional Rule: Hunting
There are three important factors to consider when
hunting: the hunting ground, the time spent hunting,
and the hunter himself. A hunter can spend an unlimited
amount of time hunting and be incredibly skilled, but these
two factors are useless if the hunting ground is desolate.
Similarly, a good hunter can choose a rich hunting area
but still fail to bring down any prey because he didn’t
spend enough time at it. Hunting ground and hunting time
are explained in more detail below, along with modifiers
that help determine how many rations of food a hunter
may acquire.
Hunting Ground Several Hunters
Depending on the richness of the hunting area and the If a group of people go out hunting together, only the one
game sought, the DC for the Wisdom (Survival) check is with the highest Wisdom (Survival) modifier rolls to see if
modified accordingly. The table below shows samples of the group is successful.
hunting grounds and their respective DCs. Keep in mind A group of two or more hunters working together use
that many of these areas are often the haunt of predators, the normal rules for aiding another character.
trolls, and goblins.
Game
Once the Game Master has determined what terrain is most
HUNTING GROUND MODIFIERS applicable and the hunter has decided how long the hunt will
last, the character must decide what type of game to focus
TERRAIN DC on. The table below gives the hunter additional modifiers to
Incredibly Favorable 1 their Skill check depending on the type of game.
Favorable 5 Small game means smaller animals, mainly various
types of rodents, rabbits, or pheasants. Standard game
Good 10
means somewhat larger animals such as martins or foxes.
Neither good nor barren (forest) 15
Big game means large animals such as wild boar, deer,
Barren (prairie/savannah/steppe) 20 and moose.
Very Barren (arctic/tundra) 25
Extremely Barren (Great Ice Plains) 30
GAME HUNTING MODIFIERS
Size of Game DC Modifier
Time Small game +0
Time is an important factor in a hunter’s success. The Standard game +2
more time spent hunting, the greater the number of prey
Big game +4
that can be killed. Depending on the type of game, there is
a minimum amount of time generally required.

Food and Items Gained from Hunting

TIME SPENT HUNTING When a hunt is successful, you find (in rations food equal
to your Wisdom modifier + the size modifier of the game
Type of Game Time Required (see the table below).
Small game 4 hours
Standard game 6 hours
Big game 8 hours FOOD AND ITEMS GAINED FROM HUNT
Size of Game Rations Gained
For every two hours a hunter spends hunting in addition Small game 1d4
to the minimum required above, the hunter gains a +1d4 Standard game 2d6
to the check. Someone who hunts for four extra hours
Big game 6d6
adds +2d4 to their value for the Wisdom (Survival) check
on a roll for hunting.
A hunter is unable to hunt for more than twelve hours With a successful use of tools, you can gain useful items
in a single day. from your prey. The following table shows the DC and
Keep in mind that a hunter is out in the wild and exposed items you can gain from processing the carcasses. These
to natural hazards and wandering monsters. products can be sold or used to create other items, such
as armor or weapons.

84
 ITEMS RETREIVED FROM PREY the player character’s honor and obligation come into play,
just as it is important to give the player characters ample
Items DC opportunity to play out their traits and flaws.
Small game
Pelts 5 HONOR
Teeth/Claws/Horns 10 In Trudvang, a man’s honor is priceless. It matters not what you
Oil/Fat 10 wear, what kind of weapon you carry, if you don’t act upon your
honor. Even the poorest secluded farmers have their honor
Leather/Hide 10
and defend it, just as much as the richest kings in Dranvelt
Standard game might. Insults, mocking, or lampoons that belittle or make fun
Pelts 10 of the thing that people derive honor from are not taken lightly,
Teeth/Claws/Horns 15 and only the honorless do not take actions to defend it.
Oil/Fat 15 It is important to use the player characters’ honor to
Leather/Hide 15 further the narrative. A player character might not be
willing to risk their life fighting a group of Trolls, but once
Big game
someone says that the player character might be a coward,
Pelts 15 they might spring into action, if for no other reason than
Teeth/Claws/Horns 20 to prove that they are not a coward. A hero might balk at
Oil/Fat 20 stabbing someone in the back and refuse to take any part
Leather/Hide 20 in schemes that would lead to such dishonorable tactics.
To replenish Raud, the player characters need to be able
and it is the GM's responsibility to provide opportunities
within the narrative for them to do so. A character that
RAUD stands up to insults or challenges, especially where it
might make more sense to let things slide, should be
Every person in Trudvang has Raud, as the weave of fate awarded a point of Raud. However, using honor should
and destiny, gods and asirs, dictate. Of course, as fate entail and further roleplaying and the narrative, but not
would have it, each hero holds their raud in their own send the player character on a fool’s errand or make
hands, and one must act according to one’s honor and them do something that makes either no sense for the
obligation, or your destiny is sealed. narrative or for the character themselves.
Raud is a powerful narrative tool. It can help shape the
player characters’ story, further it, or make it more complex Who travels widely needs his wits about him,
and personal. Raud can help the player characters reach The stupid should stay at home:
their goal, push them to perform great deeds, or overcome The ignorant man is often laughed at
obstacles that none other might. That is how fate would When he sits at meat with the sage.
have it. However, when Raud is depleted, when fate has left (From Havamal)
the player characters, they often quickly find themselves in
dire straits, running for their lives and eager to find their People of Trudvang respect the honor of other people
way back to someplace where they feel safe. and do not use it lightly, for it can have dire consequences.
The Game Master can use Raud to reward the player Many have died in duels or fights over slight insults or
characters for acting upon their honor, personal traits, flaws, badly timed jokes.
or obligation. Honor and Obligation play a special role in
Trudvang, since many people value their honor higher than OBLIGATION
any monetary gain, and feel obligation toward something Every person feels obliged or bonded to someone or
special, an obligation that they would never back away from. something at any given time in their lives. All player
A Mittlander Bruid would always try their best to uphold any characters start out with an obligation, that the Game
promise or Blood Oath they have made, just as a Stormlander Master can use to further their narrative.
duelist would rather die than to surrender in a duel. However, unlike honor, obligation can change
Since these are things that shape the everyday life of throughout the narrative. A player character might start
the people of Trudvang, it is important to make sure that out feeling obliged to pay off a gambling debt, but after

85
paying the debt, the player character swears fealty to a
new local laird, then, after seeing their friend die at the
hands of a Stormlander berserk, they swear an oath to
stop at nothing to avenge their fallen comrade.
Thus, obligation is a living thing that can move with the
flow of the narrative. Of course, a player can only change their
player character’s obligation at the Game Master’s discretion.
Obligation must have a direct impact on the player
character, both for good and ill. For an example a character
might need to choose between their obligation and their
chieftain, offering multitudes of roleplaying opportunities
and character development.
A character that doesn’t act on their obligation or tries
to avoid standing up to their part, cannot gain Raud
points until they have changed their ways. Obligation isn’t
something one must take lightly, albeit something that
defines a character and is a part of who they are.
FEAR AND MADNESS
Fear is a powerful motivator and one of the oldest
emotions we know. In Trudvang this is no different. Even
the bravest heroes and adventurers can feel the effects of
fear, jumping at shadows and always looking over their
shoulders when in dangerous situations.
Sometimes the fear becomes so overpowering that
even the sanest person starts to lose their grip on reality,
developing dementia, irrational fears and phobias, or even
turning against their own fellows. Madness is a terrible thing,
and a quest for glory can quickly turn into a maddening flight
for their lives as the monsters and horrors the adventurers
face sow enough fear into their minds to make them go mad.
LEVELS OF FEAR
Every character has five levels of fear, and each level of fear
has its own effect. When a character gains a level of fear,
they also suffer the effect. They might overcome the effect,
but the level of fear can only be removed after a long rest
or by using features, spells, or special abilities. The effects
are not cumulative; for example a character cannot both
suffer the effect of being frightened and suffer a short-term
madness, the effect of the highest level of fear is always
the effect in play. When a level of fear is removed, so is the
effect. When a character gains the effect of a lower level,
for example, a character that removes the second level of
fear is no longer frightened but suffers the effects of having
the first level of fear; in other words it become anxious.
However, should the character gain a new level of fear, they
would become frightened again and suffer the effect as
normal.
86
Anxious
An anxious character has suffered the first level of fear.
They are jumpy, tense, and stressed out, while trying to
cope with the danger that they feel that they are in. A
character that has the anxious condition can only remove
it after a short or long rest, but doesn’t reap the benefits
of such a rest. In other words, an anxious character can’t
restore features, use hit dice to heal themselves or use any
other feature that relies on either short or long rest.
Frightened
When a character suffers the second level of fear, they
become frightened. They fear whatever the source of fear
is and cannot willingly approach it. They do not fight at
full capacity, and if they can or see an opportunity to, they
might flee the source of fear.
Horrified
A horrified character has suffered the third level of fear. They
develop a short-term madness (see below) and might become
violent toward their friends, stunned by the sheer weight of
horror before them, or mumble incoherently to themselves
Terrified
When a character suffers the fourth level of fear they have
sunk even deeper into fear and madness. Their grip on
reality is fragile, and they are completely overcome with
terror, making them develop a long-term madness.
Madness
The final and last level of fear is utter madness. The character
has lost complete control of their mind, and madness is all
that is left. A mad character develops an indefinite madness
and the Game Master might prompt the player to create a new
character, since it will take a while before their character regains
sanity and can fully commit themselves to an adventure again.
MADNESS
Many times, heroes and warriors of Trudvang have been
driven mad by fear. Seeing a Logiwurm burn your friends
and allies to ash, feeling the unearthly chill of a barrow
wight’s grasp, or smelling the stench of a kelpie, is much
more than the average person can handle, and something
only the bravest heroes can withstand.
Madness can be short-term, long-term, or indefinite. Many
creatures and monsters cause fear, and are frightful enough
to drive the player characters mad. The effects of madness
are not cumulative, for example, if you are suffering from
a short-term madness and take another level of fear, you
develop a long-term madness and take on that effect instead.
Curing Madness
Time and rest can heal madness, though that is of course
at the GM's discretion. Spells like “Hand of Gave” can also
cure madness.
✦ A character afflicted with short-term madness is subjected to
an effect from the Short-Term Madness table for 1d10 minutes.
✦ A character afflicted with long-term madness is subjected to
an effect from the Long-Term Madness table for 1d10 days.
✦ A character afflicted with indefinite madness gains an
additional character flaw from the Indefinite Madness table
that lasts until cured.
✦ A creature that has developed an indefinite madness can
no longer take levels of fear nor remove levels of fear.

SHORT TERM MADNESS TABLE LONG-TERM MADNESS TABLE

1d20 Effect 1d20 Effect
1-2 The creature loses all will to fight and lies down, 1-2 The creature become deaf with fear.
sobbing. The creature is prone and incapacitated,
where it lies crying.
3-5 The creature can’t take its eyes off of the source of 3-5 The creature becomes blinded with fear.
fear. The creature is paralyzed.
6-8 The creature becomes frightened and must use 6-8 The creature experiences a powerful delusion. They
their action and Movement each round to flee from can’t see themselves, believing they are invisible.
the source of the fear.
9-11 The creature suffers from vivid hallucinations and 9-11 The creature suffers extreme paranoia. The character
must attack the nearest creature. has disadvantage on Wisdom and Charisma Checks.
12-14 The creature becomes charmed by the source of 12-14 The creature experiences vivid hallucinations and
fear and does whatever it tells them to do, that isn’t has disadvantage on Ability Checks.
obviously self-destructive.
15-16 The creature develops an overpowering urge to eat 15-16 The character experiences uncontrollable tremors
something strange, such as dirt, tree bark, candles, or tics, which impose disadvantage on Attack rolls,
slime, or rotten wood. Ability Checks, and Saving Throws that involve
Strength or Dexterity.
17-18 The creature becomes unable to speak and babbles 17-18 The creature loses the ability to speak.
incoherently, being incapable of spellcasting.
19 The creature is stunned. 19 The creature suffers from an amnesia. They do not
recognize people or places or remember anything
that happened before the madness took effect.
20 The creature falls unconscious. 20 The creature falls unconscious. No amount of
jostling or damage can wake the creature.

INDEFINITE MADNESS TABLE

1d20 Effect
1-2 “They are out to get me. They are always there. Watching. Waiting. They are going to kill me."
3-5 “My honour is my life. I will defend it at all cost, always, no matter what or the consequences. I believe I am a great hero of the past."
6-8 “Nothing really matters. Nothing interests me. I really don’t care. I don't want to live."
9-11 “People are always judging me. I hate it. I have a paralyzing fear of being around people."
12-14 “I don't feel any emotion. No remorse or sympathy. I can't tell the truth."
15-16 “I have an imaginary friend whom I often talk to. It’s a lindwurm that tells me that I need to eat people to survive."
17-18 “I can’t take anything serioulys. Because the Gods/Gave told me everything is a lie. Reality is an illusion."
19 “Burn. Everything must burn. In the chaos of a raging inferno lies the unbridged truth of the universe.”
20 “I like killing people. I like killing people a lot.”

87
GIFTS AND REWARDS
When chieftains and jarls, lords and Bryckers try to
persuade heroes and adventures to help them or do what
heroes do, they seldom offer coffers filled with silver coins
or precious gemstones. Most of the time, the jarls or lairds
of small villages and town do not have that kind of money
lying around.
However, as with barter, they can offer the heroes other
gifts and rewards. They might have a sword of capital
quality, a splendid fur-lined cape, boots made from
walrus leather, or even a piece of land where the heroes
can farm or build a house. But most of all, the chieftains
can offer their gratitude and even swear upon their honor
that they will always remember the heroes’ actions and
have their court skald write a poem about the heroes’
exploits.
GIFTS
Nothing comes for free, saving the best things in life.
When someone gives a player characters something, it is
customary in many places in Trudvang to give something
back. Many nobles use this as a tactic to coerce heroes
to act on their behalf, for there are few that are willing to
accept gifts and not give something in return.
By giving a hero a beautiful sword or shield, the noble
is, in a way, making the hero indebted to themselves,
something which they plan on using later. When a player
character accepts such a gift, they are obliged to respond
in kind, especially if they are not able to give something
back that is of equal or greater value.
Many heroes have found themselves accepting
generous gifts from lords and kings, only to find out
that there was something more behind the gift, a quest
or a task that the giver wants the hero to perform.
The gift however usually hints at the request and
its importance. A laird might give a hero a beautiful
masterfully crafted barda sverd, only to ask the hero
moments after they have accepted the gift, to deal with
a group of Trolls that have taken up residence in a
nearby forest.
REWARDS
Many people promise heroes and adventurers rewards for
feats performed or monsters slain. These rewards usually
represent the richness of the one who offers the reward.
A peasant might offer the leather of a whole cow, which
is perhaps worth more than the peasant’s income for a
whole year, while a king might offer a capital suit of armor,
which he himself received as a gift from another noble.
88
It is upon the characters honor to complete a task or
quest that they have accepted, especially if they have
agreed on the rewards. A failure to uphold their end of
such an arrangement can have bad consequences for the
player characters.
The same applies if the player characters are not given
their rewards. They have every right to claim it, and even
a king's honor can be in ruins if they fail to keep their
promises or oaths.
One of the greatest honors (and a goal for many heroes
and adventurers) is to have a poem made about their
exploits and adventures. There are few poets that are as
influential as the court skalds, and many nobles use this
to their advantage. They often promise as a reward that
they will have their poets create a poem or sing about the
heroes and make sure that their names will echo through
eternity.
VITNER AND NEGATIONS
One of the biggest reasons that vitner weavers are both
feared and revered relates to the erratic behavior of the
vitner. Whenever a mage conjures a spell by weaving vitner,
it is pulled from somewhere else in the greater vicinity
where there is now a lack of vitner, resulting in what is
called a negation. Suddenly, for no apparent reason,
unexplainable things start to happen that can affect the
environment and the people within it. A negation of a spell
acts much like an opposite or counterpoint to a spell that
is being conjured nearby. For example, if a mage conjures
heat in one place, the negation would be inexplicable cold
in another place, and vice versa. If they weave a protective
concealing layer around a being so that it becomes hard
to detect, another being elsewhere suddenly becomes
incredibly noticeable and much easier to detect. And so
on.
A negation does not have to be negative for the one
experiencing it. In many cases, mages attempt to weave
spells that have a negative effect on a target. The negation
of such a spell would likely be perceived as incredibly
positive, even miraculous.
Often these sporadic negations last for only a few
moments and in small doses, because the negation of a spell
happens in several places at the same time and to a much
smaller degree. But it is not unknown for a negation to have
the same great power and focus as the spell being conjured.
It is completely up to the Game Master to decide how big
or powerful a negation is, as well as whether it affects the
player characters. And the more frequently an enchanter
weaves the vitner over a short period of time, the closer and
more concentrated these negations will become. In order
to help the Game Master to decide about negations, various
examples and indications are given below.
Negations are one of the reasons (along with the fear
of fatal magic) that mages do not want to weave vitner
unnecessarily.
Feel free to create your own negations or roll on
the Negation effect table below. With a successful DC
15 Intelligence (Arcana) check, the player character
recognizes the effect as a negation.

VITNER AND NEGATIONS

1d100 Negation effect
1-5 The air around the spellcaster smells of sulphur for a moment.
6-10 In an instant, all metal in a 30 foot radius around the spellcaster develops a hue of frost.
11-15 A random player character develops a halo that shines like a torch for 1d10 minutes.
16-20 A random player character cannot understand spoken languages for 1d10 minutes.
21-25 The flora on the ground in a 30 foot radius suddenly withers and dies.
26-30 A tree springs up from the ground, rising to over 20 feet in mere moments.
31-35 The ground rumbles for a moment.
36-40 The ground becomes liquidlike in 60 foot radius around the spellcaster, anyone trying to walk across it must swim.
41-45 All fires snuff out in a 90 feet radius.
46-50 All wind suddenly ceases, the air becoming perfectly still.
51-55 The ground cracks, forming a sinkhole.
56-60 Blood sprouts for a few moments from the nearest stone or rock.
61-65 The air becomes stale and smells like rotting flesh.
66-70 Everything in a 90 feet radius around the spellcaster tastes like ash for 1d10 minutes.
71-75 Magical darkness suddenly covers a 30 foot area but remains in place.
76-80 All water in a 90 foot radius freezes over.
81-85 Voices and strange sounds echo seemingly out of nowhere.
86-90 The temperature drops dramatically in a 150 foot radius around the spellcaster for 1 hour.
91-95 Water tastes like wine for 1 hour.
96 Static electricity forms in the air. All creatures within 60 feet must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6
lightning damage.
97 All noises become incredibly loud in 30 foot radius. Any creature that moves into the area or starts its turn there must
make a DC 15 Constitution check or take 2d6 psychic damage.
98 Acidic rain starts to fall in a 60 foot radius around the spellcaster. Any creature that moves into the area or starts its
turn there must make a DC 15 Dexterity check or take 2d6 acid damage.
99 Flames, such as from a fireplace or a torch, suddenly spring into life and explode. Every creature in 30 foot radius
around the spellcaster must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throwor take 2d6 fire damage.
100 Strange green mist rises from the ground in 60 foot radius around the spellcaster. Every creature that moves into the
area or starts its turn there must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour.

89
DUELS
Duels are one way of settling disputes in Trudvang, and
many warriors have earned great fame by winning many
duels.
There are, however, strict rules in duels, rules that only
the dishonorable would dare to break. These rules are
seen as sacred, and often settled upon before the
duel starts. Local nobles, such as chieftains
or jarls, or dimwalkers are often arbiters
in such fights.
Of course, the rules of engagement in
duels differ from one area to the next. In certain
places in the Stormlands, duels must be fought at
certain locations, while in many places in Mittland,
challenges must be issued by the village’s Lagsten. In yet
other places, duels are strictly forbidden, though not all
adhere to those laws.
Duels are not only a test of fighting prowess. It is just as
much a test of wits, cunning, willpower, and charisma. A
great duelist knows it is one thing to defeat your opponent,
and a whole different thing to be victorious.

THE CHALLENGE
‘You know,’ said Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue then, ‘that
you have married my promised bride and made yourself
my enemy. Now, on account of this, I will challenge you
to a duel here at the assembly in three days’ time on
Oxara Island.’
It is important to issue a properly phrased challenge.
The exact words matter a great deal, especially if the
duel is a matter of honor. A person might need to pass
a Charisma (Performance) check to make sure that
the challenge is phrased correctly, to ensure that the
target of the challenge can’t question the challenge.
The challenger also might need to make a successful
Intelligence (History) check to ensure that they know
what is customary in the area in which the duel is
supposed to take place.
The phrasing of the challenge must include the reason
for the need for a duel, be it an insult, dispute over land, or
whatever other reason there is. The challenge must also
include a time and place set for the duel, and if there’s
anything at stake that has either a monetary or figurative
value, such as land, spouses, titles, weapons, or anything
like that.
The challenge must also be issued where there are
witnesses, preferably people that are neutral to either
party. Many challenges are issued at assemblies or things,
some are issued by the local Stave Church or at the
Lagsten. Each area or location has a gathering point where
duelists tend to issue their challenges, in order to ensure
that as many people as possible know that a challenge has
been put forth, leaving it to the target of the challenge to
act upon their honor.
THE DUEL
Each duel has its own set of rules, which the combatants
settle upon before the fight. Usually someone neutral,
such as a chieftain or a local dimwalker, oversees and acts
as a sort of referee in the duel.
The most common rules include rules about weapons,
how much one must pay in silver coins to be released from
the challenge after being wounded, if the parties can have
someone else fight for them, and the size of the field where
the duel takes place.
Sometimes an unarmed wrestling match is enough to
settle a dispute, whilst at other times the duel is fought
until either party is either dead or unable to continue the
fight. Some duels are fought until first blood is drawn, or
either party is bloodied.

90
 Usually, many people gather to witness a duel. Therefore,
it is hard to cheat, and it is considered extremely
dishonorable. Those who do so, and it is discovered
quickly, lose the respect of people in the area and must
make Charisma based checks with disadvantage when
dealing with them. The arbiter might also intervene and
rule that the cheating party has forfeited the duel or take
even harsher actions. Duelists that cheat have even found
themselves captured and sentenced to death for such a
dishonorable act.
THE OUTCOME
Each participant in a duel must, upon their honor, respect
the outcome of the duel. A creature that dishonors the
outcome of a duel is considered vile, and most people
refrain from having any contact with such a person.
If a player character dishonors the outcome of a duel, they
have disadvantage on all Charisma skill checks in the area.
It is up to the Game Master to decide how far or fast word
travels. A person that doesn’t honor the outcome of a duel
might have to deal with it all their lives, or until they decide
to honor the outcome. Also, if a person doesn’t honor the
outcome of a duel, it might have consequences for not only
the person in question, but also their family, since the other
party might take insult and decide to retaliate by enslaving
or murdering those that stand close to the person.
GAMBLING
Many people in Trudvang love to gamble, to place wagers
and bets on the outcome of games, duels, or other sports,
such as hunting or animal fighting. As with trade, most
people never gamble with money, instead they gamble with
items, animals, or other goods. Only the most desperate or
cocky commoners are willing to gamble with their lands or
family members. Many have lost their sons or daughters
on a wager that they believed was a sure win.
Though most people honor the terms of gambling
games, there are always those that feel cheated or fooled.
91
Many duels have been fought because of this, and some
have not only lost whatever they gambled for but their lives
as well.
Just as with duels, it is important to have all that
participate in the gambling game agree on terms and
the value of things. Naturally, those that have a way with
words, a silver tongue, and can easily fool other people
have an advantage, at least initially.
CHEATING
Cheating is always frowned upon, but still many people do
what they can to ensure the best outcome in any gambling
game. When there’s much at stake and one stands to gain
riches, many are tempted to cheat.
If someone is discovered as a cheater, it not only cancels
the wager, but the other participants might feel entitled
to either some retribution or to take actions against the
cheater. Many cheaters have found themselves quickly
between a rock and a hard place when they are outed and
discovered as cheaters. Some have been thrown out of
town, while others have had their hands cut off or even
worse.
As a rule of thumb, the higher the stakes, the more
severe are the consequences for cheating. While in a
card game where the loser must buy the next round of
ale, the consequences might be the cheating person
being chastised and ridiculed. In a horse fight where the
gamblers have wagered their horses, a cheater might be
marked out for violence.
Of course, if someone is outed as a cheater, word
quickly spreads. Those who were cheated might even
have mythspinners sing songs or create poems in which
the cheater is ridiculed, and others warned of his cheating
nature. However, sometimes the cheater is applauded
for their ingenuity and brilliance, especially when those
cheated are either disliked or should’ve seen the cheat
from miles away, for many feel that if you are either
inexperienced or too foolish to see through a cheat, you
got what you deserved.
92
BETWEEN ADVENTURES
Most adventurers need to take time every now and
then to recuperate, heal, and tend to other things than
traveling and hunting monsters. How they spend their
time is up to them, but there are many ways to make
good use of that time.
Even the most stalwart adventurers need time to rest
and heal. Many own farms and have families, others have
earned enough renown to become chieftains, lairds, or
jarls. Other heroes have other obligations to fulfill.
However, the player characters choose to spend the
time between adventures, or downtime while adventuring,
they might stand to gain more than well-earned rest. By
spending time crafting, buying or selling items, training an
animal, or researching something, the player characters
might ensure their success in their next adventure.
AT THE MARKET
Most people in Trudvang will never see a gold coin in their
whole life. When the player characters are at the market,
it is good to remember that most trade is done through the
exchange of goods, not an exchange of coins for a product.
Farmers and craftsmen bring their wares and produce to
the local market and trade these for other products they
need. Of course, there are both craftsmen, farmers, and
other people willing to sell their products and services
in exchange for coins, but most of the time, except in the
largest communities and cities, the player characters might
be the wealthiest persons around, in terms of coinage.
Therefore, it might not always be easy to get coins in
exchange for objects or items that the player characters
bring home after a dangerous trek or adventure. The more
the characters know about the market and how to work
the marketplace, the better chance they have of finding
potential buyers and getting a good price. The same
applies when they wish to buy wares and services.
SELLING ITEMS
It can take a great deal of time, even in the largest cities,
to find potential buyers for items and objects, especially
when the items or objects in question would fetch a high
price. Most craftsmen can’t afford to buy an ancient sword
for hundreds of silver pieces, and would balk at characters
trying to sell such an item. When every day trade is
through barter, an expensive item is hard to sell. Any item
that costs more than 100 sc is considered hard to sell.
93
However, by spending a week and at least 25 sc in spreading
rumors about the item and seeking potential buyers, the
character might find someone willing to buy the item or
object. With a successful Charisma (Persuasion) check the
character manages to sell the item, for the outcome see the
table below. Naturally, the character might choose not to sell,
seeing the outcome, forfeiting the amount spent on creating
the demand and interest for the item or object.
SELLING ITEM OUTCOME
Check total Outcome
1-10 50% of base price
11-20 75% of base price
+21 100% of base price
Of course, it matters where the character decides to
sell the item or object. The GM can either make the check
harder or easier based on the market, for example, selling
a piece of plate armor might be hard in a small hamlet
in the Stormlands, thus the character might never have
the chance to get 100% of the base price, but it might be
easier in one of the Westmarkian cities.
BUYING AN ITEM
Often the player characters wish to buy certain items.
Most of the time, buying items that cost no more than
100 sc is easy and requires no other work on the part of
the characters than to visit the market and find the right
merchant. However, items that cost more than 100 sc
are hard to come by, since they are relatively few as the
demand for such items is low. Only chieftains and nobility
can afford such items, though of course such items
are often gifted to heroes and have later become family
heirlooms, their value priceless for the family in question.
If the character wishes to buy a specific item or an item
that costs more than 100 sc, it takes time to procure such
a valuable thing. By spending a week and at least 25 sc in
spreading the word that they are interested in buying said
item, the character might find someone willing to sell such
an item. With a successful Charisma (Persuasion) check
the character manages to find a seller, for the outcome see
the table below. Of course, the character might choose not
to buy, seeing the outcome, forfeiting the amount spent on
spreading the word.
 BUYING ITEM OUTCOME
Check total Outcome
1-10 120% of base price
11-20 100% of base price
+21 80% of base price
The check can be affected by where the character
is trying to buy the item. It is nigh impossible to find a
magical sword in a small town, far from any trade routes.
It is easier when in the large cities. The check can be
modified at the GM’s discretion.
CRAFTING
Almost all people in Trudvang learn a craft, and
therefore most people know a thing or two about one
or maybe two professions. Many grow up on farms or
among craftsmen, taking care of animals, tending to
fields, or learning to identify which trees make good
wood for knarrs or boats. For most, learning a craft or
a profession is a means of earning a living. For other
people, this is a chore that one must endure before
doing more interesting things.
Therefore, even the most humble abodes and farms have
items and objects that they take pride in, things that might
be as trivial as an old tapestry woven by the women of the
family for decades, or their houses, intricately carved to
show pivotal moments in the family history.
Naturally, many become craftsmen and pick up a
profession, going from village to village selling their
services and handicrafts. These craftsmen sometimes
form guilds or groups, to further their own goals. The
Storm-Hansa merchants are a good example.
Healers, potion-makers, blacksmiths, masons,
carpenters and even hunters can just as well form guilds,
and in the larger communities and cities you might find a
representative or two. These folk take great pride in their
work, and knowing someone that can craft items can be of
great assistance.
Dwarves are phenomenal craftsmen, especially the
Buratja. They toil alongside their Logi-furnaces, deep
within their mountain keeps, building incredible and
spectacular items, wrought in gold, silver, and mitraka.
Every now and then, a Human or an Elf becomes a master
craftsman, attaining proficiency enough to match the
skills of the Buratja. There are few craftsmen among the
Half-Trolls, since few of them possess patience enough to
enjoy the finer work of crafting an item.
94
CRAFTING ITEMS AND OBJECTS
If a character has enough time, access to the needed
material and tools, and has proficiency with the tools,
they can craft or mend weapons and armor, sew new
clothing or tapestries, build a chest or barrel, or craft
whatever non-magical item they wish.
In order to successfully craft an item or object, a character
needs raw material that is worth at least half the item’s selling
price. However, it also takes time to craft an item. To determine
how long it takes to complete the item, you can either divide
the cost of creating the item with a time modifier, which
represent workweeks, determined by the Game Master (see
examples from the table below - for example, it takes a long
time to build a knarr or sew a tapestry depicting a special event
in the character’s life, but it might take a shorter time to craft
ten ceramic mugs), or divide the cost of creating the item by 50.
To successfully craft an item, the character needs to
make a successful roll using the appropriate artisan’s
tools. The character must be proficient with the tools
needed to craft the item. Only craftsmen who have devoted
considerable time and learned from a master craftsman
can create items of greater quality than normal.
CRAFTING
Quality DC
Poor 10
Normal 15
Capital 20
Masterful 25
Legendary 30
If the check fails, the item is ruined, and the money
spent, and materials used in the crafting process are
lost. Something went awry in the crafting process, for an
example the clay was overheated, the iron becomes brittle,
or the tanning of the leather was bad.
EXTRACTS AND POTIONS
Trudvang is a fantastic world where there are not only
divine powers and vitner, but also mysterious plant and
animal ingredients that can be converted into elixirs
or ingested immediately. The enchanting forests have
plenty to offer, and even their unbridled wild beasts carry
strange substances that healers and scholars are keen
to get.
An “extract” is the collective name for all plants, animal
substances, and drugs that are mixed in combination.
 CRAFTING ITEMS AND OBJECTS that relieve pain, and salves that ease the
effects of diseases and toxins.
Proficiency Items Time modifier
Poisonous extracts are substances that are
Alchemist’s supplies Alchemist fire, extracts 50 directly harmful to ingest, toxins, plain and
Brewer’s supplies Ale, mead, wine 30 simple. Poison has an insidious reputation,
Calligrapher’s Supplies Books, manuals, letters 10 and those who use it are often seen as
repulsive. Among the Wildfolk and Troll folks,
Carpenter’s tools Furnitures, chests, barrels 50
poison is widely used and is seen as a sign
Cartographer’s tools Maps 50
of strength. The Stormlanders look upon the
Cobbler’s tools Shoes, boots 50 use of poison as the kind of misdeed normally
Cook’s utensils Food, rations 100 done by sorcerers and tricksters. Among the
Glassblower’s tools Glasses, bottles 40 Viranns, it is said that poison flows freely, and
Jeweler’s tools Rings, necklaces, earrings 50 the oldest brother in the cottage would rather
sleep outside in the woods than with his
Leatherworker’s tools Leather armour, boots 50
family when the gall-agarcales mushrooms
Mason’s tools Stone cutting, houses, walls 30
are in season. Despite this, poison use is
Painter’s supplies Paintings, artwork 30 strictly prohibited in communities governed
Potter’s tools Ceramic mugs, dishes, vases, 100 by the church law of the Tenets of Nid. Among
urns the Mittlanders, only wretches, cowardly
Smith’s tools Armour, weapons 50 men, and cunning women use poison.
Tinker’s tools Household items 100 Altering extracts are substances that affect
Weaver’s tools Clothes, tapestries, tents, sails 30 the recipients in ways other than healing or
poisoning them. These extracts might bestow
Woodcarver’s tools Toys, decorative woodcarving 50
darkvision, grant increased strength, or simply
grow hair on a your chest.
Extracts are divided into three categories: healing, Brewing potions and creating extracts is a craft
poisonous, and altering. that requires many different ingredients. Making potions and
Healing extracts are exactly what the name suggests, extracts does not take up as much time as crafting items and
they heal injuries or illnesses. This can involve many objects, as long as the character has the ingredients and the
different kinds of healing, including astringents that stop necessary tools. The time and cost of creating potions and
bleeding, tissue building that heals damage, analgesics extracts are summarized in the table below.

EXTRACTS AND POTIONS

Name* Time Cost Crafting DC
Black Heather 1 day 20 cc per brush 15
Breathbaccy 1 day 40 sc 15
Dragon Blood Special 1000 sc per dose 10
Frostboar’s Fat 1 day 2 sc per dose 15
Gatebloom 1 day 100 sc per clover 10
Gavespring 1 day 30 sc per stem 15
Manetter 1 week 20 sc per dose 20
Tornroot 1 day 7 sc per root (3 doses) 10
Trollberries 1 day 10 sc per berry 10
Tunglis 1 day 5 sc per leaf 10
Wound-balm 1 day 4 sc per dose 15
Wrongmurg 1 day 20 cc per mushroom 10
*Potion and extract description can be found in chapter 4, Magical items.

95
CRAFTING MAGICAL ITEMS
Magical items are exceedingly rare in Trudvang and
most of them are relics of a bygone era. Still, there
are a handful of craftsmen that have honed their art to
near perfection that are able to produce items that are
powerful and have been wrought with vitner.
96
All magical items are either of masterful or legendary
quality. These items require more than just time, effort,
and material. It is a long-term process to craft such an
item, where extra-ordinary and rare ingredients are
needed, not to mention the aid of a powerful vitner
weaver.
 To craft a magical item, the craftsman needs a formula.
The formula tells the craftsman what kind of ingredients
are needed, just as a recipe tells a baker how to bake bread.
It is a tedious business crafting a magical item, one with
many different steps and materials needed. Finding such
a formula might be an adventure all by itself, but crafting
a magical item is a job where the craftsman must keep a
close eye on every minute detail.
The ingredients in a magical item are almost always rare
and exotic. You might need silver, gold, jewels, or mitraka to
create a masterful suit of armor, but to imbue it with vitner
you might also need a tusk from a Hrim Troll, the tear of a
Barrow Wight or a clear sheet of frozen water taken from
a certain lake under a full moon. The number and type of
ingredients are at the Game Master’s discretion.
Crafting a magical item consumes much time and the
craftsman must go through many steps in order to make
sure that the crafting succeeds. The formula details
the steps that must be taken, and each step is followed
by a check on whatever tool proficiency is appropriate
for crafting a similar non-magical object. If the checks
succeed, the craftsman can move on to the next step. If the
check fails, the craftsman must repeat the step.
Sample Formula
It takes considerable research to discover a formula for a
magical item, and often these formulas are hidden within
ancient poems. Legends, and sagas, many of which takes
years to decipher.
Creating a magical item always comes at a great cost for the
crafter, as they must sacrifice a part of themselves in order to
make the spell permanent. The following sample formula is
for creating a Bluespark sword (see chapter 4, Magical items).
✦ Required tools: Smith’s tools, forge
✦ Required proficiencies: Smith’s tools, Perception
✦ Required material: Iron, Mitraka, Sun crystal dust, Night
Ulm’s blood
✦ Sacrificial cost: The crafter’s left eye.
✦ Step 1: Forge iron and fuse the eye into the metal, creating
a single blade – DC 15 Smith’s tools check.
✦ Step 2: Bind the blade with mitraka in darkness – DC 15
Wisdom (Perception) check
✦ Step 3: Let the blade rest for a full circle of the moon in
Night Ulm’s blood, sharpening it every night at midnight –
DC 15 Smith’s tools check
✦ Step 4: At noon, bind the Sun Crystal dust in the blade
under a clear sky – DC 15 Smith’s tools check
✦ Step 5: Cast Illuminate on the blade.
97
RESEARCH
Sva hermila harma gjori,
hne Storma i und orma,
- baugs erum svipr at sveigi -
sarlinns, kunnugt ek.
Bannak svinna at brjota,
- bjartr verdr alfrodull svartr -
fjorlaus fregnir hersir
frekabani, aptr flekin.
(Magical poem written in Ancient Vrok found on the
door of the barrow of Haraldr Wolveslayer near the
village Raudalog)
Legends and lore of all kind play a huge role in everyday
life in Trudvang. There are myths, sagas, and ancient
poems that hold secrets and ancient wisdom waiting to be
unlocked and deciphered by sages, scholars, and those of
a more adventurous nature.
The player characters might come across texts or
legends that require them to spend some time researching,
trying to unravel or decipher ancient riddles and writings.
They might need to expend both money, time, and other
resources to find hidden meanings, clues, and information.
After all, knowledge is power, and the more you know, the
better you can prepare yourself and figure out what the
best course of action is.
Research can be either simple or complex. Simple
research requires the use of some resources, takes a
short amount of time, and usually calls for only one
ability check. Complex research requires to use of more
resources, more time, and usually calls for more than
one ability check.
SIMPLE RESEARCH
In a simple research, the player character might wish to
know something about a destination, a local figure, or
a historical event. Once the character has declared the
focus of the research, they get to work, figuring out where
they can find the needed information. Conducting simple
research costs at least 50 sc, which is spent on bribes,
materials, gifts, and other expenses. After one week of
research, the character can make an Intelligence check.
Having access to a library, wiseman, elders, or if the
character gets aid from another player character might
grant advantage on the roll.
 SIMPLE RESEARCH OUTCOME
Check total Outcome
1-5 No insight gained
6-10 You learn one piece of lore
11-20 You learn two pieces of lore
+21 You learn three pieces of lore
A single piece of lore is a true statement about the
focus of the research. The character might learn the
whereabouts of the barrow of an ancient king, or where to
find a formula for a certain magical weapon. They might
even learn something that calls for even more research.
The GM is, of course, the final arbiter of all the lore that
the character discovers. The lore itself might be wrapped
in an enigma and be puzzling, as many discoveries are,
and the character must interpret the lore gained.
COMPLEX RESEARCH
Complex research requires more resources and takes more
time. The character might wish to decipher a strange runic
text on a large runestone, learn a formula for a magical
weapon, create a new potion, or delve into lore concerning
a certain person, event, or location. Complex research can
even be an adventure all by itself, where the player characters
need to find information in different locations, speak to elders
and wisemen in many different places, or dig through ancient
texts buried away in some secluded monastery.
Each complex research is divided into steps. Each step
has a minimum research cost of 50 sc, which is spent on
bribes, materials, gifts, and other expenses. After one week
of research, the character can make a check. Having access
to a library, wisemen, elders, or if the character gets aid from
another player character might grant advantage on the roll.
If the roll is successful, the character can start working
on the next step. Each step provides at least one piece of
lore. The checks needed can differ, and a character might
need to use many different skills and proficiencies to
conduct a complex research.
Sample Complex Research
Breki and Ashildur, while searching for the tomb of King
Harek Halfhand, have discovered an ancient tapestry that
holds a poem written in a strange dialect of Futhark, that they
suspect might have some lore about where to find the tomb.
✦ Step 1: After pouring over the text and deciphering it and
spending more than 50 sc on help from a Thuul, the pair
manages to translate the Futhark runes with a successful
98
DC 15 Intelligence roll. The pair discovers that their hunch
was right, the poem does speak of King Hareks death.
✦ Step 2: The poem is ancient and has many strange and
archaic words. By spending more than 50 sc on the
research, the pair unravels a puzzle hidden in the poem.
By solving the puzzle, the pair knows the password to enter
the tomb. With a successful DC 15 Intelligence (History)
check the pair manages to unravel the puzzle (perhaps it is
up to the players to solve the puzzle).
✦ Step 3: The poem does speak of the tomb’s location, but
it is cryptic, and Breki and Ashildur need the help of sages
and bards. By spending another week and more than 50
sc on gifts and bribes, they finally figure out where to find
the tomb. With a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature)
check they discover that the tomb is behind a waterfall in
the Valley of the Berserkers.
TRAINING
Sometimes characters might wish to learn a new skill, gain a
proficiency in a tool, or pick up a new language. It takes time
to acquire new skills, and one must find a good instructor,
and be patient and willing to learn. Education takes time
but it is often well worth it. Sometimes, training requires the
characters to make ability checks to see if they have learned
the new skill, proficiency, language or maneuver. If the check
fails they not only fail to master what they were trying to learn,
but also lose everything that they invested in the training.
Learning a New Skill or becoming proficient
with an artisan’s tools
Learning a new skill takes at least six weeks, but this time is
reduced by a number of workweeks equal to the character’s
Intelligence modifier (an Intelligence penalty increases the
time needed). Training costs 25 sc per workweek.
Becoming proficient in a new artisan’s tools takes at
least 6 months, but this time is reduced by a number of
workweeks equal to the character’s Intelligence modifier
(an Intelligence penalty increases the time needed).
Training costs 100 sc per work month.
The chosen skill or tool must be a skill or tool that
was available to the character at character creation. For
example, a dimwalker with the local hero background
wishing to learn a new skill can only choose from
Athletics, History, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion, Religion,
or Survival, since only these skills were available at
character creation.
After the training, the character can add half their
proficiency modifier to the skill or tool in which they trained.
Learning a New Language
Learning a new language takes at least ten workweeks,
but this time is reduced by a number of workweeks equal
to the character’s Intelligence modifier (an Intelligence
penalty increases the time needed). Training costs 10 sc
per workweek.
After the training, the character speaks and understands
the language chosen, but has limited vocabulary and
speaks with an accent.
Learn a New Battle Maneuver
Learning a new maneuver takes at least six weeks, but
this time is reduced by a number of workweeks equal
to the character’s Intelligence modifier (an Intelligence
penalty increases the time needed). Training costs 5 sc
per workweek.
After the training, the character makes a DC 15
Intelligence check. If the check succeeds, the character
can add the maneuver to their list of maneuvers.
Only characters that know battle maneuvers can learn
new maneuvers.
Learn a new weapon proficiency
Learning to wield a weapon, for example if a dimwalker
wishes to learn to wield a Tvei Hammri, takes at least six
weeks, but this time is reduced by a number of workweeks
equal to the character's Intelligence modifier (an
Intelligence penalty increases the time needed). Training
costs 10 sc per workweek.
After the training, the character makes a DC 15
Intelligence check. If the check succeeds the character
can use the weapon and add half their proficiency modifier
to attack rolls with that type of weapon.
TRAINING AN ANIMAL
When a character chooses to train an animal, a successful
DC 15 Charisma (Animal Handling) check is needed.
The trainer makes one check per trick. At most you can
train an animal in three different tricks at the same time.
Teaching an animal a new trick takes 4 weeks.
An animal can learn no more tricks than 3 times its
Intelligence, e.g. a mastiff with Intelligence 3 could learn
9 different tricks. After a week of training the animal
and followed by a successful DC 15 Charisma (Animal
Handling) check, the animal learns a new trick.
99
TRICKS
The trainer can use a bonus action to issue a command to
the animal, which it tries to obey in the best possible way,
as long as the animal has learned the trick. The animal
is not compelled to do as the trainer commands, and if
the commands entail that the animal would have to forfeit
their own life, the animal’s instinct might become greater
than the need to comply.
The following list are tricks that the animal might learn.
✦ Attack: This command will cause the creature to mercilessly
attack who- or whatever you are directing it toward.
Teaching the animal this trick also allows them to add your
proficiency bonus to their attacks. It is unlikely to relent
until the target is ruined, or a come and heel command is
given.
✦ Fetch: This command will send the animal to strive to
obtain whatever you are directing it toward. If the animal
cannot do it, (e.g. if you told a rat to fetch a greatsword) it
will attempt to open up any barriers which prevent you from
getting it yourself.
✦ Ride: If the animal is at least one size larger than you, (or
some other person in your company) and of appropriate
anatomy, it can be trained to be a mount. Prior to this
training, the animal just acts of its own accord, tolerating
your presence on its back. Just because it is trained does
not necessarily mean that you know how to ride it though.
✦ Perform: This is one amusing trick your animal does. A back
flip on command, playing dead, speaking on command,
etc. When used for practical purposes, this is the same as
the animal having the Perform skill.
✦ Find: The animal can use its unique senses to search
for things and track/hunt a mark. When you are tracking
a mark, you have advantage on the roll if you have your
animal with you and it knows this trick.
✦ Enlighten: You spend a great deal of time getting the animal
to understand the subtleties of your expression, such that
it has a higher understanding of people and what they are
talking about. As an example, an unenlightened animal will
feel good if you talk to it in a happy tone, even if your words
are harsh, but an enlightened animal will get the hint that
you’re being facetious. By learning this trick, the animal
gains a +1 to its Intelligence score. This trick can only be
learned once.
✦ Work: The animal can be trained to carry, haul, and tow
loads. While you could theoretically strap bags to the side
of most any animal, this also applies to things like pulling
carts, drawing a line to lift a load by a pulley, or tilling with
a plow, which actually do normally require some training to
be done well.
✦ Help: Your animal has been trained to remember directions
and the locations of important things, like people. If you
are ever injured or lost, you could send your animal to seek
help, it will always return to you. Animals trained in this
trick will also find their way to you if you are separated.
✦ Talent: This teaches the animal a skill or tool proficiency. It is
up to the GM if the proficiency is something that the animal
can learn. For example, using a harp may seem doable for a
large rat, but using a kettle drum would not. Likewise, training
a horse to use its senses better for a Perception proficiency
makes more sense than teaching it Knowledge: Arcana. The
animal uses your proficiency bonus for the chosen skill.
✦ Deliver: You have taught the animal how to navigate its way
back to known settlements, and return to you, as well as
how to carry and deliver messages and small parcels.
✦ Hunt: Predatory animals, such as hawks or dogs, can be
taught to hunt on their own and bring the kill back to you,
rather than eating it for themselves. When you are hunting
and have your animal along, you have advantage on Wisdom
(Survival) check to determine the results of your hunt.
FARMING
Most common people in Trudvang farm or rely on farming.
Small towns and hamlets are mostly made up of farms
and craftsmen that create tools and items that farmers
need. Even the Dwarves of Muspelheim have their own
form of farming, though of course underground.
Owning a farm can be fruitful. Not only do farms
produce food and other necessities, but many farms can
sell what produce the people living on the farm do not use
for themselves. Many adventurers and heroes have their
own farm, which they tend to while not out adventuring,
on lands they have either inherited, bought, or been given
as a reward by a local jarl or chieftain.
TYPES OF FARMS
There are four different types of farms. Running a farm
is, of course, not free, but the farmer can sell produce.
The larger the farm, the more it costs to maintain it and
the more people you need to run it. However, the largest
farms have the most chance at having a decent return on
investment. The following table shows the average weekly
cost, manpower needed to run a farm, and average weekly
value of sold goods.
Many owners of large farms are nobles, such as jarls
or lairds, that can also impose taxes upon other farmers.
However, they must provide value for the smaller farmers
instead, such as providing shelter when threats arise or
keeping a Hird.
SELLING GOODS
Farmers can sell goods and produce at the market at
the listed price from the Trudvang Adventures Hero
Companion. Few farms specialize in producing a single
good, most farms produce goods that can sustain the
people at the farm all year long, only selling what they do
not use for themselves. Hence, a small farm might have
a few chickens, a cow, goats or sheep, and a draft horse,
as well as a few fruit trees and a small field where barley
or wheat grows. Of course, the larger the farm, the more
cattle they have and the larger the fields.
All goods are either sold at the local market or simply
at the farm. Coins are seldomly used in such transactions,
most people trade goods. One farm might be rich in eggs
while another is rich in apples, these might trade eggs for
apples at the rate of 2 eggs for 1 apple. This, of course,
means that the monetary value of goods is determined by
demand and supply. In a year where crops wither and die,
the price for wheat and barley may rise, making anyone
who has leftover wheat from last year’s harvest instantly
an extraordinarily rich and envied person.
AT COURT
Whether the player characters visit the Ovus himself in
Viranno, the court of King Lyd of Ildebaad, or the Hird of
Shieldjarl Ybentord Silvertooth in Grim village, they need
to adhere to the many formalities and customs that apply
at each court. While at one court it might be customary to
kneel before the most noble person at the court, it might
be considered rude at the next court. With a successful

TYPES OF FARMS
Size Average weekly cost Farmhands needed Average weekly value of sold goods
Tiny 1 sc 0 150 cc
Small 3 sc 1 4 sc
Medium 10 sc 2 15 sc
Large 50 sc 5 80 sc

100
Intelligence (History) check the player characters know
which etiquette is customary, the more rural or foreign the
court is, the higher the DC.
At courts, however, the player characters not only get
a chance to meet the local rulers, magistrates, or high
priests, but often the nobles and rulers have bards, sages
and, of course, skillful warriors at hand. Courts can
therefore be a great place to both learn new things and
research, since many nobles have access to knowledge,
whether in the form of sagas, stories, or poems, or in the
form of books stored within grand libraries.
GAINING AN AUDIENCE
It is not easy to gain entrance to court or audience with
the nobles. The player characters might find it easy to gain
audience with a local laird, but the grander the court and
the more higher ranking noble, the harder it is for them to
gain audience.
To do so requires that the player characters manage to
persuade and convince the guards of the importance of
their issue. It can also help to have something to offer or
give the noble. Hence, many bards find it easier to gain
entrance to Hirds and courts than most people, since they
can sing the praises of the noble and immortalize their
deeds in sagas and poems.
Of course, there are other circumstances that come
into play. A group of Stormlanders, all decorated with
Gerbanis holy symbols and tattoos, might find it hard
to gain audience with the Ovus, while a group of monks
devoted to the Tenets of Nid might find it easy.
JOINING A COURT OR HIRD
When a person joins a court or a Hird, they usually swear
allegiance to the noble in question. This is a two-way
relationship, i.e. the person swears to be at the noble’s
disposal and take part in whatever ventures the noble
decides. The noble however provides the Hirdman with
housing and other resources, that are at the noble’s disposal.
A person that is a part of a court receives some sort of
insignia or letter of recommendation, to show that they
are a part of the noble’s court. This insignia can provide
the person with entrance to other courts, but it can also
spell trouble, especially when the noble is at a war with
another noble.
Being a part of a court or a Hird is a responsibility that
should never be taken lightly. The responsibilities might
range from gate duties to taking part in wars or raids,
battling Trolls and lindwurms or even taking on greater
threats.
101
RESOURCES
There are more reasons to gain admittance to court
than the obvious prestige they provide. The resources
of the noble and the highest-ranking people of society
are greater than those of the common people. Finding
items, weapons, and armor, of higher quality is likely,
and research done using the resources of the court
might allow any Intelligence ability check to be made
with advantage. Of course, such resources are usually
only available to those that are a part of the court or the
Hird.
Resources of a court might range from hearing the latest
gossip to having access to a full-blown armory and arsenal,
not to mention libraries, sages, and items of historic value.
Whether all the resources of a court are available to the
people of the court at any given time is up the Game
Master.
The size of the court affects the number of different
resources is available to the people of the court and the
value of the resources. The number of resources indicates
the number of different checks that might gain advantage,
while the value of resources is the highest value of any give
resource available. When creating courts and Hirds, use
the following table.
RESOURCES
Size of court Resources Highest value
Tiny 1 1 gc
Small 2 10 gc
Medium 3 50 gc
Large 4 150 gc
Sample Courts
The Hird of jarl Geirhard Grani, in Raudalog village in the
Stormlands, is a tiny court and has resources in the form
of an old Stormlandian bard, which gives advantage on
History checks, when the player characters consult him.
Items available to the jarl’s Hirdman can’t exceed 1 gc in
total value.
The court of Odovikk Bitewolf in Ysholt is a small
court and has resources in the form of a great warrior
training ground and a whorehouse, which give advantage
on learning new battle maneuvers and History checks
regarding local rumors. Items available to the Sherrif’s of
Ysholt can’t exceed 10 gc in total value.
 RESOURCES
Size of court Resources Highest value
Tiny 1 1 gc
Small 2 10 gc
Medium 3 50 gc
Large 4 150 gc

102
MAGICAL ITEMS
Most magical items in Trudvang are rare and were Beads of Praying
crafted centuries ago. These items are highly prized and Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
sought after by many. Most adventurers and travelers ✦ When you wear these beads, you have advantage on ranged

never even get close to one, and only a handful ever spell attacks.
get to own a magical item. Only the most successful ✦ In addition, when you pray holding a bead, you can store 1

adventurers own more than one magical item. Divine Point in it, thus your pool of Divine Points is raised by 1.

LIST OF MAGICAL ITEMS Black Heather

Potion, uncommon
✦ The heather is a common chewing tobacco among

Ammunition +2 Stormlander berserkers. When you chew the needles, your

Ammunition (any), rare body goes numb and you no longer feel pain nor fear. For
✦ You have a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made 1 hour you gain +2 to your Wound Threshold and have
with this piece of ammunition. Once it hits a target, the advantage on Wisdom saves concerning fear and fear effects.
ammunition is no longer magical.

Blotstaff
Amulet of Warmth Weapon (any staff ), uncommon (requires attunement)
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) ✦ You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with this

✦ While wearing this amulet, you have resistance to cold weapon.

damage and being out in extreme cold does not harm you ✦ In addition, when you make a sacrifice holding this staff,

in any way. you can store 1 Divine Point in it, thus your pool of Divine
Points is raised by 1.

Armor +2
Armor (any), very rare Bluespark
✦ When you are wearing this armor, you have a +2 bonus to Weapon (any sword), rare (requires attunement)
AC. ✦ You have a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls.

✦ In addition, this weapon is made from mitraka and gives off

a faint blue light, that provides light equivalent to a torch.

Band of Manje
Ring, uncommon (requires attunement)
✦ When you are wearing this ring, you have advantage on Breathbaccy
Charisma (Perform) checks. Poison, rare
✦ In addition, when you make an oath upon the ring, you can ✦ When breathbaccy is burned it becomes poisonous. While

store 1 Divine Point in it, thus your pool of Divine Points is it is burning, all creatures within a 15 foot radius must make
raised by 1. a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned.

Baugur Cape of the Bear

Ring, rare (requires attunement) Wondrous item, uncommon
✦ When you are wearing this ring, you have advantage on ✦ Many berserks of the Stormlands wear enchanted bear fur

Charisma (Deception) checks. capes. When you wear this cape, once per day as a bonus
✦ In addition, once per day you can activate this ring and gain action you can fly into a rage, gaining a +2 bonus to attack
1 gold coin. When you use this ability, roll a d20. On a roll of and damage rolls. The rage lasts for 1 minute and once it
1, this becomes a nonmagical ring. ends, you gain one level of exhaustion.

103
Cloak of the Illmalaini lords
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
✦ When you wear this cloak, you have a +1 bonus to AC and
saving throws. In addition, once per day as a bonus action,
you can turn yourself invisible for 1 minute, or until you
make an attack or cast a spell.
Craftman’s Belt
Wondrous item, uncommon
✦ When you wear this belt, you have advantage when using
artisan’s tools.
Darkstaff
Staff, very rare (requires attunement by any spellcaster)
✦ You have resistance to necrotic damage while you hold this
staff.
✦ This staff has 10 charges. While holding it you can use an
action to expend 1 or more of its charges to cast one of the
following spells from it, using your spell saving throw DC:
Phantom Plague (1 charge), Anxiety (2 charges) or Dark
Visage (3 charges).
✦ The staff regains 1d8+2 expended charges daily at dawn.
If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the staff
becomes a non-magical quarterstaff.
Darkwood Bow
Weapon (any bow), rare
✦ When you use this bow, you can choose to use your Strength
modifier instead of your Dexterity modifier for damage.
Dimring
Ring, very rare (requires attunement)
✦ When you are wearing this ring, you are invisible to undead
creatures. If you attack or cast a spell aimed at undead, you
become visible to all undead creatures within 30 feet.
Dragon Blood
Potion (altering), legendary
✦ Blood, drawn from dead dragons, is highly sought after by
many due to its protective nature. If you rub dragon blood
on your skin, your base AC becomes 12 for 1 hour.
104
Dragon Knight Sword
Weapon (any sword), rare (requires attunement)
✦ The secretive and mysterious Order of the Dragon Knights
that were once active in Ejdland in the Stormlands handed
these magnificent swords out to their most prestigious
members. Dragon Knight Swords were Dwarven-made
weapons, and provide a +2 bonus to attack and damage
rolls.
Dragon Skin Armor
Armor (medium or heavy), very rare
✦ Dragon Skin Armor was made for the Dragon Knights, by
the Dwarves of the Trollridge mountains. You have a +1
bonus to AC and resistance to fire when wearing this armor.
Dunklihrann
Weapon (any bludgeoning), legendary (requires attunement)
✦ You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with
this weapon. When you roll a 20 on your attack roll with
this weapon, the target is stunned until at the end of your
next round.
✦ Once per day, as an action, you can have a single creature
within 30 feet take one level of fear. Once you use this
feature, you cannot use it again for 24 hours.
Dwarven Armor
Armor (heavy), uncommon
✦ Dwarven armor is light and durable. Dwarven armor is
treated as medium armor, and when you are wearing it you
can add your Dexterity modifier, to a maximum of +2, to
the base armor class for the armor type. In addition, you
have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks, when you
are being pushed or pulled.
Fearless Weapon
Weapon (any), very rare (requires attunement)
✦ Anyone using this weapon has advantage on all saving
throws to overcome fear and can’t be made Anxious.
Frostboar’s Fat
Potion (altering), rare
✦ The fat of the frostboar is thick and brownish and smells
very bad. When you rub the fat on your body, you gain
resistance to cold for 8 hours.
Garmsbok
Wondrous item, legendary
✦ This book describes Dimhall and the world of Othwa. If you
spend 48 hours over a period of 6 days or fewer studying
the book, make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw. If you fail,
you gain a long-term madness. If you succeed, you learn
the secrets of longevity and undeath, you can live twice as
long as a normal creature of your race would. In addition,
you learn 6 new spells from your spell list.
Gatebloom
Potion (altering), very rare
✦ By chewing the Gatebloom, a small, brown four-leaf clover,
you become surrounded by mist. For 1 hour you walk on the
border of Dimhall and Trudvang. You become insubstantial,
other creatures can’t see you, and you can walk through
solid things. If you die while in this state, you return as a
draugr.
Gauntlets of Tursir Power
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
✦ While wearing these gauntlets you have advantage on
Strength saving throws and ability checks.
Gavespring
Potion (healing), uncommon
✦ You regain 2d4 hit points when you drink this potion and
you move one step up on the Wound Track.
Gem of Dimgates
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
✦ When you hold this gem in your hand while in a fog, you
sense where to find Dimgates. You have advantage on
Intelligence (Nature) checks to find a site where a Dimgate
is located.
Gem of Revealing
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
✦ Once per day, as an action, you can look through the gem
and see everything that is hidden or obscured by vitner.
Invisible creatures are visible to you and things or creatures
masked by illusions appear as they truly are.
105
Gloves of Gambling
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
✦ You have advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks while
gambling.
Goblin’s Boots
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
✦ When you wear these boots, Wisdom (Survival) checks
made to track you have disadvantage.
Greater Traveler’s bag
Wondrous item, rare
✦ The Greater Traveler’s bag has even more pockets and rests
comfortably on your shoulders. You can carry 100 lbs in this
bag that do not count to encumbrance.
Gunnflame
Weapon (any sword), rare (requires attunement)
✦ Weaponsmiths of Dranvelt craft Gunnflames for the
Fjadringsmen. These swords are of simple design and only
hold a single rune on the blade. However, these swords are
master crafted and the steel is very strong.
✦ When you roll a 20 on your attack roll with this magic
weapon, the Gunnflame deals an extra 2d6 fire damage.
Hero Guardian
Shield, rare (requires attunement)
✦ You have advantage on Wisdom saving throws to overcome
fear and fear effects while holding this shield.
Helm of Unsung Heroes
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
✦ When you wear this helm, as a bonus action you can cast
Courage once per day.
Horn of Ansa
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
✦ The horn is hollowed out of a dragon tooth and carved
with magical runes. You can use an action to blow this
horn once per day. All friendly creatures within 30 feet may
immediately make a saving throw to repel a condition or a
spell they are suffering from.
✦ In addition, once per week you can cast Possess Animal.
Horn of Ymenos
Wondrous item, very rare
✦ Once per day, you can use an action to blow this horn. All
friendly creatures within 60 feet may immediately move
one step up on the Wound Track.
Instrument of the Minstrel
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
✦ When you hold this instrument, you have advantage on
Charisma (Perform) checks. In addition, when you use an
action to play the instrument you can cast enchant on all
creatures within 30 feet. They must make a DC 15 Wisdom
saving throw or be enthralled by your performance. They
can repeat the saving throw at the end of their turn, as long
as you play the instrument.
Jarlsnaut
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
✦ When you wear this cloak, you have advantage on Charisma
(Persuasion) rolls.
Jotunslayer
Weapon (any), very rare (requires attunement)
✦ You gain +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with
this weapon. While attuned to the Jotunslayer you are
resistant to cold damage.
✦ When you hit a giant with it, the giant takes 2d6 damage of
the weapon’s type. For the purpose of this weapon, giant
refers to any creature of the giant type, including Trolls and
Tursirs.
Koraljon
Weapon (Miekka or any sword), rare
✦ You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with these
Elven made weapons.
✦ When you hit an Outsider with it, the Outsider takes 2d6
damage of the weapon’s type.
Lindwurm’s Elixir
Potion, very rare
✦ Your severed body parts (fingers, legs, tails, and so on), if
any, are restored after 2 minutes. If you have the severed
part and hold it to the stump, the spell instantaneously
causes the limb to knit to the stump.
106
Ljosedda
Wondrous item, legendary
✦ This book describes Trudvang and the flow of hwitalja. If you
spend 48 hours over a period of 6 days or fewer studying
this book, make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. If you fail,
you learn nothing from the book. If you succeed, you learn
how to manipulate the vitner in a sustainable way. You no
longer need to roll for Surge of Vitner. In addition, you can
cast one 1st level spell you know as a cantrip.
Manetter
Poison, rare
✦ This poison is usually mixed into the drink or food of
the victim. When you ingest this poison, make a DC 15
Constitution save. If you succeed, nothing happens. If you
fail, you become poisoned for 1 hour and you take 2d6
poison damage. At the end of each of your turns, make a
new save, upon failure you take 1d6 poison damage. If you
succeed, you no longer take damage.
Mastomant Cloak
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
✦ Cloaks made from Mastomant fur are highly sought after
and prized in Trudvang. When you wear this cloak, you have
resistance to cold. In addition, when in snowy conditions,
you can pull the hood up and gain advantage on Dexterity
(Stealth) checks made to hide. Pulling up the hood requires
an action.
Mittraka Weapon
Weapon (any), rare
✦ Weapons made of Mittraka are always master crafted.
When you roll 1 on any damage die, you may choose to
reroll, accepting the results of the second roll.
Murgla of the White Flame
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
✦ While wearing this Murgla, you have resistance to Necrotic
damage.
Rod of Vyrding
Rod, legendary (requires attunement by any spellcaster)
✦ While holding this rod, you can cast spells without the
required somatic components.
107
Runic Shield
Shield, uncommon
✦ Many Dwarven Thjulks and guards have been presented
with Runic Shields. You have advantage on Dexterity saving
throws, while holding this shield.
Scholar’s Robe
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
✦ When you wear this robe, you have a +1 bonus to AC.
Seawolf ’s Blade
Weapon (any finesse sword), rare
✦ Seawolves often carry these light and durable weapons to
fight. When you roll a 20 on your attack roll, your target moves
one step down on the wound Track, before taking damage.
Shield +2
Shield, very rare
✦ When you are armed with this shield, you have a +2 bonus
to AC. This bonus is an addition to the shield's normal
bonus to AC.
Shield of Dustwall
Shield, rare (requires attunement)
✦ When you are carrying this shield, you have a +1 bonus to
AC. This bonus is an addition to the shield's normal bonus
to AC. In addition, as a reaction you can add a +2 bonus to
your AC against one attack that would hit you. To do so, you
must be able to see the attacker.
Staff of Hwitalja
Staff, rare (requires attunement by any spellcaster)
✦ While holding this staff, you can use an action to expend
1 of its 10 charges to cast Healing Glow, Grip, Courage, or
Vitner Shield from it, using your spell saving throw DC. The
staff can also be used as a magical Staaf.
✦ The staff regains 1d8+2 expended charges daily at dawn.
If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the staff
becomes a non-magical quarterstaff.
Star Harp of the Endless Void
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
✦ When you are holding this Star Harp, as a free action you
can cast Detect Magic.
108
✦ In addition, when you study the stars, you can store 1 Divine
Point in it, thus your pool of Divine Points is raised by 1.
Sunstone
Wondrous item, very rare
✦ By using an action and holding this stone up to the sky,
even when it is cloudy, you can get your bearings and know
which way is north.
Svartskinna
Wondrous item, legendary
✦ This book describes Bloodheim and its denizens and how to
exploit the darkhwitalja. If you spend 48 hours over a period
of 6 days or fewer studying the book’s contents, make a DC
20 Wisdom saving throw. If you fail, you gain a long-term
madness. If you succeed, you learn the name of one demon
and the ritual to summon it. In addition, when a Surge of
Vitner happens as you are casting a spell, you can roll twice
on the table and choose which effect takes place.
Swan Feather
Wondrous item, rare
✦ The feather is enchanted with the spell Fly. Once per week,
a creature can activate the feather and fly for 10 minutes.
Talisman of Authority
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
✦ While wearing this talisman, you have advantage on
Charisma (Persuasion) and Charisma (Intimidation)
checks. In addition, as an action you can cast Plant Idea,
using your spell saving throw DC.
The Warrior
Ring, legendary (requires attunement)
✦ While you are wearing this ring, any critical hit against you
becomes a normal hit.
Thuul’s Arm Guards
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
✦ When you are wearing these bracers, you have advantage
when using artisan’s tools
✦ In addition, when you craft an item wearing the bracers, you
can store 1 Divine Point in them, thus your pool of Divine
Points is raised by 1.
Thornroot
Potion (altering), very rare
✦ If you eat thornroot, rage and frenzy take hold of you for
1 minute. You gain a +2 bonus to melee damage rolls and
have advantage on Wisdom saving throws to overcome
fear. After the duration, you gain one level of exhaustion.
Traveler’s Bag
Wondrous item, uncommon
✦ The Traveler’s Bag has many pockets and is easy to carry.
When you are using a Traveler’s Bag, you do not become
encumbered. You still suffer the effects of being heavily
encumbered.
Trollberries
Potion (healing), uncommon
✦ The Trollberries are a delicacy, but only grow deep within
forests for a short period of time. When you eat a single
berry, you become immune to nonmagical diseases for 24
hours.
Tunglis
Potion (healing), rare
✦ Many adventurers have found a great use in eating the
thistles of Tunglis. When you use Tunglis you gain the effect
of a long rest from 4 hours of low activity, rather than 8
hours.
Vitner Band
Ring, very rare (requires attunement)
✦ While you are wearing this ring, your active spells do not
count toward the number of active spells.
Walrus Armor
Armor (light), rare
✦ Armor made from walrus hide is strong and waterproof.
You have resistance to nonmagical slashing damage while
wearing this armor.
109
Weapon +2
Weapon (any), very rare
✦ You have a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with
this magic weapon.
Wooden Crown
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
✦ While wearing this crown, you have advantage on Charisma
(Animal Handling) checks. In addition, once per 24 hours
as an action you can cast Animal Speech.
Woodland Boots
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
✦ When you wear these boots, you have advantage on
Wisdom (Survival) checks while in forests and woodlands.
In addition, you never treat forests or woodlands as difficult
terrain.
Wound Balm
Potion (healing), rare
✦ Wound Balm speeds up the natural healing process. When
you use Wound Balm you heal 4d4 hit points and you move
up an additional step on the Wound Track after long rest.
Wrestler’s Belt
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
✦ When you wear this belt, you have advantage on Strength
(Athletics) checks made to grab, push, or pull. In addition,
your unarmed attacks do 1d4 bludgeoning damage.
Wrongmurg
Potion (altering), rare
✦ The Wrongmurg mushroom is the size of a small fist, and
highly sought after by warriors and berserkers. When you
eat Wrongmurg, you fly into a rage. For 10 minutes you
gain resistance to nonmagical slashing, bludgeoning, and
piercing damage. In addition, you gain a +2 to all damage
rolls. After the duration, you gain a level of exhaustion.
110
MONSTERS AND ADVERSARIES
BEASTS
Beasts are nonhumanoid creatures that are a natural
part of Trudvang. There are many different beasts in the
lands of Trudvang. Some have special abilities, others are
intelligent and cunning, while yet others have a knack for
manipulating vitner.
Beasts have a Wound Threshold and are affected by
both fear and the Wound Track.
DRAGONS
Dragons are ancient creatures and all wurms are
extremely dangerous. Only the bravest heroes dare to take
on a dragon, but the rewards can be great, since many
wurms like to hoard treasures.
Dragons have a Wound Threshold and a Wound Track
but ignore the effect of being Lightly Wounded. All dragons
are immune to fear.
FEY
Fey creatures are creatures of nature, their essence or
life force is that of nature, Misthal, or vitner itself. Fey
creatures are beings like fairies, byses, and grendels.
Fey have a Wound Threshold and are affected by both
fear and the Wound Track.
GIANTS
Jotuns and Tursirs may resemble humanoids in many
ways, but they tower over humanoids and their kind.
These creatures are dangerous foes and fear little.
Giants have a Wound Threshold and are immune to fear
caused by creatures that are smaller than themselves.
Giants have a Wound Track but ignore the effect of being
Lightly Wounded.
HUMANOIDS
There are many types of humanoids in Trudvang. Goblins,
Gruhs, Humans, Elves and Dwarves along with Half-
Trolls, many kinds of Trolls and monstrous humanoids
fight to make a living in an unforgiving nature.
All humanoids have a Wound Threshold, a Wound Track,
and are affected by fear.
OUTSIDERS
Every now and then a demon finds its way into
Trudvang. Sometimes a vitner weaver opens a gate
to Bloodheim by mistake, causing a Surge of Vitner.
Sometimes the demons make a pact with other beings
111
to open a gateway for them to enter and cause chaos
and death.
All Outsiders have a Wound Track but ignore the effect
of being Lightly Wounded and Bloodied. A Broken demon
becomes frenzied, gaining a +2 bonus to all attacks and
damage rolls. Outsiders are immune to fear.
UNDEAD
Beings of the mist or undead were once living creatures,
but by some darkhwitalja they have been brought to unlife.
Undead include creatures like draugrs and barrow wights,
sálheles and diser.
Undead do not have a Wound Threshold, are unaffected
by fear, and have no Wound Track.
CONVERTING MONSTERS
When converting monsters from Trudvang Chronicles
to Trudvang Adventures, use the following tables to
determine the 5e stats for them. We used the number of hit
points as a starting point when converting monsters from
Trudvang Chronicles to see how any given monster aligns
with 5e, by using the Stats by CR table. The numbers in
the table are averages per CR.
✦ AC: +/- 2 based on concept.
✦ HP: As per monster in Trudvang Chronicles, +/- 20% based
on concept.
✦ Attack bonus: +/- 2 based on concept.
✦ Total Damage per round: +/-50% based on concept.
Powerful limited use attacks that have a single target do
4x the damage budgeted, while limited use multi-target
attacks do 2x. All other damage sources are 1 for 1.
✦ Saving throwDC: +/- 2 based on concept.
✦ Saving throwbonus: The bonus to the monster’s best
saving throw. +/- 2 based on concept.
✦ Other features: Traits, resistances, vulnerabilities, and
other details are based on concept. +/- 1 to CR
Sample conversion:
The galtir has 21-26 hit points according to Trudvang
Chronicles. That would place it as a CR 1 creature in Trudvang
Adventures 5E. Based on the concept, the AC should be 11-
15, attack bonus +2 - +6, total damage per round 5-15, saving
throw DC 9-13 and saving throw bonus +1 - +5.
By consulting the tables, the galtir is considered a
small creature, with 25 feet movement and a base wound
threshold of 4.
 STATS BY CR
CR AC HP Attack bonus Total damage Saving throwDC Saving throwBonus
0 12 3 2 1 9 1
1/8 12 9 3 3 10 2
1/4 13 15 3 5 10 2
1/2 13 24 4 6 11 3
1 13 30 4 10 11 3
2 13 45 5 15 12 4
3 14 60 5 20 12 4
4 14 75 6 25 13 5
5 14 90 6 30 13 5
6 15 105 7 35 14 6
7 15 120 7 40 14 6
8 15 128 8 45 15 7
9 16 135 8 50 15 7
10 16 150 9 55 16 8

SIZE CHALLENGE RATING

Trudvang Chronicles Trudvang Adventures Rating NPC
1/3t Tiny 0 Commoner, Deer, Eagle, Hawk, Ram
1/2t Small 1/8 Axeman, Guard, Noble, Dog
1 Medium ¼ Goblin
2t Large ½ Happja, Thug, Horse, Snowboar
3-4t Huge 1 Forest troll, Grey troll, Galtir, Rogue, Bear,
+7t Gargantuan Drauglynx
2 Braskelwurm, Warg beast, Berserker, Dimwalker,
SPEED Dweller, Mythspinner, Vitner Weaver
3 Giant snake, Young hrim troll, Ranger
Trudvang Chronicles Trudvang Adventures 5 Barrow wight, Dark Dweller, Warrior, Wulterfish
Small 25ft 6 Draugr
Medium 30 ft 7 Stonehinje
Large 40 ft 8 King troll
10 Lindwurm
WOUND THRESHOLD

Size Modifier
Tiny 1
Small 2
Medium 4
Large 6
Huge 10
Gargantuan 14

112
113
BARROW WIGHT
There are many beings of the mist in Trudvang and perhaps
there are few as terrible as the barrow wights. Each such
undead have their own barrow and are awakened to unlife
because of its longing for something or someone that is in
the dead one’s tomb. In some barrow there can be more
than one barrow wight.
Only Humans and Elves can become barrow wights.
Most barrow wights come alive shortly after the burial and
maintain much of their appearance from life. However,
their black eyeholes glow with eerie and strange bone-
white light when the sun has set.

Barrow Wight
Medium undead

✦ Armor Class: 13 (chain shirt)

✦ Hit Points: 90 (12d8 + 36)
✦ Speed: 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

17 (+3) 10 (+0) 17 (+3) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 8 (-1)

✦ Saving Throws: Int +5, Wis +3
✦ Damage Resistances: piercing, slashing
✦ Damage Immunities: necrotic, poison
✦ Condition Immunities: exhaustion, poisoned
✦ Skills: Arcana +5, Intimidation +2, Perception +3
✦ Senses: darkvision 30 ft., Passive Perception 13
✦ Wound Threshold: -
✦ Languages: Whatever languages it knew in life
✦ Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP)
Summon Fog. The barrow wight can summon a fog to fill 600
foot radius area around themselves. Any non-undead creature
that enters the fog or starts its turn in it, must make a DC
11 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature moves
its speed to the center of the area. A creature can repeat the
saving throw at the end of each of their turns. If the target’s
saving throw is successful, it is immune to this effect for the
next 24 hours.
The Undying. Each non-undead creature within 30 feet of the
barrow wight must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or
take 1 level of fear. If the target’s saving throw is successful, it
is immune to this effect for the next 24 hours.
Dark Vitner. A barrow wight is a 5th level darkhwitalja vitner
weaver. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell saving
throw DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It knows the following
spells and has 5 Vitner Points:
✦ Cantrips (4 slots): Hand of Death, Phantom Sound, Vitner
Hand, Wind Gust
✦ 1st level spells (3 slots): Burning Hand, Grip, Trip
✦ 2nd level spells (2 slots): Farsight, Flame Burst
✦ 3rd level spells (1 slot): Vitner Theft
Actions
Multiattack. The barrow wight makes two barda sverd attacks.
Barda Sverd. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft,. one
target. Hit: 8 (1d8+3) slashing damage plus 8 (2d6) necrotic
damage.
Shriek (1/day). The barrow wight releases a terrible shriek, that
has no effect on undead. All creatures within 30 feet of the barrow
wight must make DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the
creature takes 1 level of fear and takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage.
On a success, a creature takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage.

114
BRASKELWURM
The braskelwurm is a strange little creature that in spite
of its small stature can petrify even the greatest dragon
with its gaze attack. This creature is quick and agile, it
can move at a great speed, making it almost impossible
to catch.
The braskelwurm is a reptile that lives in the deepest
forests or caves, where it is protected from the dangerous
rays of the sun. It usually attacks with its gaze, but in rare
cases it will use its bite or claws. The lair of a braskelwurm
is usually surrounded by a few incredibly life-like statues
of adventurers and beasts alike.
Sunlight Sensitivity. If the Braskelwurm is caught in direct
sunlight, its scales will catch fire in 1d6 + 2 rounds. The
Braskelwurm takes 2d6 fire damage each round after it has
caught on fire.
Actions
Fast. As a bonus action, the braskelwurm can use dash or
disengage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage

Braskelwurm
Small dragon

✦ Armor Class: 16 (natural armor)

✦ Hit Points: 18 (4d6 + 4)
✦ Speed: 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

8 (-1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 14 (+2)

✦ Saving Throws: Dex +5, Wis +4

✦ Senses: darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
✦ Wound Threshold: 5
✦ Languages: —
✦ Challenge: 2 (450 XP)

Petrifying Gaze. If a creature starts its turn within 30 ft.

of the braskelwurm and the two of them can see each
other, the Braskelwurm can force the creature to make a
DC 12 Constitution saving throw if the braskelwurm isn’t
incapacitated. On a failed save, the creature magically begins
to turn to stone and is restrained. It must repeat the saving
throw at the end of its next turn. On a success, the effect ends.
On a failure, the creature is petrified until freed by the greater
restoration spell or other magic.

A creature that isn’t surprised can avert its eyes to avoid the
saving throw at the start of its turn. If it does so, it can’t see the
braskelwurm until the start of its next turn, when it can avert
its eyes again. If it looks at the braskelwurm in the meantime,
it must immediately make the save.

115
DARK DWELLER
The dark dweller is a horrid undead creature that is
awakened through sacrifice. From the blood that pours
down into the ground, a beast is created that consists of
everything that lies in the earth. Normally this includes
branches, earth, bone parts, and other things that have
ended up in the ground beneath a sacrificial place, but there
are also dark dwellers made from half-rotting corpses and
sacrificial logs. It is easier to awaken new dark dwellers
in places where one has been awakened previously. The
more blood that has been spilled in the ground, the greater
the dark dweller will be. It is not unusual for several dark
dwellers to be awakened if the blood has flowed in great
amounts and the ground is rich with components.
The attributes of a dark dweller shift depending on what
type of landscape has bred it forth. The most common
dark dweller has a body like that of a human or an animal
and one or more heads that can come from both humans
116
and animals. In addition, dark dwellers usually wear
several body parts from humans or animals to make up
their protection and armour.
A dark dweller can have a variety of appearances. Since
they often are awakened in places that are plentiful with
bits and pieces of corpses from past sacrifices, the shape
of a dark dweller is up to a chance. Some walk on two
legs, other on four, but it is not unusual for a dark dweller
to make their way forth with three, five or six legs. In the
same way, there is nothing that says that dark dwellers
must have two arms and a head. It is just as likely that one
will have three arms and two heads or more.
The dark dweller grows and will become more dangerous
as it tastes more blood. By lying down on its victim, the
dark dweller will meld with the victim and thus grow larger
and stronger. Since new victims mean more body parts,
the dark dweller’s appearance will change every time it
grows, and it becomes even more powerful.
 DARK DWELLER APPEARANCE
1d10 Appearance
1 The dark dweller has an extra leg, which means it walks on three legs. The only effect is that if the dark dweller loses a
leg, it can still move normally.
2 The dark dweller has an extra pair of legs, which means that it walks on four legs. It gains a +10 bonus to movement.
3 The dark dweller has two extra pair of legs, which means that it walks on six legs. It gains a +10 bonus to movement
and cannot be knocked prone.
4 The dark dweller has an extra head, which can be practically anywhere on its body. The dark dweller can make two
attacks with bite, instead of one.
5 The dark dweller has an extra arm. The dark dweller can choose to make three slam attacks, instead of two.
6 The dark dweller has an extra pair of arms. The dark dweller can make four attacks each round, three with its slam and
one with its bite.
7 The dark dweller is constantly followed by a swarm of flies. Melee attacks made against the dark dweller are made with
disadvantage.
8 The dark dweller’s chest is immense, which gives it more hit points. The dark dweller has 13 Hit Dice (which raises its
hit point maximum by 16)
9 The dark dweller has a very strong bark that protects its body, which gives it a +2 to natural armour. The dark dweller
has AC 16.
10 The dark dweller looks extra-ordinary horrid. Each non-undead creature within 30 feet of the dark dweller must make a
DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or take 1 level of fear.

Dark Dweller 1 level of fear. If the target’s saving throw is successful, it is

Huge undead immune to this effect for the next 24 hours.

✦ Armor Class: 14 (natural armor) Blood Taste. When a dark dweller hits a creature, it has
✦ Hit Points: 93 (11d12 + 22) advantage to all attack rolls against that creature until the end
✦ Speed: 30 ft. of the dark dweller’s turn.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Consume. The dark dweller can consume a dead creature and
19 (+4) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 5 (-3) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) assume some of their attributes. Each time a dark dweller
consumes a creature, the dark dweller returns to full hit
points and gains 1d10 to their maximum hit points as well.
✦ Saving Throws: Str +7, Con +5 This process takes 1 hour.
✦ Skills: Perception +3
✦ Damage Resistances: piercing Actions
✦ Damage Immunities: necrotic, poison Multiattack. The dark dweller makes three attacks, two with its
✦ Condition Immunities: exhaustion, poisoned slam and one with its bite.
✦ Senses: darkvision 30 ft., Passive Perception 13
✦ Wound Threshold: — Slam. Melee weapon attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one
✦ Languages: — creature. Hit: 16 (3d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
✦ Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP)
Bite. Melee weapon attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature.
The Undying. Each non-undead creature within 30 feet of the Hit: 12 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage.
dark dweller must make a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw or take

117
DRAUGR
The draugr is an undead creature that is driven by
vengeance and hatred. Because of this great hatred, it has
managed to tame the bonds of death and thus remain in
the place where it died.
Depending on how much time has passed since a
draugr died and returned to the world, their body can be
in different stages of decay, everything from seemingly
untouched body to bare parts of bones. The more intact
the body is, the more powerful and mighty the draugr is
considered to be.
The only concern of a draugr is to extend its time in the
world. It feeds on the living, by drinking their blood, which
it enjoys more that anything else. Each day, the draugr
must return to the place where it returned to the world of
the living and be there at the same time of day it returned.

Draugr
Medium undead

✦ Armor Class: 15 (chain mail, shield)

✦ Hit Points: 91 (14d8 + 28)
✦ Speed: 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

16 (+3) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)

✦ Saving Throws: Str +6, Con +5
✦ Skills: Stealth +3
✦ Damage Resistances: piercing, slashing
✦ Damage Immunities: necrotic, poison
✦ Condition Immunities: exhaustion, poisoned
✦ Senses: darkvision 30 ft., Passive Perception 9
✦ Wound Threshold: —
✦ Languages: the languages it knew in life
✦ Challenge: 6 (2,300 XP)
stay in the world of the living by one lunar month. Elven blood
extends the stay by two lunar months, but Troll blood only
extends the stay a week.
Actions
Multiattack. The draugr makes two attacks, only one of which
can be a bite attack.
Breid Sverd. Melee weapon attack. +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) plus 6 (2d6) necrotic damage.

Shapeshifter. A draugr can transform into a wolf, raven, or
horse, and its speed changes to 40. Changing shape takes 1
minute.
Smoke Body. A draugr can transform into smoke or mist. While
in this form, the draugr gains fly speed 30 and is incorporeal. It
also gains regeneration 10. The draugr can’t make any attacks
while in this form. Changeing shape takes 1 minute.
Life Sacrifice. The draugr needs blood to sustain its unlife. By
drinking the blood of humanoids the draugr can extend its
Bite. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) plus 6 (2d6) necrotic damage. The target’s hit
point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic
damage taken, and the draugr regains hit points equal to that
amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long
rest. The target dies if this reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Reactions
Parry. The draugr adds +2 to its AC against one melee attack
that would hit it. To do so, the draugr must see the attacker
and be wielding a melee weapon.

118
FOREST TROLL
Forest trolls live like nomads and move in groups in the STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
great forests of Trudvang. They always gather under the
12 (+1) 17 (+3) 12 (+1) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 8 (-1)
strongest leader, who rules supreme in the group. The
forest trolls tend to claim abandoned caves as their lairs.
Here they make their living from hunting or plunder. ✦ Saving Throws: Dex +5
Forest trolls have a long nose and long ears, and a bent, ✦ Skills: Stealth +5
sinewy body with brown or sometimes green skin. Their ✦ Senses: darkvision 30 ft., Passive Perception 10
mouth tusks are not as prominent as those of other trolls, ✦ Wound Threshold: 5
but they do have a set of razor-sharp teeth. ✦ Languages: Bastjumal
Forest trolls like to paint their body with a blue-coloured ✦ Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
mud, which they believe has magical properties. They
think it gives them power and strength, neither of which Mud Camouflage. The forest troll use blue mud to conceal
is correct. Forest trolls are immune to fear and in battle themselves. All Wisdom (Perception) checks made to see the
they tend to focus on a single opponent, attacking it until forest troll have disadvantage.
it is dead and plundering the corpse before turning their
attention to another opponent. Fearless. The forest troll is immune to fear.

Forest Troll Actions

Small humanoid (Trollkin) Claw. Melee weapon attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 3 (1d4 +1) slashing damage.
✦ Armor Class: 14 (leather armor)
✦ Hit Points: 27 (6d6 + 6) Veidi Bogi. Ranged weapon attack: +5 to hit, range 80 ft., one
✦ Speed: 30 ft. target. Hit: 6 (1d6 +3) piercing damage.

119
GALTIR
Galtirs are small humanoids that are smaller than
dwarves and resemble a cross between a troll and a boar.
These humanoids are hunters that are incredibly strong
and resilient.
Galtirs gather in small groups of three to fifteen
individuals. Their dens are usually under great rocks in
the deep forests and they prefer to keep to themselves.
Sometimes several galtirs gather in the same place and
run through the land. This is called “galtwalk” and it is
considered dangerous to be around such a gathering.
Galtir
Small humanoid
✦ Armor Class: 11 (Fur/leather armor)
✦ Hit Points: 27 (6d6 + 6)
✦ Speed: 30 ft.
✦ Saving Throws: Str +4
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 10
✦ Wound Threshold: 5
✦ Languages: Bastjumal
✦ Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
Fearless. The galtir is immune to fear and does not gain levels
of fear.
Charge. If the galtir moves at least 20 ft. straight toward a
target and then hits it with a tusk attack on the same turn, the
target takes an extra 3 (1d6) slashing damage. If the target is
a creature, it must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw
or be knocked prone.
Actions
Deep Bellow 1/day. The galtir lets out a deep bellow,
summoning other galtirs to its side. In 1d6 rounds 1d4 galtirs
appear and fight beside the galtir.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Tusk. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
14 (+2) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 6 (--2) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.

120
GIANT SNAKE ✦ Wound Threshold: 9
✦ Languages: —
There are several types of snakes, big and small, poisonous ✦ Challenge: 3 (700 XP)
and non-poisonous, in the wilderness of Trudvang. In the
great oceans, one will find the sea serpents, and in lakes and Hylja. The snake’s scales change color to mimic the
ponds one will find the lake serpent that can change colour environment. The giant snake has advantage on Dexterity
to adapt to its background. High up in the branches in the (Stealth) checks.
great forests lurk the forest snake, and in the underground
of Trudvang lives the cave serpent, a black menace that Actions
slithers around the unending caves in the hunt for food. Multiattack. The giant snake makes two attacks, only one of
which can be a bite attack.
Giant Snake
Large beast Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature.
Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
✦ Armor Class: 12
✦ Hit Points: 65 (10d10 + 10) Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one
✦ Speed: 30 ft., swim 30 ft. creature. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage, and the target is
grappled (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the creature
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA is restrained, and the snake can’t constrict another target.
15 (+2) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 5 (-3) 10 (+0) 13 (+1)
Paralyzing Stare. The giant snake locks gaze with one creature
that it can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a
✦ Saving Throws: Dex +4 DC 11 Wisdom saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The
✦ Skills: Stealth +4 target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its
✦ Senses: blindsight 10 ft., Passive Perception 10 turns, ending the effect on a success.

121
GOBLIN
✦ Skills: Stealth +4
Goblins is a short creature, around 3 feet high, that has ✦ Senses: darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9
gray skin. Almost all goblins have a small and sinewy body ✦ Wound Threshold: 4
with a great head and a long nose. Goblins cannot stand ✦ Languages: Bastjumal
sunlight and prefer to stay either underground or save ✦ Challenge: 1/4 (50 XP)
under the thick foliage of dark forests.
Goblins live in great tribes of about a hundred to five Camouflage. The goblin has an advantage on Dexterity
hundred individuals, deep in the forests or in a mountain (Stealth) checks.
hall. They are very superstitious.
Usually, goblins are shy. They only attack if they have had Sunlight sensitivity. When in sunlight, the goblin has
the chance to follow their prey for several days, studying disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom
them. If the goblins ever become outnumbered, they will (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
try to flee.
Spider legs. Goblins can move across cave walls and ceilings
Goblins just as easily as the cave floors.
Small humanoid (Trollkin)
Superstitious. Goblins are very superstitious and afraid of the
✦ Armor Class: 15 (leather armor, shield) unknown, especially vitner. When a goblin witnesses obvious use
✦ Hit Points: 14 (4d6) of vitner (GM’s discretion), the goblin takes one level of fear.
✦ Speed: 25 ft, climb 25 ft.
Actions
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Staaf Spjót. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
8 (-1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 8 (-1) 8 (-1) target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.

Veidi Bogi. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft.,

one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.

122
 GRAY TROLL
There are many names for the gray trolls, perhaps because
they don’t have a uniform appearance, culture or way of life.
Of course, they are as varied as troll come, but truth be told,
there are sly and fearless gray trolls but for the most part
they are among the least intelligent of the trollkin.
Most gray trolls have a body that is slightly larger than
a human’s, upon which sits a meaty head with a large
growth of a nose. They have muscular arms short rounded
legs and great lumpy feet.
Gray trolls live in all sorts of places all over Trudvang,
from simple forest camps to dens in the earth and
abandoned human settlements. They do not make their
own tools, weapons or armour, instead using whatever they
can find or pry from the dead fingers of their opponents.

Gray troll
Medium humanoid (Trollkin)

✦ Armor Class: 13 (natural armor)

✦ Hit Points: 33 (6d8 + 6)
✦ Speed: 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

15 (+2) 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 8 (-1) 10 (+0) 6 (-2)

✦ Saving Throws: Con +3

✦ Senses: darkvision 30 ft., Passive Perception 10
✦ Wound Threshold: 7
✦ Languages: Bastjumal
✦ Challenge: 1 (200 XP)

Horrid Stench. Any creature that starts its turn within 5 feet
of the gray troll must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving
throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a
successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the gray
troll’s stench for 24 hours.

Actions
Club. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 8 (2d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.

Reactions
Troll’s Endurance (1/day). When a gray troll takes damage, it
can use a reaction to roll a d12. Add the gray troll’s Constitution
modifier to the number rolled and reduce the damage by that
total.

123
HAPPJA ✦ Saving Throws: Dex +4, Wis +4
✦ Skills: Perception +4, Performance +3
The happja looks like a dirty old woman with eyes that ✦ Senses: Passive Perception 14
glow white in the night and rugged wings that hold up her ✦ Wound Threshold: 6
naked body when she flies. ✦ Languages: —
Happjas live in the branches of the high trees in great ✦ Challenge: 1/2 (100 XP)
nests they take over and build out. Happjas are extremely
territorial and can become very aggressive if someone Attack from Above. The happja doesn’t provoke an opportunity
enters their domain. attack when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.
The feathers of a happja are highly prized and very
valuable. Actions
Claws. Melee weapon attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Happja Hit: 4 (1d6+1) slashing damage.
Medium humanoid
Wild Shriek 1/day. The happja lets out a wild shriek. Every
✦ Armor Class: 12 creature within 60 feet of the happja that can hear the shriek
✦ Hit Points: 18 (4d8) must succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw or take one
✦ Speed: 30 ft., fly 30 ft. level of fear. Happjas are immune to this effect.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

12 (+1) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)

124
 King Troll
Huge humanoid (Trollkin)

✦ Armor Class: 15 (natural armor)

✦ Hit Points: 123 (13d12 + 39)
✦ Speed: 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

19 (+4) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 12 (+1)

✦ Saving Throws: Str +7, Int +5

✦ Skills: Deception +4, Persuasion +4
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 10
✦ Wound Threshold: 16
✦ Languages: Bastjumal
✦ Challenge: 8 (3,900 XP)

Mock Guidance. A king troll has advantage on Charisma ability

checks made to lure or fool a creature into a trap or its den.

Spellcasting. The king troll is a 5th level darkhwitalja vitner

weaver. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell saving
throw DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The king troll has the
following spells prepared and has 5 Vitner Points:

✦ Cantrips (4 per day): Phantom Sound, Thaumaturgy, Spark,

Illuminate
✦ 1st level spells (3 slots): Appearance Change, Courage,
Unlife
✦ 2nd level spells (2 slots): Invisibility, Shriek
KING TROLL ✦ 3rd level spells (1 slot): Tendrils of Dimhall

King trolls are taller than other trolls, but their bodies are
thinner, sinewier, and wirier than those of, for example,
gray trolls. They like to dress up with rings, bracelets and
other ornaments that shine. They like to gather treasure
in their dens, which are usually found deep in forests
near dark ponds of water. King trolls either live in small
groups or they mingle with other trolls to build a greater
community.
King Trolls prefer using vitner to wielding weapons and
rely almost solely on their affinity for magic. A king troll
can wield all forms of vitner but they prefer to use dark
vitner.
Actions
Multiattack. The king troll makes two attacks with its tvei
hammri.
Tvei Hammri. Melee weapon attack: +7, reach 10 ft., one
target. Hit: 16 (3d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Reactions
Troll’s Endurance (1/day). When a king troll takes damage, it
can use a reaction to roll a d12. Add the king troll’s Constitution
modifier to the number rolled and reduce the damage by that
total.

125
LINDWURM
The lindwurm is both worshipped and feared in Trudvang.
There are no doubts that it is a dragon beast, even if
many believe to be its own species. They dwell in their
own vast, underground burrows and are most commonly
encountered in Mittland.
Usually they have completely white body, which is
armoured with scales; but there are also lindwurms that
are completely black. A lindwurm’s heart is said to have
regenerative properties for the one who eats it, and when
a lindwurm dies a new one may be born from the heart.

Lindwurm
Huge dragon

✦ Armor Class: 16 (natural armor)

✦ Hit Points: 149 (13d12 + 65)
✦ Speed: 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

19 (+4) 14 (+2) 21 (+5) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 16 (+3)

✦ Saving Throws: Dex +6, Con +9, Wis +5, Cha +7

✦ Senses: darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 11
✦ Languages: Vrok, Wild Vork, Rona, Bastjumal, Dragerthian
✦ Wound Threshold: 19
✦ Challenge: 10 (5,900 XP)

Regenerating Heart. If the lindwurm dies, a new one is created

from the heart, which takes 1d10 weeks.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the wurm’s choice that
is within 120 feet of the wurm and aware of it must succeed
on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take one level of fear. A
creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its
turns. If a creature’s saving throw is successful, the creature
is immune to the wurm’s frightful presence for the next 24
hours.
Actions
Multiattack. The lindwurm makes three attacks, two with its
bite and one with its constrict.
Bite. Melee weapon attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 16 (3d8 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is a large or
smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving
throw or be caught by the lindwurm. A caught creature is
restrained and held fast in the lindwurm’s mouth. The creature
takes 16 (3d8 + 4) piercing damage at the start of each of the
lindwurm’s turns.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
creature. Hit: 22 (6d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the
target is grappled (escape DC 16). Until this grapple ends,
the creature is restrained, and the lindwurm can’t constrict
another target.

126
SÁLHELE
✦ Damage Immunities: necrotic, poison
Sálheles are undead creatures, skeletons that can sense ✦ Condition Immunities: exhaustion, poisoned
the living around them. Why or how these undead come to ✦ Senses: darkvision 30 ft., Passive Perception 10
being is hard to tell, perhaps these are creatures created ✦ Wound Threshold: -
by dark vitner or beings that are trapped in Dimhall. ✦ Languages: the sálhele understands whatever languages it
Sálheles are often seen with animals, especially mounts. knew in life but it can’t speak
They tend to ride these unfortunate mounts until they are ✦ Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
exhausted, at which point the skeleton leaves the mount to
die and finds a new riding companion. Control Animals. A sálhele has advantage on Charisma
(Animal Handling) checks.
Sálhele
Medium undead The Undying. Each non-undead creature within 30 feet of the
sálhele must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or take 1
✦ Armor Class: 14 (leather armor, shield) level of fear. If the target’s saving throw is successful, it is
✦ Hit Points: 32 (5d8 + 10) immune to this effect for the next 24 hours.
✦ Speed: 30 ft.
Sense Living. A sálhele can sense living beings within 300 feet.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 7 (-2) 10 (+0) 6 (+2) Actions
Barda Sverd. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage.
✦ Saving Throws: Con +4
✦ Skills: Animal Handling +2 Veidi Bogi. Ranged weapon attack: +3 to hit, range 80/320,
✦ Damage Vulnerabilities: bludgeoning one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.
✦ Damage Resistances: piercing, slashing

127
YOUNG HRIM TROLL
Hrim trolls are large and horrifying trolls, towering over
humans, elves, dwarves and even most other trolls. Even
young hrim trolls are a terrifying sight to behold, enough
to make even the most stalwart heroes stop dead in their
tracks and reconsider their course of action.
Hrim trolls have a thick brush of hair that grows down
its back to form a mane and a beard from which one can
craft very good winter clothing. Thick tusks sprout from
their mouths and as a rule of thumb, the older the troll is,
the more prominent the tusks are.
Unlike many other trolls, hrim trolls are very quiet and
observant. They have a predatory instinct and are great
hunters. They also have affinity for blacksmithing and
often use weapons and wear armour they have crafted
themselves.
Young Hrim Troll
Large humanoid (trollkin)
Fearsome. Any creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of
a young hrim troll must succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving
throw or take one level of fear. On a successful saving throw,
the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Actions
Multiattack. The young hrim troll attacks twice with its tvei
klubb.
Tvei Klubb. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one
target. Hit: 16 (3d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Fist. Melee weapon attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) cold damage.
Reactions
Troll’s Endurance (1/day). When a young hrim troll takes
damage, it can use a reaction to roll a d12. Add the young hrim
troll’s Constitution modifier to the number rolled and reduce
the damage by that total.

✦ Armor Class: 13 (natural armor)

✦ Hit Points: 59 (7d10 + 21)
✦ Speed: 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

19 (+4) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)

✦ Saving Throws: Str +6, Con +5

✦ Damage Immunities: cold
✦ Senses: darkvision 30 ft., Passive Perception 10
✦ Wound Threshold: 11
✦ Languages: Bastjumal
✦ Challenge: 3 (700 XP)

Frenzy. At the start of its turn, the young hrim troll can gain
advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls it makes during
that turn, but attack rolls against it have advantage until the
start of its next turn.

Fear of Magic. When a young hrim troll is the target of a spell,

it must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or take one
level of fear.

Hrim Body. A creature that touches the Hrim Troll or hits it

with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 4 (1d6) cold
damage.

128
 STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
STONEHINJE 21 (+5) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 8 (-1) 12 (+1) 8 (-1)
The personality and appearance of a stonehinje can be as
varied as that of a human. Just as there are dishonourable ✦ Saving Throws: Str +8, Con +6
humans, there are stonehinjes with no honour. They are ✦ Skills: Deception +2, Stealth +3
truly strange and weird creatures. ✦ Damage Immunities: cold, fire
In fact, there are two types of stonehinjes, one that is ✦ Senses: darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 11
born from the mountain and those that were conjured or ✦ Wound Threshold: 16
lured forth by dwarven stone interpreters. The former has ✦ Languages: —
their own consciousness and a free will. The latter seldom ✦ Challenge: 7 (2,900 XP)
gains their own consciousness and are created to fulfil a
certain purpose. Their ability to metamorphose makes Metamorph. The stonehinje can metamorph into a simple
them the perfect servants and guards. object, such as a chest, door, wall, or floor. Only on a successful
DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check can anyone deduce
Stonehinje that a metamorphed stonehinje is in fact a living creature.
Huge monstrosity (Shapechanger)
Actions
✦ Armor Class: 15 (natural armor) Multiattack. The stonehinje makes two slam attacks.
✦ Hit Points: 114 (12d12 + 36)
✦ Speed: 30 ft. Slam. Melee weapon attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 19 (3d8 + 5).

129
WARG BEAST ✦ Skills: Perception +3, Stealth +4
✦ Senses: darkvision 30 ft., Passive Perception 13
The warg beast is without a doubt one of Trudvang's ✦ Wound Threshold: 8
most horrid predators. Garm, skoll, warg, the beast has ✦ Languages: —
many names and comes in different sizes. Warg beast’s ✦ Challenge: 2 (450 XP)
appearance are similar to wolves, though the beast is much
larger and more ferocious. The common warg is similar in Keen Hearing and Smell. The warg beast has advantage on
size as a wolf but has a stronger body and a larger head. Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
When the deep and long winters come, it is not unusual
that great packs of warg beasts gather around farms and Pack Tactics. The warg beast has advantage on attack rolls
await the humans that live there. Sometimes wildfolk and against a creature if at least one of the warg beast's allies is
trolls tame warg beasts and use them as mounts. within 5 ft. of the target and that ally isn't incapacitated.
The furs of warg beast are especially sought after, since
it can protect from the cold and is much lighter than the Actions
fur of a mastomant. Jump Attack. The warg beast makes three attacks, one with its
bite and two with its claws.
Warg Beast
Medium beast Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it
✦ Armor Class: 14 (natural armor) must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked
✦ Hit Points: 32 (5d8 + 10) prone.
✦ Speed: 50 ft.
Claws. Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage.
17 (+3) 15 (+2) 15 (+2) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 7 (-2)

130
AXEMAN BERSERKER
Medium humanoid (any race) Medium humanoid (any race)

✦ Armor Class: 12 (metal-reinforced leather) ✦ Armor Class: 13 (metal-reinforced leather)

✦ Hit Points: 11 (2d8 + 2) ✦ Hit Points: 67 (9d8 + 27)
✦ Speed: 30 ft. ✦ Speed: 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
13 (+1) 11 (+0) 12 (+1) 8 (+1) 11 (+0) 8 (-1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 17 (+3) 9 (-1) 11 (+0) 9 (-1)

✦ Senses: Passive Perception 10 ✦ Senses: Passive Perception 10

✦ Wound Threshold: 7 ✦ Wound Threshold: 9
✦ Languages: any one language ✦ Languages: any one language
✦ Challenge: 1/8 (25 XP) ✦ Challenge: 2 (450 XP)

Pack Tactics. The axeman has advantage on attack rolls against
a creature if at least one of the axeman's allies is within 5 ft. of
the target and that ally isn't incapacitated.
Actions
Barda Axi. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) slashing damage, or 7 (1d10 + 1) slashing
damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.
Reckless. At the start of its turn, the berserker can gain
advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls during that turn,
but attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of its
next turn.
Actions
Tvei Axi. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 9 (1d12 + 3) slashing damage.

COMMONER
Medium humanoid (any race)

✦ Armor Class: 10
✦ Hit Points: 4 (1d8)
✦ Speed: 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)

✦ Senses: Passive Perception 10

✦ Wound Threshold: 6
✦ Languages: any one language
✦ Challenge: 0 (10 XP)

Actions
Klubb. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.

131
DIMWALKER DWELLER
Medium humanoid (any race), Medium humanoid (any race)

✦ Armor Class: 13 (chain mail) ✦ Armor Class: 12 (metal-reinforced leather)

✦ Hit Points: 27 (5d8 + 5) ✦ Hit Points: 33 (6d8 + 6)
✦ Speed: 30 ft. ✦ Speed: 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 10 (+0)

✦ Skills: Medicine +5, Persuasion +3, Religion +3
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 13
✦ Wound Threshold: 7
✦ Languages: any two languages
✦ Challenge: 2 (450 XP)
Spellcasting. The dimwalker is a 5th level spellcaster. Its
spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell saving throw DC 13, +5 to
hit with spell attacks). The dimwalker has 2 Divine Points. The
dimwalker has the following spells prepared:
✦ Cantrips (4 per day): Illuminate, Sacred Flame, Thaumaturgy
✦ 1st level (3 slots): Healing Touch, Sacred Bolt, Sheltering
✦ 2nd level (2 slots): Divine Weapon, Lesser Restoration
✦ 3rd level (1 slot): Divine Guardians
Actions
Embolden Ally. One ally within 30 feet that can see or hear the
dimwalker can move one step up on the Wound Track.
✦ Saving Throws: Str +4, Wis +4
✦ Skills: Medicine +4, Perception +4, Persuasion +2
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 14
✦ Wound Threshold: 7
✦ Languages: any one language
✦ Challenge: 2 (450 XP)
Strong Back. The dweller has advantage on Strength ability
checks.
Actions
Evade (1/day). The dweller uses Dodge as a bonus action and
gains a +2 bonus to AC.
Barda Makir. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Grapple. Attack: +2 to hit (rolled with advantage), reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: The target is grappled.

Nagli Klubb. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Reactions
target. Hit: 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage. Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that the dweller can see
hits with an attack, halve the attack’s damage.

132
GUARD MYTHSPINNER
Medium humanoid (any race) Medium humanoid (any race)

✦ Armor Class: 16 (chain mail, shield) ✦ Armor Class: 16 (metal-reinforced leather, shield)
✦ Hit Points: 11 (2d8 + 2) ✦ Hit Points: 33 (6d8 + 6)
✦ Speed: 30 ft. ✦ Speed: 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
12 (+1) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 16 (+3)

✦ Skills: Perception +2 ✦ Saving Throws: Dex +5, Cha +5

✦ Senses: Passive Perception 12 ✦ Skills: Deception +5, History +2, Performance +5
✦ Wound Threshold: 7 ✦ Senses: Passive Perception 11
✦ Languages: any one language ✦ Wound Threshold: 7
✦ Challenge: 1/8 (25 XP) ✦ Languages: any one language
✦ Challenge: 2 (450 XP)
Actions
Staaf Spjót. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach Silvertongue. The mythspinner has advantage on Deception
5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing and Persuasion checks.
damage or 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage if used with two hands
to make a melee attack. Actions
Multiattack. The mythspinner can attack twice with its glaaf.

Glaaf. Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.

Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.

Dreadful Skald (1/day). As a bonus action, a creature that

can see or hear the mythspinner must succeed on a Wisdom
saving throw (DC 12) or gain one level of fear.

NOBLE
Medium humanoid (any race)

✦ Armor Class: 15 (Scale-reinforced chain mail) ✦ Languages: any two languages

✦ Hit Points: 9 (2d8) ✦ Challenge: 1/8 (25 XP)
✦ Speed: 30 ft.
Actions
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Glaaf. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
12 (+1) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) Hit: 5 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.

Reactions
✦ Skills: Deception +5, Insight +4, Persuasion +5 Parry. The noble adds +2 to its AC against one melee attack
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 12 that would hit it. To do so, the noble must see the attacker and
✦ Wound Threshold: 6 be wielding a melee weapon.

133
RANGER ROGUE
Medium humanoid (any race) Medium humanoid (any race)

✦ Armor Class: 14 (metal-reinforced leather) ✦ Armor Class: 13 (Fur/leather armor)

✦ Hit Points: 49 (9d8 + 9) ✦ Hit Points: 33 (6d8 + 6)
✦ Speed: 30 ft. ✦ Speed: 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 15 (+2) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 15 (+2) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)

✦ Saving Throws: Str +2, Dex +4 ✦ Saving Throws: Dex +4, Int +3
✦ Skills: Perception +2, Stealth +4, Survival +2 ✦ Skills: Investigation +3, Sleight of Hand +4, Stealth +4
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 12 ✦ Senses: Passive Perception 10
✦ Wound Threshold: 7 ✦ Wound Threshold: 7
✦ Languages: any one language ✦ Languages: any one language
✦ Challenge: 3 (700 XP) ✦ Challenge: 1 (200 XP)

Hunter’s Mark. For the duration on 1 minute, as a bonus Sneak Attack. If the rogue has advantage on the attack roll,
action, the ranger marks one target and deals an extra 1d6 they deal an extra 1d6 damage.
damage to the target whenever they hit it with a weapon
attack. For the duration, as a bonus action, the ranger can Actions
move the mark to another creature. Seax. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Actions
Multiattack. The ranger attacks twice with its Lang Bogi.

Lang Bogi. Ranged weapon attack: +6 to hit, range 100/400,

one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.

THUG
Medium humanoid (any race) ✦ Challenge: 1/2 (100 XP)

✦ Armor Class: 11 (Fur/leather armor) Pack Tactics. The thug has advantage on attack rolls against a
✦ Hit Points: 32 (5d8 + 10) creature if at least one of the thug's allies is within 5 ft. of the
✦ Speed: 30 ft. target and that ally isn't incapacitated.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Actions

12 (+1) 10 (+0) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) Multiattack. The thug makes two melee attacks.

Barda Makir. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one

✦ Skills: Intimidation +2 creature. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 10
✦ Wound Threshold: 8 Tunkur Krossbogur. Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, range
✦ Languages: any one language 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d10) piercing damage.

134
VITNER WEAVER WARRIOR
Medium humanoid (any race) Medium humanoid (any race)

✦ Armor Class: 10 ✦ Armor Class: 14 (scale-reinforced chain mail)

✦ Hit Points: 27 (5d8 + 5) ✦ Hit Points: 75 (10d8 + 30)
✦ Speed: 30 ft. ✦ Speed: 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
11 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)

✦ Skills: Arcana +5, Nature +5, Religion +5 ✦ Saving Throws: Str +5, Con +6
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 11 ✦ Skills: Athletics +5, Intimidation +2, Perception +4
✦ Wound Threshold: 7 ✦ Senses: Passive Perception 14
✦ Languages: any two languages ✦ Wound Threshold: 13
✦ Challenge: 2 (450 XP) ✦ Languages: any one language
✦ Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP)
Spellcasting. The vitner weaver is a 5th level spellcaster. Its
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell saving throw DC 13, Second Wind 1/day. As a bonus action, the warrior regains
+5 to hit with spell attacks). The vitner weaver has 4 Vitner 1d10 + 5 hit points.
Points. The vitner weaver has the following spells prepared:
Shake it Off 2/day. As a bonus action, the warrior can move
✦ Cantrips (at will): Finger of Frost, Hand of Death, Spark one step up on the Wound Track.
✦ 1st level (3 slots): Detect Vitner, Leather Skin, Vitner Dart
✦ 2nd level (2 slots): Conjure Ravens, Shriek Stare Down. While fighting a creature that has one or more
✦ 3rd level (1 slots): Tendrils of Dimhall levels of fear, the warrior gains a +1 bonus to damage.

Vitner Harmony. When rolling for Surge of Vitner, the vitner Action Surge 1/day. During their turn, the warrior takes one
weaver has advantage. additional action.

Actions Dueling. While fighting with a melee weapon in one hand and
Stafur. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. no weapon in the other hand, the warrior gains a +2 bonus to
Hit: 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage. damage.

Actions
Multiattack. The warrior makes two attacks with its barda
sverd.

Barda Sverd. Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reacj 5 ft., one

target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.

Reactions
Parry. When another creature hits with a melee attack, the
warrior can use their reaction to gain a +1 bonus to AC.

135
BEAR
Bears are found all over Trudvang, whether up north by
the Great Ice Plains or south in the forests of Soj. Those
that live up north have white fur and are a bit larger than
their southern cousins. They have great claws and long
fangs that they use to capture their prey.
Bears are omnivores and are just as eager to feast on
berries and honey, as they are meat. During mating season,
bears can become quite territorial and attack anything that
poses a threat to their domain. The same applies when
a female bear has cubs, she will defend them against
anything that might harm them. Usually, bears are solitary
hunters and scavengers that are curious and investigative.
Many adventurers have suddenly found a bear standing in
the middle of the camp, drawn in by the smell of food.
The pelts of bears are warm and many like to wear
them as a protection against the biting cold. Claws and
teeth often adorn necklaces and other jewelleries and
ornaments.
Bear
Large beast
DEER
Deer and reindeer are perhaps the most hunted animal
in the whole of Trudvang. And no wonder, a single deer
provides not only meat for a large group of people, but the
people of Trudvang have learned to use almost all parts of
the animal. Bones, hide, antlers, everything is used, and
nothing is thrown away. Despite this, deer thrive and most
hunters in Trudvang hunt in a sustainable manner, making
sure that the herd can thrive and continue to sustain their
people.
Deer gather in herds led by a stag, and prefer to keep
to themselves grazing in forests and on plains alike. They
migrate from one pasture to the next as the seasons
change, often travelling great distances, especially the
reindeer in the north.
Deer
Medium beast
✦ Armor Class: 13
✦ Hit Points: 4 (1d8)
✦ Speed: 50 ft.

✦ Armor Class: 11 (natural armor) STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
✦ Hit Points: 34 (4d10 + 12) 12 (+1) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)
✦ Speed: 40 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA ✦ Senses: Passive Perception 12

19 (+4) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 2 (-4) 13 (+1) 7 (-2) ✦ Wound Threshold: 6
✦ Languages: —
✦ Challenge: 0 (10 XP)
✦ Skills: Perception +3
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 13 Actions
✦ Wound Threshold: 11 Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
✦ Languages: — Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage.
✦ Challenge: 1 (200 XP)

Keen Smell. The bear has advantage on Wisdom (Perception)

checks that rely on smell.

Actions
Multiattack. The bear makes two attacks: one with its bite and
one with its claws.

Bite. Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8

(1d8 + 4) piercing damage.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.

Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.

136
DOG
In Trudvang, dogs have been domesticated for a very long STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
time. They have been trained to serve many different roles 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 7 (-2)
within the traditional household. Many dogs are trained to
guard, to pull sledges, to track and aid hunters, and so on.
Many farmers and hunters alike pride themselves in their ✦ Skills: Perception +3
dogs and a good, well trained dog can be quite valuable and ✦ Senses: Passive Perception 13
a prized possession. It is not unusual for a lord or chieftain ✦ Wound Threshold: 7
to award their warriors and heroes with a puppy from a ✦ Languages: —
litter of a great linage of dogs. ✦ Challenge: 1/8 (25 XP)

Dog Keen Hearing and Smell. The Dog has advantage on Wisdom
Medium beast (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

✦ Armor Class: 12 Actions

✦ Hit Points: 5 (1d8 + 1) Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
✦ Speed: 40 ft. 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must
succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

DRAUGLYNX

The elusive drauglynx is one of the most successful predators
in Trudvang. It lives deep in the forests and primarily feeds on
deer. Its coat changes colour, being white during winter and
turning dark brown in summer. It is well adapted to living in
cold environments. The reason for the name of the drauglynx
are the beast’s eyes. Since it is a nocturnal hunter, it has large
and perceptive eyes. When the moonlight reflects in the
drauglynx's eyes, adventurers say that they are similar to those
of the undead.
The drauglynx uses stealth when stalking prey and,
once it is close enough, it pounces the prey, using both
claws and fangs.
Drauglynx
Large beast
✦ Armor Class: 12
✦ Hit Points: 26 (4d10 + 4)
✦ Speed: 50 ft.
✦ Wound Threshold: 9
✦ Languages: —
✦ Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
Keen Smell. The drauglynx has advantage on Wisdom
(Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Pack Tactics. The drauglynx has advantage on an attack roll
against a creature if at least one of the drauglynx’s allies is
within 5 ft. of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
Pounce. If the drauglynx moves at least 20 ft. straight toward
a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn,
that target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw
or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the drauglynx can
make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.
Running Leap. With a 10-foot running start, the drauglynx can
long jump up to 25 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Actions

17 (+3) 15 (+2) 13 (+1) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 8 (-1) Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.

✦ Skills: Perception +3, Stealth +4 Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 13, darkvision 60 feet Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.

137
EAGLE
There are a few different breeds of eagles in Trudvang; the
White-tipped eagle, Poyotta eagle and the Griff eagle being
the most common ones. The White-Tipped eagle nests
on small islands and islets and lives mostly on fish. The
Poyotta eagle, originating from the Poyotta mountains
in Soj, are common in the southern islands and prey on
other birds. The Griff eagle is the largest of these three
types. It nests in the slopes of the Great Iron Tooth and
feeds on small animals and birds. There are even tales
where Griff eagles have grabbed small children and taken
off with them.
Eagles are hard to tame and only the most-skilled
beast masters can train them. However, subduing their
predatory instinct is nigh impossible and therefore
only few animal handlers take the chance of trying to
tame one.
FALCON/HAWK
Falcons are highly prized birds of prey. Many chieftains,
lords and kings have their animal handlers and
beastmasters train falcon, if for no other reason than to
show off, since it is both time-consuming and expensive to
train such a bird. However, falcons make excellent hunting
companions and are expert in hunting other birds using
their speed and manoeuvrability to the utmost.
Falcons build nests either in high trees or in cliffs, where
they have a good view of the surrounding land. They hunt
by flying high up, then dive at incredible speed upon their
prey and catching it with their sharp talons.
To train a falcon, an animal handler must find the bird before
it learns to fly. A woodsman can make a fortune by spotting a
falcon nest and grab an eyas. This, of course, comes with its
own dangers, since the nests tend to be in high, inaccessible
places and the parents defend their nest and the eyas.

Eagle Falcon/hawk
Small beast Tiny beast

✦ Armor Class: 12 ✦ Armor Class: 13

✦ Hit Points: 3 (1d6) ✦ Hit Points: 1 (1d4 -1 (minimum 1))
✦ Speed: 10 ft., fly 60 ft. ✦ Speed: 10 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
6 (-2) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 2 (-4) 14 (+2) 7 (-2) 5 (-3) 16 (+3) 8 (-1) 2 (-1) 14 (+2) 6 (-2)

✦ Skills: Perception +4 ✦ Skills: Perception +4

✦ Senses: Passive Perception 14 ✦ Senses: Passive Perception 14
✦ Wound Threshold: 2 ✦ Wound Threshold: 1
✦ Languages: — ✦ Languages: —
✦ Challenge: 0 (10 XP) ✦ Challenge: 0 (10 XP)

Keen Sight. The eagle has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) Keen Sight. The Hawk has advantage on Wisdom (Perception)
checks that rely on sight. checks that rely on sight.

Actions Actions
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage. Hit: 1 slashing damage.

138
HORSE
Horses are often called people’s most valued servants.
In the northern parts of Trudvang, horses are stout and
strong, built to last long winters and endure hard weather.
In the southern parts, horses are a bit larger and have not
as thick fur during winters.
Horses make great beasts of burdens and mounts.
They are easy to train and many are loyal to their
owners. There are many tales where people have found
themselves in dire situation, in winter storms or thick
fogs, having a hard time getting back home and their
horses have taken control, trudged on and found their
way to safety.
Therefore, people in Trudvang tend to take good care of
their horses, as the saying goes: “Take care of your horse,
so it might take care of you.”
RAM
Rams can be found in flocks, in all mountainous regions in
Trudvang. Naturally, the rams found Thoordun differ from
the ones found in the slopes of the Great Iron Mountains.
The northern breeds tend to be smaller and more heavily
furred, while the southern breeds are stronger and grow
larger horns.
Rams are hard to catch and hunt, since they prefer to
keep high in the mountains and in inaccessible places,
still many hunters go out of their way to catch one, since
they offer not only good meat, but also are their horns and
hides valuable.
Rams are courageous and the leader of the flock defends
it ferociously. They charge and use their horns to attack. If
a creature falls prone, the rams tend to use the opportunity
to disengage and flee, preferring to climb even higher and
out of reach.

Horse Ram
Large beast Medium beast

✦ Armor Class: 11 ✦ Armor Class: 10

✦ Hit Points: 19 (3d10 + 3) ✦ Hit Points: 9 (2d8)
✦ Speed: 60 ft. ✦ Speed: 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
18 (+4) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 2 (-4) 12 (+1) 7 (-2) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 2 (-4) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)

✦ Senses: Passive Perception 11 ✦ Skills: Acrobatics +2, Athletics +3

✦ Wound Threshold: 9
✦ Languages: —
✦ Challenge: 1/2 (100 XP)
Trampling Charge. If the horse moves at least 20 feet straight
toward a creature and then hits it with a hooves attack on
the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength
saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the
horse can make another attack with its hooves against it as a
bonus action.
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 10
✦ Wound Threshold: 6
✦ Languages: —
✦ Challenge: 0 (10 XP)
Charge. If the ram moves at least 20 ft. straight toward a target
and then hits it with a ram attack on the same turn, the target
takes an extra 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a
creature, it must succeed on a DC 10 Strength saving throw or
be knocked prone.

Actions
Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Sure Footed. The ram has advantage on Strength and Dexterity
saving throws made against effects that would knock it prone.
Actions
Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) bludgeoning damage.

139
SNOWBOAR WULTERFISH
Snowboars are larger and more ferocious than their Wulterfish are huge predatory fish that are just as eager
smaller cousins. They are covered with thick white fur and to attack ships and boats, as it is preying on other marine
massive tusks extrude from their mouth. The snowboars creatures. Large as a whale, the wulterfish has a mouth
are relentless combatants and have felled many warriors, filled with sharp teeth and a horn on its head that it some
even after they have suffered wounds that would have slain seamen believe that it can use to ram with. The males
much larger creatures. have larger horn than the females, the older the male is,
The fur of snowboar is valuable since it offers more the larger the horn. It has a large fin on its back and there
protection against the cold. However, fashioning a coat are many that consider it a delicacy, though there are few
from the fur is hard and such coats are cumbersome and that even dare to hunt this massive creature.
heavy. The tusks are also prized, since they make superb The skin of wulterfish is tough and highly prized, since it
drinking horns. can be used to create very good leather armour, especially
for seafarers since it is both light and waterproof. The
Snowboar teeth are also bought by craftsmen and fashioned as chess
Medium beast pieces or jewelleries. The horns are often grinded and sold
as remedies, since some people believe that they can help
✦ Armor Class: 11 (natural armor) men fulfilling their marital performances.
✦ Hit Points: 22 (4d8 + 4)
✦ Speed: 40 ft. Wulterfish
Huge beast
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
13 (+1) 11 (+0) 12 (+1) 2 (-4) 9 (-1) 5 (-3) ✦ Armor Class: 13 (natural armor)
✦ Hit Points: 126 (11d12 + 55)
✦ Speed: 0 ft., swim 50 ft.
✦ Damage Resistances: cold
✦ Senses: Passive Perception 9 STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
✦ Wound Threshold: 7 23 (+6) 11 (+0) 21 (+5) 1 (+5) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)
✦ Languages: —
✦ Challenge: 1/2 (100 XP)
✦ Skills: Perception +3
Charge. If the snowboar moves at least 20 ft. straight toward a ✦ Senses: blindsight 60 ft., Passive Perception 13
target and then hits it with a tusk attack on the same turn, the ✦ Wound Threshold: 18
target takes an extra 3 (1d6) slashing damage. If the target is ✦ Languages: —
a creature, it must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw ✦ Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP)
or be knocked prone.
Blood Frenzy. The wulterfish has advantage on melee attack
Relentless (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). If the rolls against any creature that doesn’t have all its hit points.
snowboar takes 7 damage or less that would reduce it to 0 hit
points, it is reduced to 1 hit point instead. Water Breathing. The wulterfish can breathe only underwater.

Frightening. A creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of
a snowboar must make a DC 8 Wisdom saving throw. On
a failure, the creature takes one level of fear. If the target’s
saving throw is successful, it is immune to this effect for the
next 24 hours.
Frightening. A creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of
a wulterfish must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On
a failure, the creature takes one level of fear. If the target’s
saving throw is successful, it is immune to this effect for the
next 24 hours.

Actions Actions
Tusk. Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 Bite. Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 22
(1d6 + 1) slashing damage. (3d10 + 6) piercing damage.

140
141
142
5E RULES EXCERPT
ABILITIES ABILITY SCORES AND MODIFIERS
Score Modifier
Six abilities provide a quick description of every creature’s 1 -5
physical and mental characteristics:
2-3 -4
✦ Strength, measuring physical power 4-5 -3
✦ Dexterity, measuring agility 6-7 -2
✦ Constitution, measuring endurance 8-9 -1
✦ Intelligence, measuring reasoning and memory 10-11 +0
✦ Wisdom, measuring perception and insight 12-13 +1
✦ Charisma, measuring force of personality
14-15 +2
Is a character muscle-bound and insightful? Brilliant 16-17 +3
and charming? Nimble and hardy? Ability scores define 18-19 +4
these qualities-a creature’s assets as well as weaknesses. 20-21 +5
The three main rolls of the game-the ability check, the 22-23 +6
saving throw, and the attack roll-rely on the six ability 24-25 +7
scores. The book’s introduction describes the basic rule
26-27 +8
behind these rolls: roll a d20, add an ability modifier
derived from one of the six ability scores, and compare the 28-29 +9
total to a target number. 30 +10

ABILITY SCORES AND MODIFIERS ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE

Each of a creature’s abilities has a score, a number that
defines the magnitude of that ability. An ability score is not
just a measure of innate capabilities, but also encompasses
a creature’s training and competence in activities related
to that ability.
A score of 10 or 11 is the normal human average, but
adventurers and many monsters are a cut above average
in most abilities. A score of 18 is the highest that a person
usually reaches. Adventurers can have scores as high as
20, and monsters and divine beings can have scores as
high as 30.
Each ability also has a modifier, derived from the score
and ranging from -5 (for an ability score of 1) to +10 (for
a score of 30). The Ability Scores and Modifiers table
notes the ability modifiers for the range of possible ability
scores, from 1 to 30.
To determine an ability modifier without consulting the
table, subtract 10 from the ability score and then divide
the total by 2 (round down).
Because ability modifiers affect almost every attack roll,
ability check, and saving throw, ability modifiers come up
in play more often than their associated scores.
Sometimes a special ability or spell tells you that you have
advantage or disadvantage on an ability check, a saving
throw, or an attack roll. When that happens, you roll a
second d20 when you make the roll. Use the higher of the
two rolls if you have advantage, and use the lower roll if you
have disadvantage. For example, if you have disadvantage
and roll a 17 and a 5, you use the 5. If you instead have
advantage and roll those numbers, you use the 17.
If multiple situations affect a roll and each one grants
advantage or imposes disadvantage on it, you don’t roll
more than one additional d20. If two favorable situations
grant advantage, for example, you still roll only one
additional d20.
If circumstances cause a roll to have both advantage
and disadvantage, you are considered to have neither of
them, and you roll one d20. This is true even if multiple
circumstances impose disadvantage and only one grants
advantage or vice versa. In such a situation, you have
neither advantage nor disadvantage.
When you have advantage or disadvantage and something
in the game, lets you reroll or replace the d20, you can reroll
or replace only one of the dice. You choose which one.

143
 You usually gain advantage or disadvantage through the
use of special abilities, actions, or spells. Inspiration can
also give a character advantage. The
GM can also decide that circumstances influence a
roll in one direction or the other and grant advantage or
impose disadvantage as a result.
PROFICIENCY BONUS
Characters have a proficiency bonus determined by level.
Monsters also have this bonus, which is incorporated in
their stat blocks. The bonus is used in the rules on ability
checks, saving throws, and attack rolls.
Your proficiency bonus can’t be added to a single die
roll or other number more than once. For example, if two
different rules say you can add your proficiency bonus to
a Wisdom saving throw, you nevertheless add the bonus
only once when you make the save.
Occasionally, your proficiency bonus might be
multiplied or divided (doubled or halved, for example)
before you apply it. For example, the rogue’s Expertise
feature doubles the proficiency bonus for certain ability
checks. If a circumstance suggests that your proficiency
bonus applies more than once to the same roll, you still
add it only once and multiply or divide it only once.
By the same token, if a feature or effect allows you
to multiply your proficiency bonus when making an
ability check that wouldn’t normally benefit from your
proficiency bonus, you still don’t add the bonus to the
check. For that check your proficiency bonus is 0, given
the fact that multiplying 0 by any number is still 0. For
instance, if you lack proficiency in the History skill, you
gain no benefit from a feature that lets you double your
proficiency bonus when you make Intelligence (History)
checks.
In general, you don’t multiply your proficiency bonus for
attack rolls or saving throws. If a feature or effect allows
you to do so, these same rules apply.
ABILITY CHECKS
An ability check tests a character’s or monster’s innate
talent and training in an effort to overcome a challenge.
The GM calls for an ability check when a character or
monster attempts an action (other than an attack) that has
a chance of failure. When the outcome is uncertain, the dice
determine the results.
For every ability check, the GM decides which of the six
abilities is relevant to the task at hand and the difficulty of
the task, represented by a Difficulty Class.
144
The more difficult a task, the higher its DC. The Typical
Difficulty Classes table shows the most common DCs.
DIFFICULTY CLASSES
Task Difficulty DC
Very easy 5
Easy 10
Medium 15
Hard 20
Very hard 25
Nearly impossible 30
To make an ability check, roll a d20 and add the relevant
ability modifier. As with other d20 rolls, apply bonuses
and penalties, and compare the total to the DC. If the total
equals or exceeds the DC, the ability check is a success-
the creature overcomes the challenge at hand. Otherwise,
it’s a failure, which means the character or monster makes
no progress toward the objective or makes progress
combined with a setback determined by the GM.
CONTESTS
Sometimes one character’s or monster’s efforts are
directly opposed to another’s. This can occur when
both of them are trying to do the same thing and only
one can succeed, such as attempting to snatch up a
magic ring that has fallen on the floor. This situation
also applies when one of them is trying to prevent the
other one from accomplishing a goal, for example, when
a monster tries to force open a door that an adventurer
is holding closed. In situations like these, the outcome
is determined by a special form of ability check, called
a contest.
Both participants in a contest make ability checks
appropriate to their efforts. They apply all appropriate
bonuses and penalties, but instead of comparing the total
to a DC, they compare the totals of their two checks. The
participant with the higher check total wins the contest.
That character or monster either succeeds at the action or
prevents the other one from succeeding.
If the contest results in a tie, the situation remains the
same as it was before the contest. Thus, one contestant
might win the contest by default. If two characters tie in
a contest to snatch a ring off the floor, neither character
grabs it. In a contest between a monster trying to open a
door and an adventurer trying to keep the door closed, a
tie means that the door remains shut.
SKILLS
Each ability covers a broad range of capabilities,
including skills that a character or a monster can be
proficient in. A skill represents a specific aspect of an
ability score, and an individual’s proficiency in a skill
demonstrates a focus on that aspect. (A character’s
starting skill proficiencies are determined at character
creation, and a monster’s skill proficiencies appear in
the monster’s stat block.)
For example, a Dexterity check might reflect a character’s
attempt to pull off an acrobatic stunt, to palm an object,
or to stay hidden. Each of these aspects of Dexterity
has an associated skill: Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and
Stealth, respectively. So a character who has proficiency
in the Stealth skill is particularly good at Dexterity checks
related to sneaking and hiding.
The skills related to each ability score are shown in
the following list. (No skills are related to Constitution.)
See an ability’s description in the later sections of this
section for examples of how to use a skill associated with
an ability.
Sometimes, the GM might ask for an ability check using
a specific skill, for example, “Make a Wisdom (Perception)
check.” At other times, a player might ask the GM if
proficiency in a particular skill applies to a check. In either
case, proficiency in a skill means an individual can add his
or her proficiency bonus to ability checks that involve that
skill. Without proficiency in the skill, the individual makes a
normal ability check.
For example, if a character attempts to climb up
a dangerous cliff, the GM might ask for a Strength
(Athletics) check. If the character is proficient in Athletics,
the character’s proficiency bonus is added to the Strength
check. If the character lacks that proficiency, he or she just
makes a Strength check.
Variant: Skills with Different Abilities
Normally, your proficiency in a skill applies only to a specific
kind of ability check. Proficiency in Athletics, for example,
RELATED SKILLS
Strength Dexterity Intelligence
Athletics Acrobatics Arcana
Sleight of Hand History
Stealth Investigation
Nature
Religion
145
usually applies to Strength checks. In some situations,
though, your proficiency might reasonably apply to a
different kind of check. In such cases, the GM might ask for
a check using an unusual combination of ability and skill,
or you might ask your GM if you can apply a proficiency to
a different check. For example, if you have to swim from an
offshore island to the mainland, your GM might call for a
Constitution check to see if you have the stamina to make
it that far. In this case, your GM might allow you to apply
your proficiency in Athletics and ask for a Constitution
(Athletics) check. So if you’re proficient in Athletics, you
apply your proficiency bonus to the Constitution check just
as you would normally do for a Strength (Athletics) check.
Similarly, when your half-orc barbarian uses a display of
raw strength to intimidate an enemy, your GM might ask for
a Strength (Intimidation) check, even though Intimidation
is normally associated with Charisma.
PASSIVE CHECKS
A passive check is a special kind of ability check that
doesn’t involve any die rolls. Such a check can represent
the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as
searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be
used when the GM wants to secretly determine whether
the characters succeed at something without rolling dice,
such as noticing a hidden monster.
Here’s how to determine a character’s total for a passive
check:
✦ 10 + all modifiers that normally apply to the check
✦ If the character has advantage on the check, add 5. For
disadvantage, subtract 5. The game refers to a passive
check total as a score.
For example, if a 1st-level character has a Wisdom of
15 and proficiency in Perception, he or she has a passive
Wisdom (Perception) score of 14.
The rules on hiding in the “Dexterity” section below rely
on passive checks, as do the exploration rules.
Wisdom Charisma
Animal Handling Deception
Insight Intimidation
Medicine Performance
Perception Persuasion
Survival
WORKING TOGETHER
Sometimes two or more characters team up to attempt
a task. The character who’s leading the effort- or the one
with the highest ability modifier- can make an ability
check with advantage, reflecting the help provided by
the other characters. In combat, this requires the Help
action.
A character can only provide help if the task is one that he
or she could attempt alone. For example, trying to open a
lock requires proficiency with thieves’ tools, so a character
who lacks that proficiency can’t help another character in
that task. Moreover, a character can help only when two
or more individuals working together would actually be
productive. Some tasks, such as threading a needle, are no
easier with help.
Group Checks
When a number of individuals are trying to accomplish
something as a group, the GM might ask for a group ability
check. In such a situation, the characters who are skilled
at a particular task help cover those who aren’t.
To make a group ability check, everyone in the group
makes the ability check. If at least half the group succeeds,
the whole group succeeds. Otherwise, the group fails.
Group checks don’t come up very often, and they’re
most useful when all the characters succeed or fail as
a group. For example, when adventurers are navigating
a swamp, the GM might call for a group Wisdom
(Survival) check to see if the characters can avoid the
quicksand, sinkholes, and other natural hazards of the
environment. If at least half the group succeeds, the
successful characters are able to guide their companions
out of danger. Otherwise, the group stumbles into one of
these hazards.
USING EACH ABILITY
Every task that a character or monster might attempt in
the game is covered by one of the six abilities. This section
explains in more detail what those abilities mean and the
ways they are used in the game.
Strength
Strength measures bodily power, athletic training, and the
extent to which you can exert raw physical force.
Strength Checks
A Strength check can model any attempt to lift, push, pull,
or break something, to force your body through a space, or
to otherwise apply brute force to a situation. The Athletics
skill reflects aptitude in certain kinds of Strength checks.
146
Athletics. Your Strength (Athletics) check covers difficult
situations you encounter while climbing, jumping, or
swimming. Examples include the following activities:
✦ You attempt to climb a sheer or slippery cliff, avoid hazards
while scaling a wall, or cling to a surface while something is
trying to knock you off.
✦ You try to jump an unusually long distance or pull off a
stunt midjump.
✦ You struggle to swim or stay afloat in treacherous currents,
storm-tossed waves, or areas of thick seaweed. Or another
creature tries to push or pull you underwater or otherwise
interfere with your swimming.
Other Strength Checks. The GM might also call for a
Strength check when you try to accomplish tasks like the
following:
✦ Force open a stuck, locked, or barred door
✦ Break free of bonds
✦ Push through a tunnel that is too small
✦ Hang on to a wagon while being dragged behind it
✦ Tip over a statue
✦ Keep a boulder from rolling
Attack Rolls and Damage
You add your Strength modifier to your attack roll and
your damage roll when attacking with a melee weapon
such as a barda axi, a hakk, or a staaf spjót. You use melee
weapons to make melee attacks in hand-to-hand combat,
and some of them can be thrown to make a ranged attack.
Lifting and Carrying
Your Strength score determines the amount of weight you
can bear. The following terms define what you can lift or
carry.
Carrying Capacity. Your carrying capacity is your
Strength score multiplied by 15. This is the weight (in
pounds) that you can carry, which is high enough that
most characters don’t usually have to worry about it.
Push, Drag, or Lift. You can push, drag, or lift a weight
in pounds up to twice your carrying capacity (or 30 times
your Strength score). While pushing or dragging weight in
excess of your carrying capacity, your speed drops to 5 feet.
Size and Strength. Larger creatures can bear more
weight, whereas Tiny creatures can carry less. For
each size category above Medium, double the creature’s
carrying capacity and the amount it can push, drag, or lift.
For a Tiny creature, halve these weights.
Encumbrance
If you carry weight in excess of 5 times your Strength
score, you are encumbered, which means your speed
drops by 10 feet.
If you carry weight in excess of 10 times your Strength
score, up to your maximum carrying capacity, you are
instead heavily encumbered, which means your speed
drops by 20 feet and you have disadvantage on ability
checks, attack rolls, and saving throws that use Strength,
Dexterity, or Constitution.
Dexterity
Dexterity measures agility, reflexes, and balance.
Dexterity Checks
A Dexterity check can model any attempt to move nimbly,
quickly, or quietly, or to keep from falling on tricky footing.
The Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth skills reflect
aptitude in certain kinds of Dexterity checks.
Acrobatics. Your Dexterity (Acrobatics) check covers
your attempt to stay on your feet in a tricky situation, such
as when you’re trying to run across a sheet of ice, balance
on a tightrope, or stay upright on a rocking ship’s deck.
The GM might also call for a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check
to see if you can perform acrobatic stunts, including dives,
rolls, somersaults, and flips.
Sleight of Hand. Whenever you attempt an act of
legerdemain or manual trickery, such as planting something
on someone else or concealing an object on your person, make
a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. The GM might also call
for a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to determine whether
you can lift a coin purse off another person or slip something
out of another person’s pocket.
Stealth. Make a Dexterity (Stealth) check when you
attempt to conceal yourself from enemies, slink past
guards, slip away without being noticed, or sneak up on
someone without being seen or heard.
Other Dexterity Checks. The GM might call for a Dexterity
check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following:
✦ Control a heavily laden cart on a steep descent
✦ Steer a chariot around a tight turn
✦ Pick a lock
✦ Disable a trap
✦ Securely tie up a prisoner
✦ Wriggle free of bonds
✦ Play a stringed instrument
✦ Craft a small or detailed object
147
Attack Rolls and Damage
You add your Dexterity modifier to your attack roll and
your damage roll when attacking with a ranged weapon,
such as a sling or a longbow. You can also add your
Dexterity modifier to your attack roll and your damage roll
when attacking with a melee weapon that has the finesse
property, such as a dagger or a krum sword
Armor Class
Depending on the armor you wear, you might add some or
all of your Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class.
Initiative
At the beginning of every combat, you roll initiative by
making a Dexterity check. Initiative determines the order
of creatures’ turns in combat.
Hiding
The DM decides when circumstances are
appropriate for hiding. When you try to hide,
make a Dexterity (Stealth) check. Until you
are discovered or you stop hiding, that check’s
total is contested by the Wisdom (Perception)
check of any creature that actively searches for
signs of your presence.
You can’t hide from a creature that can see you
clearly, and you give away your position if you
make noise, such as shouting a warning or
knocking over a vase.
An invisible creature can always try to hide.
Signs of its passage might still be noticed, and
it does have to stay quiet.
In combat, most creatures stay alert for signs
of danger all around, so if you come out of
hiding and approach a creature, it usually sees
you. However, under certain circumstances,
the DM might allow you to stay hidden as you
approach a creature that is distracted, allowing
you to gain advantage on an attack roll before
you are seen.
Passive Perception. When you hide, there’s
a chance someone will notice you even if they
aren’t searching. To determine whether such
a creature notices you, the DM compares your
Dexterity (Stealth) check with that creature’s
 passive Wisdom (Perception) score, which
equals 10 + the creature’s Wisdom modifier,
as well as any other bonuses or penalties.
If the creature has advantage, add 5. For
disadvantage, subtract 5. For example, if a
1st-level character (with a proficiency bonus
of +2) has a Wisdom of 15 (a +2 modifier)
and proficiency in Perception, he or she has
a passive Wisdom (Perception) of 14.
What Can You See? One of the main factors
in determining whether you can find a hidden
creature or object is how well you can see
in an area, which might be lightly or heavily
obscured, as explained in the “Adventuring”
section.
Constitution
Constitution measures health, stamina, and vital force.
Constitution Checks
Constitution checks are uncommon, and no skills apply
to Constitution checks, because the endurance this ability
represents is largely passive rather than involving a specific
effort on the part of a character or monster. A Constitution
check can model your attempt to push beyond normal
limits, however.
The GM might call for a Constitution check when you
try to accomplish tasks like the following:
✦ Hold your breath
✦ March or labor for hours without rest
✦ Go without sleep
✦ Survive without food or water
✦ Quaff an entire stein of ale in one go
Hit Points
Your Constitution modifier contributes to your hit points.
Typically, you add your Constitution modifier to each Hit
Die you roll for your hit points.
If your Constitution modifier changes, your hit point
maximum changes as well, as though you had the new
modifier from 1st level. For example, if you raise your
Constitution score when you reach 4th level and your
Constitution modifier increases from +1 to +2, you adjust
your hit point maximum as though the modifier had
always been +2. So you add 3 hit points for your first three
levels, and then roll your hit points for 4th level using your
148
new modifier. Or if you’re 7th level and some effect lowers
your Constitution score so as to reduce your Constitution
modifier by 1, your hit point maximum is reduced by 7.
Intelligence
Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall,
and the ability to reason.
Intelligence Checks
An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to
draw on logic, education, memory, or deductive reasoning.
The Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, and Religion
skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Intelligence
checks.
Arcana. Your Intelligence (Arcana) check measures
your ability to recall lore about spells, magic items, eldritch
symbols, magical traditions, the planes of existence, and
the inhabitants of those planes.
History. Your Intelligence (History) check measures
your ability to recall lore about historical events, legendary
people, ancient kingdoms, past disputes, recent wars, and
lost civilizations.
Investigation. When you look around for clues and
make deductions based on those clues, you make an
Intelligence (Investigation) check. You might deduce the
location of a hidden object, discern from the appearance
of a wound what kind of weapon dealt it, or determine the
weakest point in a tunnel that could cause it to collapse.
Poring through ancient scrolls in search of a hidden
fragment of knowledge might also call for an Intelligence
(Investigation) check.
Nature. Your Intelligence (Nature) check measures your
ability to recall lore about terrain, plants and animals, the
weather, and natural cycles.
Religion. Your Intelligence (Religion) check measures
your ability to recall lore about deities, rites and prayers,
religious hierarchies, holy symbols, and the practices of
secret cults.
Other Intelligence Checks. The GM might call for an
Intelligence check when you try to accomplish tasks like
the following:
✦ Communicate with a creature without using words
✦ Estimate the value of a precious item
✦ Pull together a disguise to pass as a city guard
✦ Forge a document
✦ Recall lore about a craft or trade
✦ Win a game of skill
Spellcasting Ability
Vitner weavers use Intelligence as their spellcasting
ability, which helps determine the saving throw DCs of
spells they cast.
Wisdom
Wisdom reflects how attuned you are to the world around
you and represents perceptiveness and intuition.
Wisdom Checks
A Wisdom check might reflect an effort to read body
language, understand someone’s feelings, notice things about
the environment, or care for an injured person. The Animal
Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, and Survival skills
reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Wisdom checks.
Animal Handling. When there is any question whether
you can calm down a domesticated animal, keep a mount
from getting spooked, or intuit an animal’s intentions, the
GM might call for a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check. You
also make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to control
your mount when you attempt a risky maneuver.
Insight. Your Wisdom (Insight) check decides whether
you can determine the true intentions of a creature, such
as when searching out a lie or predicting someone’s
next move. Doing so involves gleaning clues from body
language, speech habits, and changes in mannerisms.
Medicine. A Wisdom (Medicine) check lets you try to
stabilize a dying companion or diagnose an illness.
Perception. Your Wisdom (Perception) check lets you
spot, hear, or otherwise detect the presence of something.
It measures your general awareness of your surroundings
and the keenness of your senses. For example, you might
try to hear a conversation through a closed door, eavesdrop
under an open window, or hear monsters moving stealthily
in the forest. Or you might try to spot things that are
obscured or easy to miss, whether they are forest trolls
lying in ambush on a road, thugs hiding in the shadows of
an alley, or candlelight under a closed secret door.
Survival. The GM might ask you to make a Wisdom
(Survival) check to follow tracks, hunt wild game, guide
your group through frozen wastelands, identify signs that
tursirs live nearby, predict the weather, or avoid quicksand
and other natural hazards.
Other Wisdom Checks. The GM might call for a
Wisdom check when you try to accomplish tasks like the
following:
✦ Get a gut feeling about what course of action to follow
✦ Discern whether a seemingly dead or living creature is
undead
149
Spellcasting Ability
Dimwalkers use Wisdom as their spellcasting ability,
which helps determine the saving throw DCs of spells they
cast.
Charisma
Charisma measures your ability to interact effectively
with others. It includes such factors as confidence and
eloquence, and it can represent a charming or commanding
personality.
Charisma Checks
A Charisma check might arise when you try to influence
or entertain others, when you try to make an impression
or tell a convincing lie, or when you are navigating a
tricky social situation. The Deception, Intimidation,
Performance, and Persuasion skills reflect aptitude in
certain kinds of Charisma checks.
Deception. Your Charisma (Deception) check
determines whether you can convincingly hide the truth,
either verbally or through your actions. This deception can
encompass everything from misleading others through
ambiguity to telling outright lies. Typical situations include
trying to fast-talk a guard, con a merchant, earn money
through gambling, pass yourself off in a disguise, dull
someone’s suspicions with false assurances, or maintain
a straight face while telling a blatant lie.
Intimidation. When you attempt to influence someone
through overt threats, hostile actions, and physical violence,
the GM might ask you to make a Charisma (Intimidation)
check. Examples include trying to pry information out
of a prisoner, convincing street thugs to back down from
a confrontation, or using the edge of a broken bottle to
convince a sneering jarl to reconsider a decision.
Performance. Your Charisma (Performance) check
determines how well you can delight an audience with
music, dance, acting, storytelling, or some other form of
entertainment.
Persuasion. When you attempt to influence someone or
a group of people with tact, social graces, or good nature,
the GM might ask you to make a Charisma (Persuasion)
check. Typically, you use persuasion when acting in good
faith, to foster friendships, make cordial requests, or
exhibit proper etiquette. Examples of persuading others
include convincing a chamberlain to let your party see
the king, negotiating peace between warring tribes, or
inspiring a crowd of townsfolk.
Other Charisma Checks. The GM might call for a
Charisma check when you try to accomplish tasks like the
following:
✦ Find the best person to talk to for news, rumors, and gossip
✦ Blend into a crowd to get the sense of key topics of
conversation
SAVING THROWS
A saving throw - also called a save - represents an attempt
to resist a spell, a trap, a poison, a disease, or a similar
threat. You don’t normally decide to make a saving throw;
you are forced to make one because your character or
monster is at risk of harm.
To make a saving throw, roll a d20 and add the
appropriate ability modifier. For example, you use your
Dexterity modifier for a Dexterity saving throw.
A saving throw can be modified by a situational bonus or
penalty and can be affected by advantage and disadvantage,
as determined by the GM.
Each class gives proficiency in at least two saving throws.
The vitner weaver for example, is proficient in Intelligence
saves. As with skill proficiencies, proficiency in a saving
throw lets a character add his or her proficiency bonus to
saving throws made using a particular ability score. Some
monsters have saving throw proficiencies as well.
The Difficulty Class for a saving throw is determined by
the effect that causes it. For example, the DC for a saving
throw allowed by a spell is determined by the caster’s
spellcasting ability and proficiency bonus.
The result of a successful or failed saving throw is
also detailed in the effect that allows the save. Usually, a
successful save means that a creature suffers no harm, or
reduced harm, from an effect.
TIME
In situations where keeping track of the passage of time
is important, the GM determines the time a task requires.
The GM might use a different time scale depending
on the context of the situation at hand. In a dungeon
environment, the adventurers’ movement happens on a
scale of minutes. It takes them about a minute to creep
down a long hallway, another minute to check for traps
on the door at the end of the hall, and a good ten minutes
to search the chamber beyond for anything interesting or
valuable.
In a city or wilderness, a scale of hours is often more
appropriate. Adventurers eager to reach the lonely tower
at the heart of the forest hurry across those fifteen miles in
just under four hours’ time.
For long journeys, a scale of days works best.
150
In combat and other fast-paced situations, the game
relies on rounds, a 6-second span of time.
MOVEMENT
Swimming across a rushing river, sneaking down a
dungeon corridor, scaling a treacherous mountain slope-
all sorts of movement play a key role in fantasy gaming
adventures.
The GM can summarize the adventurers’ movement
without calculating exact distances or travel times: “You
travel through the forest and find the dungeon entrance
late in the evening of the third day.” Even in a dungeon,
particularly a large dungeon or a cave network, the GM
can summarize movement between encounters: “After
killing the guardian at the entrance to the ancient dwarven
stronghold, you consult your map, which leads you through
miles of echoing corridors to a chasm bridged by a narrow
stone arch.”
Sometimes it’s important, though, to know how long it
takes to get from one spot to another, whether the answer
is in days, hours, or minutes. The rules for determining
travel time depend on two factors: the speed and travel
pace of the creatures moving and the terrain they’re
moving over.
SPEED
Every character and monster has a speed, which is
the distance in feet that the character or monster can
walk in 1 round. This number assumes short bursts of
energetic movement in the midst of a life-threatening
situation.
Special Types of Movement
Movement through dangerous dungeons or wilderness
areas often involves more than simply walking.
Adventurers might have to climb, crawl, swim, or jump to
get where they need to go.
Climbing, Swimming, and Crawling
While climbing or swimming, each foot of movement
costs 1 extra foot (2 extra feet in difficult terrain), unless a
creature has a climbing or swimming speed. At the GM’s
option, climbing a slippery vertical surface or one with
few handholds requires a successful Strength (Athletics)
check. Similarly, gaining any distance in rough water
might require a successful Strength (Athletics) check.
Jumping
Your Strength determines how far you can jump.
 Long Jump. When you make a long jump, you cover a
number of feet up to your Strength score if you move at
least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When
you make a standing long jump, you can leap only half that
distance. Either way, each foot you clear on the jump costs
a foot of movement.
This rule assumes that the height of your jump doesn’t
matter, such as a jump across a stream or chasm. At your
GM’s option, you must succeed on a DC 10 Strength
(Athletics) check to clear a low obstacle (no taller than
a quarter of the jump’s distance), such as a hedge or low
wall. Otherwise, you hit it.
When you land in difficult terrain, you must succeed on
a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to land on your feet.
Otherwise, you land prone.
High Jump. When you make a high jump, you leap
into the air a number of feet equal to 3 + your Strength
modifier if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately
before the jump. When you make a standing high jump,
you can jump only half that distance. Either way, each
foot you clear on the jump costs a foot of movement. In
some circumstances, your GM might allow you to make
a Strength (Athletics) check to jump higher than you
normally can.
You can extend your arms half your height above yourself
during the jump. Thus, you can reach above you a distance
equal to the height of the jump plus 1½ times your height.
THE ENVIRONMENT
By its nature, adventuring involves delving into places that
are dark, dangerous, and full of mysteries to be explored.
The rules in this section cover some of the most important
ways in which adventurers interact with the environment
in such places.
FALLING
A fall from a great height is one of the most common
hazards facing an adventurer. At the end of a fall, a creature
takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it fell, to
a maximum of 20d6. The creature lands prone, unless it
avoids taking damage from the fall.
SUFFOCATING
A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes
equal to 1 + its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30
seconds).
When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it can
survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution
modifier (minimum of 1 round). At the start of its next
151
turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying, and it can’t
regain hit points or be stabilized until it can breathe
again.
For example, a creature with a Constitution of 14 can
hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it starts suffocating, it has
2 rounds to reach air before it drops to 0 hit points.
VISION AND LIGHT
The most fundamental tasks of adventuring- noticing
danger, finding hidden objects, hitting an enemy in
combat, and targeting a spell, to name just a few-rely
heavily on a character’s ability to see. Darkness and
other effects that obscure vision can prove a significant
hindrance.
A given area might be lightly or heavily obscured. In
a lightly obscured area, such as dim light, patchy fog, or
moderate foliage, creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom
(Perception) checks that rely on sight.
A heavily obscured area-such as darkness, opaque
fog, or dense foliage-blocks vision entirely. A creature
effectively suffers from the blinded condition when trying
to see something in that area.
The presence or absence of light in an environment
creates three categories of illumination: bright light, dim
light, and darkness.
Bright light lets most creatures see normally.
Even gloomy days provide bright light, as do torches,
lanterns, fires, and other sources of illumination within a
specific radius.
Dim light, also called shadows, creates a lightly obscured
area. An area of dim light is usually a boundary between
a source of bright light, such as a torch, and surrounding
darkness. The soft light of twilight and dawn also counts
as dim light. A particularly brilliant full moon might bathe
the land in dim light.
Darkness creates a heavily obscured area.
Characters face darkness outdoors at night (even most
moonlit nights), within the confines of an unlit dungeon or
a subterranean vault, or in an area of magical darkness.
Blindsight
A creature with blindsight can perceive its surroundings
without relying on sight, within a specific radius.
Creatures without eyes and creatures with echolocation
or heightened senses, such as bats and some wurms, have
this sense.
Darkvision
Many creatures in fantasy gaming worlds, especially
those that dwell underground, have darkvision. Within
a specified range, a creature with darkvision can see in
darkness as if the darkness were dim light, so areas of
darkness are only lightly obscured as far as that creature
is concerned. However, the creature can’t discern color in
darkness, only shades of gray.
Truesight
A creature with truesight can, out to a specific range, see in
normal and magical darkness, see invisible creatures and
objects, automatically detect visual illusions and succeed
on saving throws against them, and perceives the original
form of a shapechanger or a creature that is transformed
by magic.
FOOD AND WATER
Characters who don’t eat or drink suffer the effects of
exhaustion. Exhaustion caused by lack of food or water
can’t be removed until the character eats and drinks the
full required amount.
Food
A character needs one pound of food per day and can make
food last longer by subsisting on half rations. Eating half
a pound of food in a day counts as half a day without food.
A character can go without food for a number of days
equal to 3 + his or her Constitution modifier (minimum
1). At the end of each day beyond that limit, a character
automatically suffers one level of exhaustion.
A normal day of eating resets the count of days without
food to zero.
Water
A character needs one gallon of water per day, or two
gallons per day if the weather is hot. A character who
drinks only half that much water must succeed on a DC 15
Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion
at the end of the day. A character with access to even less
water automatically suffers one level of exhaustion at the
end of the day.
If the character already has one or more levels of
exhaustion, the character takes two levels in either case.
INTERACTING WITH OBJECTS
A character’s interaction with objects in an environment
is often simple to resolve in the game. The player tells the
GM that his or her character is doing something, such as
moving a lever, and the GM describes what, if anything,
happens.
For example, a character might decide to pull a lever,
which might, in turn, raise a portcullis, cause a room to
152
flood with water, or open a secret door in a nearby wall. If
the lever is rusted in position, though, a character might
need to force it. In such a situation, the GM might call for
a Strength check to see whether the character can wrench
the lever into place. The GM sets the DC for any such
check based on the difficulty of the task.
Characters can also damage objects with their weapons
and spells. Objects are immune to poison and psychic
damage, but otherwise they can be affected by physical
and magical attacks much like creatures can. The GM
determines an object’s Armor Class and hit points, and
might decide that certain objects have resistance or
immunity to certain kinds of attacks. (It’s hard to cut a rope
with a club, for example.) Objects always fail Strength and
Dexterity saving throws, and they are immune to effects
that require other saves. When an object drops to 0 hit
points, it breaks.
A character can also attempt a Strength check to break
an object. The GM sets the DC for any such check.
RESTING
Heroic though they might be, adventurers can’t spend
every hour of the day in the thick of exploration, social
interaction, and combat. They need rest - time to sleep and
eat, tend their wounds, refresh their minds and spirits for
spellcasting, and brace themselves for further adventure.
Adventurers can take short rests in the midst of an
adventuring day and a long rest to end the day.
SHORT REST
A short rest is a period of downtime, at least 1 hour long,
during which a character does nothing more strenuous
than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds.
A character can spend one or more Hit Dice at the end
of a short rest, up to the character’s maximum number of
Hit Dice, which is equal to the character’s level. For each
Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds
the character’s Constitution modifier to it. The character
regains hit points equal to the total (minimum of 0). The
player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after
each roll. A character regains some spent Hit Dice upon
finishing a long rest, as explained below.
LONG REST
A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8
hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least 6
hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity,
such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch. If the
rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity - at
least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar
adventuring activity - the characters must begin the rest
again to gain any benefit from it.
At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost
hit points. The character also regains spent Hit Dice, up
to a number of dice equal to half of the character’s total
number of them (minimum of one die). For example, if
a character has eight Hit Dice, he or she can regain four
spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest.
A character can’t benefit from more than one long rest in
a 24-hour period, and a character must have at least 1 hit
point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits.
COMBAT
A typical combat encounter is a clash between two sides,
a flurry of weapon swings, feints, parries, footwork, and
spellcasting. The game organizes the chaos of combat
into a cycle of rounds and turns. A round represents
about 6 seconds in the game world. During a round, each
participant in a battle takes a turn. The order of turns is
determined at the beginning of a combat encounter, when
everyone rolls initiative. Once everyone has taken a turn,
the fight continues to the next round if neither side has
defeated the other.
COMBAT STEP BY STEP
✦ Determine surprise: The GM determines whether anyone
involved in the combat encounter is surprised.
✦ Establish positions: The GM decides where all the characters
and monsters are located. Given the adventurers’ marching
order or their stated positions in the room or other location,
the GM figures out where the adversaries are, how far away
and in what direction.
✦ Roll initiative: Everyone involved in the combat encounter
rolls initiative, determining the order of combatants’ turns.
✦ Take turns: Each participant in the battle takes a turn in
initiative order.
✦ Begin the next round: When everyone involved in the
combat has had a turn, the round ends. Repeat step 4 until
the fighting stops.
SURPRISE
A band of adventurers sneaks up on a bandit camp,
springing from the trees to attack them. A group of goblins
ambush the adventurers in an abandoned dwarven mine.
In these situations, one side of the battle gains surprise over
the other.
153
The GM determines who might be surprised. If neither
side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each
other. Otherwise, the GM compares the Dexterity (Stealth)
checks of anyone hiding with the passive Wisdom
(Perception) score of each creature on the opposing side.
Any character or monster that doesn’t notice a threat is
surprised at the start of the encounter.
If you’re surprised, you can’t move or take an action on
your first turn of the combat, and you can’t take a reaction
until that turn ends. A member of a group can be surprised
even if the other members aren’t.
INITIATIVE
Initiative determines the order of turns during combat.
When combat starts, every participant makes a Dexterity
check to determine their place in the initiative order. The
GM makes one roll for an entire group of identical creatures,
so each member of the group acts at the same time.
The GM ranks the combatants in order from the one
with the highest Dexterity check total to the one with
the lowest. This is the order (called the initiative order)
in which they act during each round. The initiative order
remains the same from round to round.
If a tie occurs, the GM decides the order among tied
GM-controlled creatures, and the players decide the order
among their tied characters. The GM can decide the order
if the tie is between a monster and a player character.
Optionally, the GM can have the tied characters and
monsters each roll a d20 to determine the order, highest
roll going first.
YOUR TURN
On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed
and take one action. You decide whether to move first or
take your action first. Your speed - sometimes called your
walking speed - is noted on your character sheet.
The most common actions you can take are described
in the “Actions in Combat” section later in this chapter.
Many class features and other abilities provide additional
options for your action.
The “Movement and Position” section later in this
chapter gives the rules for your move.
You can forgo moving, taking an action, or doing
anything at all on your turn. If you can’t decide what to do
on your turn, consider taking the Dodge or Ready action,
as described in “Actions in Combat.”
BONUS ACTIONS
Various class features, spells, and other abilities let you
take an additional action on your turn called a bonus
action. The Cunning Action feature, for example, allows a
rogue to take a bonus action. You can take a bonus action
only when a special ability, spell, or other feature of the
game states that you can do something as a bonus action.
You otherwise don’t have a bonus action to take.
You can take only one bonus action on your turn, so you
must choose which bonus action to use when you have
more than one available.
You choose when to take a bonus action during your
turn, unless the bonus action’s timing is specified, and
anything that deprives you of your ability to take actions
also prevents you from taking a bonus action.
OTHER ACTIVITY ON YOUR TURN
Your turn can include a variety of flourishes that require
neither your action nor your move.
You can communicate however you are able, through
brief utterances and gestures, as you take your turn.
You can also interact with one object or feature of the
environment for free, during either your move or your
action. For example, you could open a door during your
move as you stride toward a foe, or you could draw your
weapon as part of the same action you use to attack.
If you want to interact with a second object, you need
to use your action. Some magic items and other special
objects always require an action to use, as stated in their
descriptions.
The GM might require you to use an action for any of
these activities when it needs special care or when it
presents an unusual obstacle. For instance, the GM could
reasonably expect you to use an action to open a stuck
door or turn a crank to lower a drawbridge.
REACTIONS
Certain special abilities, spells, and situations allow you to
take a special action called a reaction. A reaction is an instant
response to a trigger of some kind, which can occur on your
turn or on someone else’s. The opportunity attack, described
later in this chapter, is the most common type of reaction.
When you take a reaction, you can’t take another one
until the start of your next turn. If the reaction interrupts
another creature’s turn, that creature can continue its turn
right after the reaction.
MOVEMENT AND POSITION
In combat, characters and monsters are in constant
motion, often using movement and position to gain the
upper hand.
154
On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed.
You can use as much or as little of your speed as you like
on your turn, following the rules here.
Your movement can include jumping, climbing, and
swimming. These different modes of movement can be
combined with walking, or they can constitute your entire
move. However you’re moving, you deduct the distance of
each part of your move from your speed until it is used up
or until you are done moving.
BREAKING UP YOUR MOVE
You can break up your movement on your turn, using some
of your speed before and after your action. For example, if
you have a speed of 30 feet, you can move 10 feet, take
your action, and then move 20 feet.
Moving between Attacks
If you take an action that includes more than one
weapon attack, you can break up your movement even
further by moving between those attacks. For example,
a warrior who can make two attacks with the Extra
Attack feature and who has a speed of 25 feet could
move 10 feet, make an attack, move 15 feet, and then
attack again.
Using Different Speeds
If you have more than one speed, such as your walking
speed and a flying speed, you can switch back and forth
between your speeds during your move. Whenever you
switch, subtract the distance you’ve already moved from
the new speed. The result determines how much farther
you can move. If the result is 0 or less, you can’t use the
new speed during the current move.
DIFFICULT TERRAIN
Combat rarely takes place in bare rooms or on featureless
plains. Boulder-strewn caverns, briar-choked forests,
treacherous staircases - the setting of a typical fight
contains difficult terrain.
Every foot of movement in difficult terrain costs 1 extra
foot. This rule is true even if multiple things in a space
count as difficult terrain.
Low furniture, rubble, undergrowth, steep stairs, snow,
and shallow bogs are examples of difficult terrain. The
space of another creature, whether hostile or not, also
counts as difficult terrain.
BEING PRONE
Combatants often find themselves lying on the ground,
either because they are knocked down or because they
throw themselves down. In the game, they are prone.
You can drop prone without using any of your speed.
Standing up takes more effort; doing so costs an amount
of movement equal to half your speed. For example, if your
speed is 30 feet, you must spend 15 feet of movement
to stand up. You can’t stand up if you don’t have enough
movement left or if your speed is 0.
To move while prone, you must crawl or use magic such
as teleportation. Every foot of movement while crawling
costs 1 extra foot. Crawling 1 foot in difficult terrain,
therefore, costs 3 feet of movement.
Interacting with Objects Around You
Here are a few examples of the sorts of thing you can do in
tandem with your movement and action:
✦ draw or sheathe a sword
✦ open or close a door
✦ withdraw a potion from your backpack
✦ pick up a dropped axe
✦ take a bauble from a table
✦ remove a ring from your finger
✦ stuff some food into your mouth
✦ plant a banner in the ground
✦ fish a few coins from your belt pouch
✦ drink all the ale in a flagon
✦ throw a lever or a switch
✦ pull a torch from a sconce
✦ take a book from a shelf you can reach
✦ extinguish a small flame
✦ don a mask
✦ pull the hood of your cloak up and over your head
✦ put your ear to a door
✦ kick a small stone
✦ turn a key in a lock
✦ tap the floor with a 10-foot pole
✦ hand an item to another character
155
MOVING AROUND OTHER CREATURES
You can move through a hostile creature’s space only if the
creature is at least two sizes larger or smaller than you.
Remember that another creature’s space is difficult terrain
for you.
Whether a creature is a friend or an enemy, you can’t
willingly end your move in its space.
If you leave a hostile creature’s reach during your move,
you provoke an opportunity attack, as explained later in
the chapter.
FLYING MOVEMENT
Flying creatures enjoy many benefits of mobility, but
they must also deal with the danger of falling. If a flying
creature is knocked prone, has its speed reduced to 0, or
is otherwise deprived of the ability to move, the creature
falls, unless it has the ability to hover or it is being held
aloft by magic, such as by the fly spell.
CREATURE SIZE
Each creature takes up a different amount of space. The
Size Categories table shows how much space a creature
of a particular size controls in combat. Objects sometimes
use the same size categories.
CREATURE SIZE
Size Space
Tiny 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 ft.
Small 5 by 5 ft.
Medium 5 by 5 ft.
Large 10 by 10 ft.
Huge 15 by 15 ft.
Gargantuan 20 by 20 ft. or larger
Space
A creature’s space is the area in feet that it effectively controls
in combat, not an expression of its physical dimensions. A
typical Medium creature isn’t 5 feet wide, for example, but
it does control a space that wide. If a Medium Stormlander
stands in a 5-foot wide doorway, other creatures can’t get
through unless the Stormlander lets them.
A creature’s space also reflects the area it needs to fight
effectively. For that reason, there’s a limit to the number of
creatures that can surround another creature in combat.
Assuming Medium combatants, eight creatures can fit in a
5-foot radius around another one.
 Because larger creatures take up more space, fewer
of them can surround a creature. If four Large creatures
crowd around a Medium or smaller one, there’s little room
for anyone else. In contrast, as many as twenty Medium
creatures can surround a Gargantuan one.
Squeezing into a Smaller Space
A creature can squeeze through a space that is large
enough for a creature one size smaller than it. Thus, a
Large creature can squeeze through a passage that’s only
5 feet wide. While squeezing through a space, a creature
must spend 1 extra foot for every foot it moves there, and
it has disadvantage on attack rolls and Dexterity saving
throws. Attack rolls against the creature have advantage
while it’s in the smaller space.
ACTIONS IN COMBAT
When you take your action on your turn, you can take
one of the actions presented here, an action you gained
from your class or a special feature, or an action that you
improvise. Many monsters have action options of their
own in their stat blocks.
When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in
the rules, the GM tells you whether that action is possible
and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine
success or failure.
ATTACK
The most common action to take in combat is the Attack
action, whether you are swinging a sword, firing an arrow
from a bow, or brawling with your fists.
With this action, you make one melee or ranged attack.
See the “Making an Attack” section for the rules that
govern attacks.
Certain features, such as the Extra Attack feature of the
fighter, allow you to make more than one attack with this
action.
CAST A SPELL
Spellcasters such as wizards and clerics, as well as
many monsters, have access to spells and can use them
to great effect in combat. Each spell has a casting time,
which specifies whether the caster must use an action, a
reaction, minutes, or even hours to cast the spell. Casting
a spell is, therefore, not necessarily an action. Most spells
do have a casting time of 1 action, so a spellcaster often
uses his or her action in combat to cast such a spell.
156
DASH
When you take the Dash action, you gain extra movement
for the current turn. The increase equals your speed, after
applying any modifiers. With a speed of 30 feet, for example,
you can move up to 60 feet on your turn if you dash.
Any increase or decrease to your speed changes this
additional movement by the same amount. If your speed
of 30 feet is reduced to 15 feet, for instance, you can move
up to 30 feet this turn if you dash.
DISENGAGE
If you take the Disengage action, your movement doesn’t
provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of the turn.
DODGE
When you take the Dodge action, you focus entirely on
avoiding attacks. Until the start of your next turn, any attack
roll made against you has disadvantage if you can see
the attacker, and you make Dexterity saving throws with
advantage. You lose this benefit if you are incapacitated or
if your speed drops to 0.
HELP
You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion
of a task. When you take the Help action, the creature you
aid gains advantage on the next ability check it makes to
perform the task you are helping with, provided that it
makes the check before the start of your next turn.
Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking
a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the
target, or in some other way team up to make your ally’s
attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before
your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.
HIDE
When you take the Hide action, you make a Dexterity (Stealth)
check in an attempt to hide, following the rules for hiding. If
you succeed, you gain certain benefits, as described in the
“Unseen Attackers and Targets” section later in this chapter.
READY
Sometimes you want to get the jump on a foe or wait
for a particular circumstance before you act. To do so,
you can take the Ready action on your turn, which lets
you act using your reaction before the start of your next
turn.
First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will
trigger your reaction. Then, you choose the action you will
take in response to that trigger, or you choose to move up
to your speed in response to it. Examples include “If the
noaj steps on the trapdoor, I’ll pull the lever that opens it,”
and “If the goblin steps next to me, I move away.”
When the trigger occurs, you can either take your
reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger.
Remember that you can take only one reaction per round.
When you ready a spell, you cast it as normal but hold
its energy, which you release with your reaction when
the trigger occurs. To be readied, a spell must have a
casting time of 1 action, and holding onto the spell’s
magic requires concentration. If your concentration is
broken, the spell dissipates without taking effect. For
example, if you are concentrating on the grip spell and
ready vitner dart, your grip spell ends, and if you take
damage before you release vitner dart with your reaction,
your concentration might be broken.
SEARCH
When you take the Search action, you devote your
attention to finding something. Depending on the nature
of your search, the GM might have you make a Wisdom
(Perception) check or an Intelligence (Investigation) check.
USE AN OBJECT
You normally interact with an object while doing something
else, such as when you draw a sword as part of an attack.
When an object requires your action for its use, you take
the Use an Object action. This action is also useful when
you want to interact with more than one object on your turn.
MAKING AN ATTACK
Whether you’re striking with a melee weapon, firing a
weapon at range, or making an attack roll as part of a
spell, an attack has a simple structure.
✦ Choose a target: Pick a target within your attack’s range: a
creature, an object, or a location.
✦ Determine modifiers: The GM determines whether the
target has cover and whether you have advantage or
disadvantage against the target. In addition, spells, special
abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses
to your attack roll.
✦ Resolve the attack:. You make the attack roll. On a hit, you
roll damage, unless the particular attack has rules that
specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in
addition to or instead of damage.
If there’s ever any question whether something you’re
doing counts as an attack, the rule is simple: if you’re
making an attack roll, you’re making an attack.
157
ATTACK ROLLS
When you make an attack, your attack roll determines
whether the attack hits or misses. To make an attack roll,
roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifiers. If the total
of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target’s
Armor Class (AC), the attack hits. The AC of a character
is determined at character creation, whereas the AC of a
monster is in its stat block.
Modifiers to the Roll
When a character makes an attack roll, the two most common
modifiers to the roll are an ability modifier and the character’s
proficiency bonus. When a monster makes an attack roll, it
uses whatever modifier is provided in its stat block.
Ability Modifier. The ability modifier used for a melee
weapon attack is Strength, and the ability modifier used
for a ranged weapon attack is Dexterity. Weapons that
have the finesse or thrown property break this rule.
Some spells also require an attack roll. The ability
modifier used for a spell attack depends on the spellcasting
ability of the spellcaster.
Proficiency Bonus. You add your proficiency bonus
to your attack roll when you attack using a weapon with
which you have proficiency, as well as when you attack
with a spell.
Rolling 1 or 20
Sometimes fate blesses or curses a combatant, causing
the novice to hit and the veteran to miss.
✦ If the d20 roll for an attack is a 20, the attack hits regardless
of any modifiers or the target’s AC. This is called a critical
hit, which is explained later in this chapter.
✦ If the d20 roll for an attack is a 1, the attack misses
regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC.
UNSEEN ATTACKERS AND TARGETS
Combatants often try to escape their foes’ notice by hiding,
casting the invisibility spell, or lurking in darkness.
When you attack a target that you can’t see, you have
disadvantage on the attack roll. This is true whether you’re
guessing the target’s location or you’re targeting a creature
you can hear but not see. If the target isn’t in the location
you targeted, you automatically miss, but the GM typically
just says that the attack missed, not whether you guessed
the target’s location correctly.
When a creature can’t see you, you have advantage on
attack rolls against it. If you are hidden - both unseen and
unheard - when you make an attack, you give away your
location when the attack hits or misses.
RANGED ATTACKS
When you make a ranged attack, you fire a bow hurl an axe,
or otherwise send projectiles to strike a foe at a distance. A
monster might shoot spines from its tail. Many spells also
involve making a ranged attack.
Range
You can make ranged attacks only against targets within a
specified range.
If a ranged attack, such as one made with a spell, has a
single range, you can’t attack a target beyond this range.
Some ranged attacks, such as those made with a lang
bogi or a veidi bogi, have two ranges. The smaller number
is the normal range, and the larger number is the long
range. Your attack roll has disadvantage when your target
is beyond normal range, and you can’t attack a target
beyond the long range.
Ranged Attacks in Close Combat
Aiming a ranged attack is more difficult when a foe is next
to you. When you make a ranged attack with a weapon, a
spell, or some other means, you have disadvantage on the
attack roll if you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature who
can see you and who isn’t incapacitated.
MELEE ATTACKS
Used in hand-to-hand combat, a melee attack allows you
to attack a foe within your reach. A melee attack typically
uses a handheld weapon such as a sword, a warhammer,
or an axe. A typical monster makes a melee attack when it
strikes with its claws, horns, teeth, tentacles, or other body
part. A few spells also involve making a melee attack.
Most creatures have a 5-foot reach and can thus attack
targets within 5 feet of them when making a melee attack.
Certain creatures (typically those larger than Medium)
have melee attacks with a greater reach than 5 feet, as
noted in their descriptions.
Instead of using a weapon to make a melee weapon
attack, you can use an unarmed strike: a punch, kick,
head-butt, or similar forceful blow (none of which count as
weapons). On a hit, an unarmed strike deals bludgeoning
damage equal to 1 + your Strength modifier. You are
proficient with your unarmed strikes.
Contests in Combat
Battle often involves pitting your prowess against that of
your foe. Such a challenge is represented by a contest. This
section includes the most common contests that require an
action in combat: grappling and shoving a creature. The GM
can use these contests as models for improvising others.
158
Opportunity Attacks
In a fight, everyone is constantly watching for a chance to
strike an enemy who is fleeing or passing by. Such a strike
is called an opportunity attack.
You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile
creature that you can see moves out of your reach. To make
the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one
melee attack against the provoking creature. The attack
occurs right before the creature leaves your reach.
You can avoid provoking an opportunity attack by
taking the Disengage action. You also don’t provoke an
opportunity attack when you teleport or when someone
or something moves you without using your movement,
action, or reaction. For example, you don’t provoke an
opportunity attack if an explosion hurls you out of a foe’s
reach or if gravity causes you to fall past an enemy.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you take the Attack action and attack with a light
melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can
use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee
weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. You don’t
add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus
attack, unless that modifier is negative.
If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw
the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it.
Grappling
When you want to grab a creature or wrestle with it, you
can use the Attack action to make a special melee attack,
a grapple. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the
Attack action, this attack replaces one of them.
The target of your grapple must be no more than one size
larger than you and must be within your reach. Using at least
one free hand, you try to seize the target by making a grapple
check instead of an attack roll: a Strength (Athletics) check
contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity
(Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use). You
succeed automatically if the target is incapacitated. If you
succeed, you subject the target to the grappled condition.
The condition specifies the things that end it, and you can
release the target whenever you like (no action required).
Escaping a Grapple. A grappled creature can use its
action to escape. To do so, it must succeed on a Strength
(Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by
your Strength (Athletics) check.
Moving a Grappled Creature. When you move, you
can drag or carry the grappled creature with you, but your
speed is halved, unless the creature is two or more sizes
smaller than you.
Shoving a Creature
Using the Attack action, you can make a special melee
attack to shove a creature, either to knock it prone or push
it away from you. If you’re able to make multiple attacks
with the Attack action, this attack replaces one of them.
The target must be no more than one size larger than
you and must be within your reach. Instead of making an
attack roll, you make a Strength (Athletics) check contested
by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics)
check (the target chooses the ability to use). You succeed
automatically if the target is incapacitated. If you succeed, you
either knock the target prone or push it 5 feet away from you.
COVER
Walls, trees, creatures, and other obstacles can provide
cover during combat, making a target more difficult to
harm. A target can benefit from cover only when an attack
or other effect originates on the opposite side of the cover.
There are three degrees of cover. If a target is behind
multiple sources of cover, only the most protective degree
of cover applies; the degrees aren’t added together. For
example, if a target is behind a creature that gives half
cover and a tree trunk that gives three-quarters cover, the
target has three-quarters cover.
A target with half cover has a +2 bonus to AC and Dexterity
saving throws. A target has half cover if an obstacle blocks
at least half of its body. The obstacle might be a low wall, a
large piece of furniture, a narrow tree trunk, or a creature,
whether that creature is an enemy or a friend.
A target with three-quarters cover has a +5 bonus to AC
and Dexterity saving throws. A target has three-quarters
cover if about three-quarters of it is covered by an obstacle.
The obstacle might be a portcullis, an arrow slit, or a thick
tree trunk.
A target with total cover can’t be targeted directly by an
attack or a spell, although some spells can reach such a
target by including it in an area of effect. A target has total
cover if it is completely concealed by an obstacle.
DAMAGE AND HEALING
Injury and the risk of death are constant companions of those
who explore Trudvang The thrust of a sword, a well-placed
arrow, or a blast of flame from a fireball spell all have the
potential to damage, or even kill, the hardiest of creatures.
Hit Points
Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental
durability, the will to live, and luck. Creatures with more
hit points are more difficult to kill. Those with fewer hit
points are more fragile.
159
A creature’s current hit points (usually just called hit
points) can be any number from the creature’s hit point
maximum down to 0. This number changes frequently as
a creature takes damage or receives healing.
Whenever a creature takes damage, that damage is
subtracted from its hit points.
Damage Rolls
Each weapon, spell, and harmful monster ability
specifies the damage it deals. You roll the damage die
or dice, add any modifiers, and apply the damage to
your target. Magic weapons, special abilities, and other
factors can grant a bonus to damage. With a penalty,
it is possible to deal 0 damage, but never negative
damage.
When attacking with a weapon, you add your ability
modifier - the same modifier used for the attack roll - to
the damage. A spell tells you which dice to roll for damage
and whether to add any modifiers.
If a spell or other effect deals damage to more than one
target at the same time, roll the damage once for all of
them. For example, when a vitner weaver casts soilball or
a dimwalker casts fire blast, the spell’s damage is rolled
once for all creatures caught in the blast.
Critical Hits
When you score a critical hit, you get to roll extra dice
for the attack’s damage against the target. Roll all of the
attack’s damage dice twice and add them together. Then
add any relevant modifiers as normal. To speed up play,
you can roll all the damage dice at once.
For example, if you score a critical hit with a dagger,
roll 2d4 for the damage, rather than 1d4, and then add
your relevant ability modifier. If the attack involves other
damage dice, such as from the rogue’s Sneak Attack
feature, you roll those dice twice as well.
Damage Types
Different attacks, damaging spells, and other harmful
effects deal different types of damage. Damage types have
no rules of their own, but other rules, such as damage
resistance, rely on the types.
The damage types follow, with examples to help a GM
assign a damage type to a new effect.
✦ Acid: The corrosive spray of some spells cause acid damage.
✦ Bludgeoning: Blunt force attacks - hammers, falling,
constriction, and the like - deal bludgeoning damage.
✦ Cold: The infernal chill surrounding a hrim troll or the frigid
blasts of glacial storms deal cold damage.
✦ Fire: Many wurms breathe fire, and many spells conjure
flames to deal fire damage.
✦ Force:. Force is pure magical energy focused into a
damaging form. Most effects that deal force damage are
spells, including vitner dart.
✦ Lightning: Some spells, such as Elemental Arrow, deal
lightning damage.
✦ Necrotic: Necrotic damage, dealt by certain undead and
some spells withers matter and even the soul.
✦ Piercing: Puncturing and impaling attacks, including spears
and monsters’ bites, deal piercing damage.
✦ Poison: Venomous stings and some extracts deal poison
damage.
✦ Psychic: Mental abilities and some spells deal psychic
damage.
✦ Radiant: Radiant damage, dealt by a dimwalker's smite,
sears the flesh like fire and overloads the spirit with power.
✦ Slashing: Swords, axes, and monsters’ claws deal slashing
damage.
✦ Thunder: A concussive burst of sound deals thunder
damage.
Damage Resistance and Vulnerability
Some creatures and objects are exceedingly difficult or
unusually easy to hurt with certain types of damage.
If a creature or an object has resistance to a damage
type, damage of that type is halved against it. If a creature
or an object has vulnerability to a damage type, damage of
that type is doubled against it.
Resistance and then vulnerability are applied after all other
modifiers to damage. For example, a creature has resistance
to bludgeoning damage and is hit by an attack that deals 25
bludgeoning damage. The creature is also within a magical
aura that reduces all damage by 5. The 25 damage is first
reduced by 5 and then halved, so the creature takes 10 damage.
Multiple instances of resistance or vulnerability that
affect the same damage type count as only one instance.
For example, if a creature has resistance to fire damage as
well as resistance to all nonmagical damage, the damage
of a nonmagical fire is reduced by half against the creature,
not reduced by three-quarters.
Healing
Unless it results in death, damage isn’t permanent. Even
death is reversible through powerful magic. Rest can
restore a creature’s hit points, and magical methods such
as a cure wounds spell or a potion of healing can remove
damage in an instant.
When a creature receives healing of any kind, hit points
regained are added to its current hit points. A creature’s
160
hit points can’t exceed its hit point maximum, so any hit
points regained in excess of this number are lost. For
example, a dweller grants a ranger 8 hit points of healing.
If the ranger has 14 current hit points and has a hit point
maximum of 20, the ranger regains 6 hit points from the
dweller, not 8.
A creature that has died can’t regain hit points until
magic such as the revivify spell has restored it to life.
Dropping to 0 Hit Points
When you drop to 0 hit points, you either die outright or
fall unconscious, as explained in the following sections.
Instant Death
Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage
reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining,
you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit
point maximum.
For example, a dimwalker with a maximum of 12 hit
points currently has 6 hit points. If they take 18 damage
from an attack, they are reduced to 0 hit points, but 12
damage remains. Because the remaining damage equals
their hit point maximum, the dimwalker dies.
Falling Unconscious
If damage reduces you to 0 hit points and fails to kill you,
you fall unconscious. This unconsciousness ends if you
regain any hit points.
Death Saving Throws
Whenever you start your turn with 0 hit points, you must
make a special saving throw, called a death saving throw,
to determine whether you creep closer to death or hang
onto life. Unlike other saving throws, this one isn’t tied to
any ability score. You are in the hands of fate now, aided
only by spells and features that improve your chances of
succeeding on a saving throw.
✦ Roll a d20: If the roll is 10 or higher, you succeed.
Otherwise, you fail. A success or failure has no effect
by itself. On your third success, you become stable (see
below). On your third failure, you die. The successes and
failures don’t need to be consecutive; keep track of both
until you collect three of a kind. The number of both is
reset to zero when you regain any hit points or become
stable.
✦ Rolling 1 or 20: When you make a death saving throw and
roll a 1 on the d20, it counts as two failures. If you roll a 20
on the d20, you regain 1 hit point.
✦ Damage at 0 Hit Points: If you take any damage while you
have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure.
If the damage is from a critical hit, you suffer two failures
instead. If the damage equals or exceeds your hit point
maximum, you suffer instant death.
Stabilizing a Creature
The best way to save a creature with 0 hit points is to heal
it. If healing is unavailable, the creature can at least be
stabilized so that it isn’t killed by a failed death saving
throw.
You can use your action to administer first aid to an
unconscious creature and attempt to stabilize it, which
requires a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check.
A stable creature doesn’t make death saving throws, even
though it has 0 hit points, but it does remain unconscious.
The creature stops being stable, and must start making
death saving throws again, if it takes any damage. A stable
creature that isn’t healed regains 1 hit point after 1d4
hours.
Monsters and Death
Most GMs have a monster die the instant it drops to 0 hit
points, rather than having it fall unconscious and make
death saving throws.
Mighty villains and special nonplayer characters
are common exceptions; the GM might have them
fall unconscious and follow the same rules as player
characters.
KNOCKING A CREATURE OUT
Sometimes an attacker wants to incapacitate a foe, rather
than deal a killing blow. When an attacker reduces a
creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, the attacker
can knock the creature out. The attacker can make this
choice the instant the damage is dealt. The creature falls
unconscious and is stable.
TEMPORARY HIT POINTS
Some spells and special abilities confer temporary hit
points to a creature. Temporary hit points aren’t actual
hit points; they are a buffer against damage, a pool of hit
points that protect you from injury.
When you have temporary hit points and take damage, the
temporary hit points are lost first, and any leftover damage
carries over to your normal hit points. For example, if you
have 5 temporary hit points and take 7 damage, you lose the
temporary hit points and then take 2 damage.
161
Because temporary hit points are separate from your
actual hit points, they can exceed your hit point maximum.
A character can, therefore, be at full hit points and receive
temporary hit points.
Healing can’t restore temporary hit points, and they
can’t be added together. If you have temporary hit points
and receive more of them, you decide whether to keep the
ones you have or to gain the new ones. For example, if a
spell grants you 12 temporary hit points when you already
have 10, you can have 12 or 10, not 22.
If you have 0 hit points, receiving temporary hit points
doesn’t restore you to consciousness or stabilize you. They
can still absorb damage directed at you while you’re in that
state, but only true healing can save you.
Unless a feature that grants you temporary hit points
has a duration, they last until they’re depleted or you finish
a long rest.
MOUNTED COMBAT
A Gavlian knight charging into battle on a warhorse, a
noaj casting spells from the back of a thorn beast or a
dimwalker soaring through the sky on a giant eagle all
enjoy the benefits of speed and mobility that a mount can
provide.
A willing creature that is at least one size larger than
you and that has an appropriate anatomy can serve as a
mount, using the following rules.
MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING
Once during your move, you can mount a creature that
is within 5 feet of you or dismount. Doing so costs an
amount of movement equal to half your speed. For
example, if your speed is 30 feet, you must spend 15
feet of movement to mount a horse. Therefore, you can’t
mount it if you don’t have 15 feet of movement left or if
your speed is 0.
If an effect moves your mount against its will while
you’re on it, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving
throw or fall off the mount, landing prone in a space within
5 feet of it. If you’re knocked prone while mounted, you
must make the same saving throw.
If your mount is knocked prone, you can use your
reaction to dismount it as it falls and land on your feet.
Otherwise, you are dismounted and fall prone in a space
within 5 feet it.
CONTROLLING A MOUNT
While you’re mounted, you have two options. You can
either control the mount or allow it to act independently.
Intelligent creatures, such as wurms, act independently.
You can control a mount only if it has been trained
to accept a rider. Domesticated horses, donkeys, and
similar creatures are assumed to have such training. The
initiative of a controlled mount changes to match yours
when you mount it. It moves as you direct it, and it has
only three action options: Dash, Disengage, and Dodge.
A controlled mount can move and act even on the turn
that you mount it.
An independent mount retains its place in the initiative
order. Bearing a rider puts no restrictions on the actions
the mount can take, and it moves and acts as it wishes. It
might flee from combat, rush to attack and devour a badly
injured foe, or otherwise act against your wishes.
In either case, if the mount provokes an opportunity
attack while you’re on it, the attacker can target you or the
mount.
UNDERWATER COMBAT
When adventurers pursue wulterfish below the surface,
fight off sharks in an ancient shipwreck, or find themselves
in a flooded dungeon room, they must fight in a challenging
environment. Underwater the following rules apply.
When making a melee weapon attack, a creature that
doesn’t have a swimming speed (either natural or granted
by magic) has disadvantage on the attack roll unless the
weapon is a seax, glaaf, staaf spjót, spjót or breid spjót.
A ranged weapon attack automatically misses a target
beyond the weapon’s normal range. Even against a target
within normal range, the attack roll has disadvantage
unless the weapon is a krossbogur, or a weapon that is
thrown like a spjót.
Creatures and objects that are fully immersed in water
have resistance to fire damage.
CONDITIONS
Conditions alter a creature’s capabilities in a variety of
ways and can arise as a result of a spell, a class feature, a
monster’s attack, or other effect. Most conditions, such as
blinded, are impairments, but a few, such as invisible, can
be advantageous.
A condition lasts either until it is countered (the prone
condition is countered by standing up, for example) or
for a duration specified by the effect that imposed the
condition.
162
If multiple effects impose the same condition on a
creature, each instance of the condition has its own
duration, but the condition’s effects don’t get worse. A
creature either has a condition or doesn’t.
The following definitions specify what happens to a
creature while it is subjected to a condition.
BLINDED
✦ A blinded creature can’t see and automatically fails any
ability check that requires sight.
✦ Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the
creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.
CHARMED
✦ A charmed creature can’t attack the charmer or target the
charmer with harmful abilities or magical effects.
✦ The charmer has advantage on any ability check to interact
socially with the creature.
DEAFENED
✦ A deafened creature can’t hear and automatically fails any
ability check that requires hearing.
EXHAUSTION
Some special abilities and environmental hazards, such
as starvation and the long-term effects of freezing or
scorching temperatures, can lead to a special condition
called exhaustion. Exhaustion is measured in six levels. An
effect can give a creature one or more levels of exhaustion,
as specified in the effect’s description.
EXHAUSTION EFFECTS
Level Effect
1 Disadvantage on ability checks
2 Speed halved
3 Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws
4 Hit point maximum halved
5 Speed reduced to 0
6 Death
If an already exhausted creature suffers another effect
that causes exhaustion, its current level of exhaustion
increases by the amount specified in the effect’s description.
 A creature suffers the effect of its current level of
exhaustion as well as all lower levels. For example, a
creature suffering level 2 exhaustion has its speed halved
and has disadvantage on ability checks.
An effect that removes exhaustion reduces its level as
specified in the effect’s description, with all exhaustion effects
ending if a creature’s exhaustion level is reduced below 1.
Finishing a long rest reduces a creature’s exhaustion
level by 1, provided that the creature has also ingested
some food and drink. Also, being raised from the dead
reduces a creature’s exhaustion level by 1.
FRIGHTENED
✦ A frightened creature has disadvantage on ability checks
and attack rolls while the source of its fear is within line of
sight.
✦ The creature can’t willingly move closer to the source of
its fear.
GRAPPLED
✦ A grappled creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit
from any bonus to its speed.
✦ The condition ends if the grappler is incapacitated (see the
condition).
✦ The condition also ends if an effect removes the grappled
creature from the reach of the grappler or grappling effect,
such as when a creature is hurled away by the thunder-wave
spell.
INCAPACITATED
✦ An incapacitated creature can’t take actions or reactions.
INVISIBLE
✦ An invisible creature is impossible to see without the aid
of magic or a special sense. For the purpose of hiding, the
creature is heavily obscured. The creature’s location can be
detected by any noise it makes or any tracks it leaves.
✦ Attack rolls against the creature have disadvantage, and the
creature’s attack rolls have advantage.
163
PARALYZED
✦ A paralyzed creature is incapacitated (see the condition)
and can’t move or speak.
✦ The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity
saving throws.
✦ Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
✦ Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker
is within 5 feet of the creature.
PETRIFIED
✦ A petrified creature is transformed, along with any
nonmagical object it is wearing or carrying, into a solid
inanimate substance (usually stone). Its weight increases
by a factor of ten, and it ceases aging.
✦ The creature is incapacitated (see the condition), can’t
move or speak, and is unaware of its surroundings.
✦ Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
✦ The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity
saving throws.
✦ The creature has resistance to all damage.
✦ The creature is immune to poison and disease, although a
poison or disease already in its system is suspended, not
neutralized.
POISONED
✦ A poisoned creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and
ability checks.
PRONE
✦ A prone creature’s only movement option is to crawl, unless
it stands up and thereby ends the condition.
✦ The creature has disadvantage on attack rolls.
✦ An attack roll against the creature has advantage if the
attacker is within 5 feet of the creature. Otherwise, the
attack roll has disadvantage.
RESTRAINED
✦ A restrained creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t
benefit from any bonus to its speed.
✦ Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the
creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.
✦ The creature has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
STUNNED
✦ A stunned creature is incapacitated (see the condition),
can’t move, and can speak only falteringly.
✦ The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity
saving throws.
✦ Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
UNCONSCIOUS
✦ An unconscious creature is incapacitated (see the
condition), can’t move or speak, and is unaware of its
surroundings
✦ The creature drops whatever it’s holding and falls prone.
✦ The creature automatically fails Strength and Dexterity
saving throws.
✦ Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
✦ Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker
is within 5 feet of the creature.
POISONS
Given their insidious and deadly nature, poisons are illegal
in most societies but are a favorite tool among assassins,
drow, and other evil creatures.
Poisons come in the following four types.
✦ Contact: Contact poison can be smeared on an object and
remains potent until it is touched or washed off. A creature
that touches contact poison with exposed skin suffers its
effects.
✦ Ingested: A creature must swallow an entire dose of ingested
poison to suffer its effects. The dose can be delivered in
food or a liquid. You may decide that a partial dose has a
reduced effect, such as allowing advantage on the saving
throw or dealing only half damage on a failed save.
✦ Inhaled: These poisons are powders or gases that take
effect when inhaled. Blowing the powder or releasing the
gas subjects creatures in a 5-foot cube to its effect. The
resulting cloud dissipates immediately afterward. Holding
one’s breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons, as they
affect nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the
body.
✦ Injury: Injury poison can be applied to weapons,
ammunition, trap components, and other objects that
deal piercing or slashing damage and remains potent until
delivered through a wound or washed off. A creature that
takes piercing or slashing damage from an object coated
with the poison is exposed to its effects.
164
TRAPS
Traps can be found almost anywhere. One wrong step in
an ancient tomb might trigger a series of scything blades,
which cleave through armor and bone. The seemingly
innocuous vines that hang over a cave entrance might
grasp and choke anyone who pushes through them. A net
hidden among the trees might drop on travelers who pass
underneath. In a fantasy game, unwary adventurers can
fall to their deaths, be burned alive, or fall under a fusillade
of poisoned darts.
A trap can be either mechanical or magical in nature.
Mechanical traps include pits, arrow traps, falling blocks,
water-filled rooms, whirling blades, and anything else
that depends on a mechanism to operate. Magic traps are
either magical device traps or spell traps. Magical device
traps initiate spell effects when activated. Spell traps are
spells such as glyph of warding and symbol that function
as traps.
Traps in Play
When adventurers come across a trap, you need to know
how the trap is triggered and what it does, as well as the
possibility for the characters to detect the trap and to
disable or avoid it.
Triggering a Trap
Most traps are triggered when a creature goes somewhere
or touches something that the trap’s creator wanted to
protect. Common triggers include stepping on a pressure
plate or a false section of floor, pulling a trip wire, turning
a doorknob, and using the wrong key in a lock. Magic traps
are often set to go off when a creature enters an area or
touches an object. Some magic traps (such as the glyph of
warding spell) have more complicated trigger conditions,
including a password that prevents the trap from activating.
Detecting and Disabling a Trap
Usually, some element of a trap is visible to careful
inspection. Characters might notice an uneven flagstone
that conceals a pressure plate, spot the gleam of light off a
trip wire, notice small holes in the walls from which jets of
flame will erupt, or otherwise detect something that points
to a trap’s presence.
A trap’s description specifies the checks and DCs
needed to detect it, disable it, or both. A character actively
looking for a trap can attempt a Wisdom (Perception)
check against the trap’s DC. You can also compare the DC
to detect the trap with each character’s passive Wisdom
(Perception) score to determine whether anyone in the
party notices the trap in passing. If the adventurers detect
a trap before triggering it, they might be able to disarm it, trigger them. A trap’s description specifies what happens
either permanently or long enough to move past it. You when it is triggered.
might call for an Intelligence (Investigation) check for a The attack bonus of a trap, the save DC to resist its
character to deduce what needs to be done, followed effects, and the damage it deals can vary depending on
by a Dexterity check using thieves’ tools to perform the the trap’s severity. Use the Trap Save DCs and Attack
necessary sabotage. Bonuses table and the Damage Severity by Level table for
Any character can attempt an Intelligence (Arcana) suggestions based on three levels of trap severity.
check to detect or disarm a magic trap, in addition to any A trap intended to be a setback is unlikely to kill
other checks noted in the trap’s description. The DCs or seriously harm characters of the indicated levels,
are the same regardless of the check used. In addition, whereas a dangerous trap is likely to seriously injure (and
dispel magic has a chance of disabling most magic traps. potentially kill) characters of the indicated levels. A deadly
A magic trap’s description provides the DC for the ability trap is likely to kill characters of the indicated levels.
check made when you use dispel magic.
In most cases, a trap’s description is clear enough
that you can adjudicate whether a character’s actions TRAP DANGERS
locate or foil the trap. As with many situations, you
shouldn’t allow die rolling to override clever play and Trap Danger Save DC Attack Bonus
good planning. Use your common sense, drawing on Setback 10-11 +3 to +5
the trap’s description to determine what happens. No Dangerous 12-15 +6 to +8
trap’s design can anticipate every possible action that
Deadly 16-20 +9 to +12
the characters might attempt.
You should allow a character to discover a trap without
making an ability check if an action would clearly reveal TRAP SEVERITY
the trap’s presence. For example, if a character lifts a rug
that conceals a pressure plate, the character has found the
Character Level Setback Dangerous Deadly
trigger and no check is required. 1st-4th 1d10 2d10 4d10
Foiling traps can be a little more complicated. Consider a 5th-10th 2d10 4d10 10d10
trapped treasure chest. If the chest is opened without first 11th-16th 4d10 10d10 18d10
pulling on the two handles set in its sides, a mechanism 17th-20th 10d10 18d10 24d10
inside fires a hail of poison needles toward anyone in front
of it. After inspecting the chest and making a few checks,
the characters are still unsure if it’s trapped. Rather than Complex Traps
simply open the chest, they prop a shield in front of it and Complex traps work like standard traps, except once
push the chest open at a distance with an iron rod. In this activated they execute a series of actions each round. A
case, the trap still triggers, but the hail of needles fires complex trap turns the process of dealing with a trap into
harmlessly into the shield. something more like a combat encounter.
Traps are often designed with mechanisms that allow When a complex trap activates, it rolls initiative. The
them to be disarmed or bypassed. Intelligent monsters trap’s description includes an initiative bonus. On its
that place traps in or around their lairs need ways to get turn, the trap activates again, often taking an action.
past those traps without harming themselves. Such traps It might make successive attacks against intruders,
might have hidden levers that disable their triggers, or a create an effect that changes over time, or otherwise
secret door might conceal a passage that goes around the produce a dynamic challenge. Otherwise, the complex
trap. trap can be detected and disabled or bypassed in the
usual ways.
Trap Effects For example, a trap that causes a room to slowly flood
The effects of traps can range from inconvenient to works best as a complex trap. On the trap’s turn, the water
deadly, making use of elements such as arrows, spikes, level rises. After several rounds, the room is completely
blades, poison, toxic gas, blasts of fire, and deep pits. The flooded.
deadliest traps combine multiple elements to kill, injure,
contain, or drive off any creature unfortunate enough to

165
Sample Traps
The magical and mechanical traps presented here vary in
deadliness and are presented in alphabetical order.
Collapsing Roof
✦ Mechanical trap
This trap uses a trip wire to collapse the supports keeping
an unstable section of a ceiling in place.
The trip wire is 3 inches off the ground and stretches
between two support beams. The DC to spot the trip wire is
10. A successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools
disables the trip wire harmlessly. A character without thieves’
tools can attempt this check with disadvantage using any edged
weapon or edged tool. On a failed check, the trap triggers.
Anyone who inspects the beams can easily determine that
they are merely wedged in place. As an action, a character
can knock over a beam, causing the trap to trigger.
The ceiling above the trip wire is in bad repair, and
anyone who can see it can tell that it’s in danger of collapse.
When the trap is triggered, the unstable ceiling
collapses. Any creature in the area beneath the unstable
section must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw,
taking 22 (4d10) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or
half as much damage on a successful one. Once the trap
is triggered, the floor of the area is filled with rubble and
becomes difficult terrain.
Falling Net
✦ Mechanical trap
This trap uses a trip wire to release a net suspended from
the ceiling.
The trip wire is 3 inches off the ground and stretches
between two columns or trees. The net is hidden by cobwebs
or foliage. The DC to spot the trip wire and net is 10. A
successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools breaks
the trip wire harmlessly. A character without thieves’ tools
can attempt this check with disadvantage using any edged
weapon or edged tool. On a failed check, the trap triggers.
When the trap is triggered, the net is released, covering
a 10-foot square area. Those in the area are trapped
under the net and restrained, and those that fail a DC 10
Strength saving throw are also knocked prone. A creature
can use its action to make a DC 10
Strength check, freeing itself or another creature
within its reach on a success. The net has AC 10 and 20
hit points. Dealing 5 slashing damage to the net (AC 10)
destroys a 5-foot square section of it, freeing any creature
trapped in that section.
166
Fire-Breathing Statue
✦ Magic trap
This trap is activated when an intruder steps on a hidden
pressure plate, releasing a magical gout of flame from a
nearby statue. The statue can be of anything, including a
dragon or a wizard casting a spell.
The DC is 15 to spot the pressure plate, as well as faint
scorch marks on the floor and walls. A spell or other effect
that can sense the presence of magic, such as detect magic,
reveals an aura of evocation magic around the statue.
The trap activates when more than 20 pounds of weight
is placed on the pressure plate, causing the statue to release
a 30-foot cone of fire. Each creature in the fire must make a
DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) fire damage
on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Wedging an iron spike or other object under the pressure
plate prevents the trap from activating. A successful dispel
magic (DC 13) cast on the statue destroys the trap.
Pits
✦ Mechanical trap
Four basic pit traps are presented here.
Simple Pit. A simple pit trap is a hole dug in the ground.
The hole is covered by a large cloth anchored on the pit’s
edge and camouflaged with dirt and debris.
The DC to spot the pit is 10. Anyone stepping on the
cloth falls through and pulls the cloth down into the pit,
taking damage based on the pit’s depth (usually 10 feet,
but some pits are deeper).
Hidden Pit. This pit has a cover constructed from
material identical to the floor around it.
A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check
discerns an absence of foot traffic over the section of floor
that forms the pit’s cover. A successful DC 15 Intelligence
(Investigation) check is necessary to confirm that the
trapped section of floor is actually the cover of a pit.
When a creature steps on the cover, it swings open like
a trapdoor, causing the intruder to spill into the pit below.
The pit is usually 10 or 20 feet deep but can be deeper.
Once the pit trap is detected, an iron spike or similar object
can be wedged between the pit’s cover and the surrounding
floor in such a way as to prevent the cover from opening,
thereby making it safe to cross. The cover can also be magically
held shut using the arcane lock spell or similar magic.
Locking Pit. This pit trap is identical to a hidden pit
trap, with one key exception: the trap door that covers the
pit is spring-loaded. After a creature falls into the pit, the
cover snaps shut to trap its victim inside.
 A successful DC 20 Strength check is necessary to pry the
cover open. The cover can also be smashed open. A character
in the pit can also attempt to disable the spring mechanism
from the inside with a DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves’
tools, provided that the mechanism can be reached and the
character can see. In some cases, a mechanism (usually
hidden behind a secret door nearby) opens the pit.
Spiked Pit. This pit trap is a simple, hidden, or locking
pit trap with sharpened wooden or iron spikes at the
bottom. A creature falling into the pit takes 11 (2d10)
piercing damage from the spikes, in addition to any falling
damage. Even nastier versions have poison smeared on
the spikes. In that case, anyone taking piercing damage
from the spikes must also make a DC 13 Constitution
saving throw, taking an 22 (4d10) poison damage on a
failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Poison Darts
✦ Mechanical trap
When a creature steps on a hidden pressure plate, poison-
tipped darts shoot from spring-loaded or pressurized
tubes cleverly embedded in the surrounding walls. An area
might include multiple pressure plates, each one rigged to
its own set of darts.
The tiny holes in the walls are obscured by dust and
cobwebs, or cleverly hidden amid bas-reliefs, murals, or
frescoes that adorn the walls. The DC to spot them is 15.
With a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check,
a character can deduce the presence of the pressure plate
from variations in the mortar and stone used to create it,
compared to the surrounding floor. Wedging an iron spike
or other object under the pressure plate prevents the
trap from activating. Stuffing the holes with cloth or wax
prevents the darts contained within from launching.
The trap activates when more than 20 pounds of weight is
placed on the pressure plate, releasing four darts. Each dart
makes a ranged attack with a +8 bonus against a random
target within 10 feet of the pressure plate (vision is irrelevant
to this attack roll). (If there are no targets in the area, the darts
don’t hit anything.) A target that is hit takes 2 (1d4) piercing
damage and must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving
throw, taking 11 (2d10) poison damage on a failed save, or
half as much damage on a successful one.
Poison Needle
✦ Mechanical trap
A poisoned needle is hidden within a treasure chest’s
lock, or in something else that a creature might open.
167
Opening the chest without the proper key causes the
needle to spring out, delivering a dose of poison.
When the trap is triggered, the needle extends 3 inches
straight out from the lock. A creature within range takes
1 piercing damage and 11 (2d10) poison damage, and
must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be
poisoned for 1 hour.
A successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check
allows a character to deduce the trap’s presence from
alterations made to the lock to accommodate the needle.
A successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools
disarms the trap, removing the needle from the lock.
Unsuccessfully attempting to pick the lock triggers the trap.
Rolling Sphere
✦ Mechanical trap
When 20 or more pounds of pressure are placed on this
trap’s pressure plate, a hidden trapdoor in the ceiling
opens, releasing a 10-foot diameter rolling sphere of solid
stone.
With a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check,
a character can spot the trapdoor and pressure plate. A
search of the floor accompanied by a successful DC 15
Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals variations in the
mortar and stone that betray the pressure plate’s presence.
The same check made while inspecting the ceiling notes
variations in the stonework that reveal the trapdoor.
Wedging an iron spike or other object under the pressure
plate prevents the trap from activating.
Activation of the sphere requires all creatures present to
roll initiative. The sphere rolls initiative with a +8 bonus.
On its turn, it moves 60 feet in a straight line. The sphere
can move through creatures’ spaces, and creatures can
move through its space, treating it as difficult terrain.
Whenever the sphere enters a creature’s space or a
creature enters its space while it’s rolling, that creature
must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take
55 (10d10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.
The sphere stops when it hits a wall or similar barrier.
It can’t go around corners, but smart dungeon builders
incorporate gentle, curving turns into nearby passages
that allow the sphere to keep moving.
As an action, a creature within 5 feet of the sphere can
attempt to slow it down with a DC 20 Strength check. On a
successful check, the sphere’s speed is reduced by 15 feet.
If the sphere’s speed drops to 0, it stops moving and is no
longer a threat.
DISEASES
A plague ravages the kingdom, setting the adventurers
on a quest to find a cure. An adventurer emerges from
an ancient tomb, unopened for centuries, and soon finds
herself suffering from a wasting illness. A darkhwitalja
offends some dark power and contracts a strange affliction
that spreads whenever he casts spells.
A simple outbreak might amount to little more than a
small drain on party resources, curable by a casting of lesser
restoration. A more complicated outbreak can form the basis
of one or more adventures as characters search for a cure, stop
the spread of the disease, and deal with the consequences.
A disease that does more than infect a few party
members is primarily a plot device. The rules help
describe the effects of the disease and how it can be cured,
but the specifics of how a disease works aren’t bound by
a common set of rules. Diseases can affect any creature,
and a given illness might or might not pass from one race
or kind of creature to another. A plague might affect only
constructs or undead, or sweep through a dwarven hold
but leave other races untouched. What matters is the story
you want to tell.
Sample Diseases
The diseases here illustrate the variety of ways disease can
work in the game. Feel free to alter the saving throw DCs,
incubation times, symptoms, and other characteristics of
these diseases to suit your campaign.
Cackle Fever
This disease targets humanoids, although trolls and
half-trolls are strangely immune. While in the grips of
this disease, victims frequently succumb to fits of mad
laughter, giving the disease its common name and its
morbid nickname: “the shrieks.”
Symptoms manifest 1d4 hours after infection and
include fever and disorientation. The infected creature
gains one level of exhaustion that can’t be removed until
the disease is cured.
Any event that causes the infected creature great stress
- including entering combat, taking damage, experiencing
fear, or having a nightmare - forces the creature to make
a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the
creature takes 5 (1d10) psychic damage and becomes
incapacitated with mad laughter for 1 minute. The
creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of
its turns, ending the mad laughter and the incapacitated
condition on a success.
Any humanoid creature that starts its turn within 10
feet of an infected creature in the throes of mad laughter
168
must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or
also become infected with the disease. Once a creature
succeeds on this save, it is immune to the mad laughter of
that particular infected creature for 24 hours.
At the end of each long rest, an infected creature
can make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a
successful save, the DC for this save and for the save to
avoid an attack of mad laughter drops by 1d6. When the
saving throw DC drops to 0, the creature recovers from
the disease. A creature that fails three of these saving
throws gains a randomly determined form of indefinite
madness.
Sewer Plague
Sewer plague is a generic term for a broad category
of illnesses that incubate in sewers, refuse heaps, and
stagnant swamps, and which are sometimes transmitted
by creatures that dwell in those areas, such as rats and
otyughs.
When a humanoid creature is bitten by a creature that
carries the disease, or when it comes into contact with
filth or offal contaminated by the disease, the creature
must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or
become infected.
It takes 1d4 days for sewer plague’s symptoms to
manifest in an infected creature. Symptoms include
fatigue and cramps. The infected creature suffers one level
of exhaustion, and it regains only half the normal number
of hit points from spending Hit Dice and no hit points from
finishing a long rest.
At the end of each long rest, an infected creature must
make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save,
the character gains one level of exhaustion. On a successful
save, the character’s exhaustion level decreases by one
level. If a successful saving throw reduces the infected
creature’s level of exhaustion below 1, the creature
recovers from the disease.
Sight Rot
This painful infection causes bleeding from the eyes and
eventually blinds the victim.
A beast or humanoid that drinks water tainted by sight
rot must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw
or become infected. One day after infection, the creature’s
vision starts to become blurry. The creature takes a -1
penalty to attack rolls and ability checks that rely on sight.
At the end of each long rest after the symptoms appear,
the penalty worsens by 1. When it reaches -5, the victim is
blinded until its sight is restored by magic such as lesser
restoration or heal.
 Sight rot can be cured using a rare flower called
Meyblom in Vrok, which grows in some swamps. Given an
hour, a character who has proficiency with an herbalism
kit can turn the flower into one dose of ointment. Applied
to the eyes before a long rest, one dose of it prevents the
disease from worsening after that rest. After three doses,
the ointment cures the disease entirely.
SPELLCASTING
Vitner permeates Trudvang and often appears in the form
of a spell.
This chapter provides the rules for casting spells.
Different character classes have distinctive ways of
learning and preparing their spells, and monsters use
spells in unique ways. Regardless of its source, a spell
follows the rules here.
WHAT IS A SPELL?
A spell is a discrete magical effect, a single shaping of the
magical energies that suffuse the multiverse into a specific,
limited expression. In casting a spell, a character carefully
plucks at the invisible strands of raw magic suffusing the
world, pins them in place in a particular pattern, sets
them vibrating in a specific way, and then releases them
to unleash the desired effect-in most cases, all in the span
of seconds.
Spells can be versatile tools, weapons, or protective
wards. They can deal damage or undo it, impose or
remove conditions, drain life energy away, and restore life
to the dead.
Uncounted thousands of spells have been created over
the course of the history, and many of them are long
forgotten. Some might yet lie recorded in crumbling
spellbooks hidden in ancient ruins or trapped in the minds
of dead gods. Or they might someday be reinvented by a
character who has amassed enough power and wisdom
to do so.
SPELL LEVEL
Every spell has a level from 0 to 5. A spell’s level is a
general indicator of how powerful it is, with the lowly
(but still impressive) vitner dart at 1st level and the earth-
shaking storm at 5th. Cantrips - simple but powerful spells
that characters can cast almost by rote - are level 0. The
higher a spell’s level, the higher level a spellcaster must be
to use that spell.
Spell level and character level don’t correspond
directly.
169
KNOWN AND PREPARED SPELLS
Before a spellcaster can use a spell, he or she must have
the spell firmly fixed in mind, or must have access to the
spell in a magic item. The same thing is true of many
magic-using monsters. Spellcasters undergo a process of
preparing spells. This process varies for different classes,
as detailed in their descriptions.
In every case, the number of spells a caster can have
fixed in mind at any given time depends on the character’s
level.
SPELL SLOTS
Regardless of how many spells a caster knows or
prepares, he or she can cast only a limited number of
spells before resting. Manipulating the fabric of magic and
channeling its energy into even a simple spell is physically
and mentally taxing, and higher level spells are even more
so. Thus, each spellcasting class’s description includes a
table showing how many spell slots of each spell level a
character can use at each character level.
When a character casts a spell, he or she expends a
slot of that spell’s level or higher, effectively “filling” a slot
with the spell. You can think of a spell slot as a groove of
a certain size-small for a 1st-level slot, larger for a spell of
higher level. A 1st-level spell fits into a slot of any size, but
a 5th-level spell fits only in a 5th-level slot.
Finishing a long rest restores any expended spell slots.
Some characters and monsters have special abilities that
let them cast spells without using spell slots. For example,
a monk who follows the Way of the Four Elements, a
warlock who chooses certain eldritch invocations, and a
pit fiend from the Nine Hells can all cast spells in such a
way.
Casting a Spell at a Higher Level
When a spellcaster casts a spell using a slot that is of a
higher level than the spell, the spell assumes the higher
level for that casting. Effectively, the spell expands to fill
the slot it is put into.
Some spells, have more powerful effects when cast at a
higher level, as detailed in a spell’s description.
Casting in Armor
Because of the mental focus and precise gestures required
for spellcasting, you must be proficient with the armor you
are wearing to cast a spell. You are otherwise too distracted
and physically hampered by your armor for spellcasting.
CANTRIPS
A cantrip is a spell that can be cast without using a spell
slot and without being prepared in advance. Repeated
practice has fixed the spell in the caster’s mind and infused
the caster with the magic needed to produce the effect
over and over. A cantrip’s spell level is 0.
RITUALS
Certain spells have a special tag: ritual. Such a spell can
be cast following the normal rules for spellcasting, or
the spell can be cast as a ritual. The ritual version of a
spell takes 10 minutes longer to cast than normal. It also
doesn’t expend a spell slot, which means the ritual version
of a spell can’t be cast at a higher level.
To cast a spell as a ritual, a spellcaster must have a
feature that grants the ability to do so. The cleric and the
druid, for example, have such a feature. The caster must
also have the spell prepared or on his or her list of spells
known, unless the character’s ritual feature specifies
otherwise, as the wizard’s does.
THE SCHOOLS OF MAGIC
Academies of magic group spells into eight categories
called schools of magic. Scholars, particularly wizards,
apply these categories to all spells, believing that all magic
functions in essentially the same way, whether it derives
from rigorous study or is bestowed by a deity.
The schools of magic help describe spells; they have
no rules of their own, although some rules refer to the
schools.
Abjuration spells are protective in nature, though
some of them have aggressive uses. They create magical
barriers, negate harmful effects, harm trespassers, or
banish creatures to other planes of existence.
Conjuration spells involve the transportation of objects
and creatures from one location to another. Some spells
summon creatures or objects to the caster’s side, whereas
others allow the caster to teleport to another location.
Some conjurations create objects or effects out of nothing.
Divination spells reveal information, whether in the
form of secrets long forgotten, glimpses of the future, the
locations of hidden things, the truth behind illusions, or
visions of distant people or places.
Enchantment spells affect the minds of others, influencing
or controlling their behavior. Such spells can make enemies
see the caster as a friend, force creatures to take a course of
action, or even control another creature like a puppet.
170
Evocation spells manipulate magical energy to produce
a desired effect. Some call up blasts of fire or lightning.
Others channel positive energy to heal wounds.
Illusion spells deceive the senses or minds of others.
They cause people to see things that are not there, to
miss things that are there, to hear phantom noises, or to
remember things that never happened. Some illusions
create phantom images that any creature can see, but
the most insidious illusions plant an image directly in the
mind of a creature.
Necromancy spells manipulate the energies of life and
death. Such spells can grant an extra reserve of life force,
drain the life energy from another creature, create the
undead, or even bring the dead back to life.
Creating the undead through the use of necromancy
spells such as animate dead is not an honorable act, and
only ill-willed casters use such spells frequently.
Transmutation spells change the properties of a creature,
object, or environment. They might turn an enemy into a
harmless creature, bolster the strength of an ally, make
an object move at the caster’s command, or enhance a
creature’s innate healing abilities to rapidly recover from
injury.
CASTING A SPELL
When a character casts any spell, the same basic rules are
followed, regardless of the character’s class or the spell’s
effects.
Each spell description begins with a block of information,
including the spell’s name, level, school of magic, casting
time, range, components, and duration. The rest of a spell
entry describes the spell’s effect.
CASTING TIME
Most spells require a single action to cast, but some spells
require a bonus action, a reaction, or much more time to cast.
Bonus Action
A spell cast with a bonus action is especially swift. You
must use a bonus action on your turn to cast the spell,
provided that you haven’t already taken a bonus action
this turn. You can’t cast another spell during the same
turn, except for a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action.
Reactions
Some spells can be cast as reactions. These spells take a
fraction of a second to bring about and are cast in response
to some event. If a spell can be cast as a reaction, the spell
description tells you exactly when you can do so.
Longer Casting Times
Certain spells (including spells cast as rituals) require
more time to cast: minutes or even hours. When you cast
a spell with a casting time longer than a single action or
reaction, you must spend your action each turn casting
the spell, and you must maintain your concentration
while you do so (see “Concentration” below). If your
concentration is broken, the spell fails, but you don’t
expend a spell slot. If you want to try casting the spell
again, you must start over.
SPELL RANGE
The target of a spell must be within the spell’s range. For
a spell like magic missile, the target is a creature. For a
spell like fireball, the target is the point in space where
the ball of fire erupts.
Most spells have ranges expressed in feet. Some spells
can target only a creature (including you) that you touch.
Other spells, such as the shield spell, affect only you.
These spells have a range of self.
Spells that create cones or lines of effect that originate
from you also have a range of self, indicating that the origin
point of the spell’s effect must be you (see “Areas of Effect”
later in the this chapter).
Once a spell is cast, its effects aren’t limited by its range,
unless the spell’s description says otherwise.
COMPONENTS
A spell’s components are the physical requirements you
must meet in order to cast it. Each spell’s description
indicates whether it requires verbal (V), somatic (S),
or material (M) components. If you can’t provide one or
more of a spell’s components, you are unable to cast the
spell.
Verbal (V)
Most spells require the chanting of mystic words. The
words themselves aren’t the source of the spell’s power;
rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific
pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion.
Thus, a character who is gagged or in an area of silence,
such as one created by the silence spell, can’t cast a spell
with a verbal component.
Somatic (S)
Spellcasting gestures might include a forceful gesticulation
or an intricate set of gestures. If a spell requires a somatic
component, the caster must have free use of at least one
hand to perform these gestures.
171
Material (M)
Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified
in parentheses in the component entry. A character can
use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found
in “Equipment”) in place of the components specified
for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a
character must have that specific component before he or
she can cast the spell.
If a spell states that a material component is consumed
by the spell, the caster must provide this component for
each casting of the spell.
A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s
material components - or to hold a spellcasting focus - but
it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform
somatic components.
DURATION
A spell’s duration is the length of time the spell persists. A
duration can be expressed in rounds, minutes, hours, or
even years. Some spells specify that their effects last until
the spells are dispelled or destroyed.
Instantaneous
Many spells are instantaneous. The spell harms, heals,
creates, or alters a creature or an object in a way that can’t
be dispelled, because its magic exists only for an instant.
Concentration
Some spells require you to maintain concentration in
order to keep their magic active. If you lose concentration,
such a spell ends.
If a spell must be maintained with concentration, that fact
appears in its Duration entry, and the spell specifies how
long you can concentrate on it. You can end concentration
at any time (no action required).
Normal activity, such as moving and attacking, doesn’t
interfere with concentration. The following factors can
break concentration:
✦ Casting another spell that requires concentration. You
lose concentration on a spell if you cast another spell that
requires concentration. You can’t concentrate on two spells
at once.
✦ Taking damage. Whenever you take damage while you are
concentrating on a spell, you must make a Constitution
saving throw to maintain your concentration. The DC
equals 10 or half the damage you take, whichever number
is higher. If you take damage from multiple sources, such
as an arrow and a dragon’s breath, you make a separate
saving throw for each source of damage.
✦ Being incapacitated or killed. You lose concentration on a
spell if you are incapacitated or if you die.
The GM might also decide that certain environmental
phenomena, such as a wave crashing over you while you’re
on a storm-tossed ship, require you to succeed on a DC 10
Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration on a
spell.
TARGETS
A typical spell requires you to pick one or more targets to
be affected by the spell’s magic. A spell’s description tells
you whether the spell targets creatures, objects, or a point
of origin for an area of effect (described below).
Unless a spell has a perceptible effect, a creature might
not know it was targeted by a spell at all. An effect like
crackling lightning is obvious, but a more subtle effect,
such as an attempt to read a creature’s thoughts, typically
goes unnoticed, unless a spell says otherwise.
A Clear Path to the Target
To target something, you must have a clear path to it, so it
can’t be behind total cover.
If you place an area of effect at a point that you can’t see
and an obstruction, such as a wall, is between you and that
point, the point of origin comes into being on the near side
of that obstruction.
Targeting Yourself
If a spell targets a creature of your choice, you can choose
yourself, unless the creature must be hostile or specifically
a creature other than you. If you are in the area of effect of
a spell you cast, you can target yourself.
AREAS OF EFFECT
Spells such as burning hands and cone of cold cover an
area, allowing them to affect multiple creatures at once.
A spell’s description specifies its area of effect, which
typically has one of five different shapes: cone, cube,
cylinder, line, or sphere. Every area of effect has a point
of origin, a location from which the spell’s energy erupts.
The rules for each shape specify how you position its point
of origin. Typically, a point of origin is a point in space, but
some spells have an area whose origin is a creature or an
object.
A spell’s effect expands in straight lines from the point of
origin. If no unblocked straight line extends from the point
of origin to a location within the area of effect, that location
isn’t included in the spell’s area. To block one of these
imaginary lines, an obstruction must provide total cover.
172
Cone
A cone extends in a direction you choose from its point of
origin. A cone’s width at a given point along its length is
equal to that point’s distance from the point of origin. A
cone’s area of effect specifies its maximum length.
A cone’s point of origin is not included in the cone’s area
of effect, unless you decide otherwise.
Cube
You select a cube’s point of origin, which lies anywhere on
a face of the cubic effect. The cube’s size is expressed as
the length of each side.
A cube’s point of origin is not included in the cube’s area
of effect, unless you decide otherwise.
Cylinder
A cylinder’s point of origin is the center of a circle of a
particular radius, as given in the spell description. The
circle must either be on the ground or at the height of the
spell effect. The energy in a cylinder expands in straight
lines from the point of origin to the perimeter of the
circle, forming the base of the cylinder. The spell’s effect
then shoots up from the base or down from the top, to a
distance equal to the height of the cylinder.
A cylinder’s point of origin is included in the cylinder’s
area of effect.
Line
A line extends from its point of origin in a straight path up
to its length and covers an area defined by its width.
A line’s point of origin is not included in the line’s area of
effect, unless you decide otherwise.
Sphere
You select a sphere’s point of origin, and the sphere extends
outward from that point. The sphere’s size is expressed as
a radius in feet that extends from the point.
A sphere’s point of origin is included in the sphere’s area
of effect.
SPELL SAVING THROWS
Many spells specify that a target can make a saving throw
to avoid some or all of a spell’s effects. The spell specifies
the ability that the target uses for the save and what
happens on a success or failure.
The DC to resist one of your spells = 8 + your spellcasting
ability modifier + your proficiency bonus + any special
modifiers.
SPELL ATTACK ROLLS
Some spells require the caster to make an attack roll
to determine whether the spell effect hits the intended
target. Your attack bonus with a spell attack equals your
spellcasting ability modifier + your proficiency bonus.
Most spells that require attack rolls involve ranged
attacks. Remember that you have disadvantage on a
ranged attack roll if you are within 5 feet of a hostile
creature that can see you and that isn’t incapacitated.
COMBINING MAGICAL EFFECTS
The effects of different spells add together while the
durations of those spells overlap. The effects of the same
spell cast multiple times don’t combine, however. Instead,
the most potent effect - such as the highest bonus - from
those castings applies while their durations overlap.
For example, if two dimwalkers cast bless on the same
target, that character gains the spell’s benefit only once; he
or she doesn’t get to roll two bonus dice.
MAGIC ITEMS
Magic items are gleaned from the hoards of conquered
monsters or discovered in long‑lost vaults. Such items grant
capabilities a character could rarely have otherwise, or they
complement their owner's capabilities in wondrous ways.
ATTUNEMENT
Some magic items require a creature to form a bond
with them before their magical properties can be used.
This bond is called attunement, and certain items have a
prerequisite for it. If the prerequisite is a class, a creature
must be a member of that class to attune to the item.
(If the class is a spellcasting class, a monster qualifies
if it has spell slots and uses that class's spell list.) If the
prerequisite is to be a spellcaster, a creature qualifies if it
can cast at least one spell using its traits or features, not
using a magic item or the like.
173
Without becoming attuned to an item that requires
attunement, a creature gains only its nonmagical benefits,
unless its description states otherwise. For example,
a magic shield that requires attunement provides the
benefits of a normal shield to a creature not attuned to it,
but none of its magical properties.
Attuning to an item requires a creature to spend a short
rest focused on only that item while being in physical
contact with it (this can't be the same short rest used
to learn the item's properties). This focus can take the
form of weapon practice (for a weapon), meditation (for
a wondrous item), or some other appropriate activity. If
the short rest is interrupted, the attunement attempt fails.
Otherwise, at the end of the short rest, the creature gains
an intuitive understanding of how to activate any magical
properties of the item, including any necessary command
words.
An item can be attuned to only one creature at a time,
and a creature can be attuned to no more than three magic
items at a time. Any attempt to attune to a fourth item
fails; the creature must end its attunement to an item first.
Additionally, a creature can't attune to more than one copy
of an item. For example, a creature can't attune to more
than one ring of protection at a time.
A creature's attunement to an item ends if the creature
no longer satisfies the prerequisites for attunement, if the
item has been more than 100 feet away for at least 24
hours, if the creature dies, or if another creature attunes to
the item. A creature can also voluntarily end attunement
by spending another short rest focused on the item, unless
the item is cursed.
WEARING AND WIELDING ITEMS
Using a magic item's properties might mean wearing
or wielding it. A magic item meant to be worn must be
donned in the intended fashion: boots go on the feet,
gloves on the hands, hats and helmets on the head, and
rings on the finger. Magic armor must be donned, a shield
strapped to the arm, a cloak fastened about the shoulders.
A weapon must be held.
In most cases, a magic item that's meant to be worn
can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Many
magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or
they magically adjust themselves to the wearer. Rare
exceptions exist. If the story suggests a good reason
for an item to fit only creatures of a certain size or
shape, you can rule that it doesn't adjust. For example,
elf-­m ade armor might fit elves only. Dwarves might
make items usable only by dwarf-­ sized and dwarf-­
shaped folk.
 When a nonhumanoid tries to wear an item, use your
discretion as to whether the item functions as intended.
Multiple Items of the Same Kind
Use common sense to determine whether more than one
of a given kind of magic item can be worn. A character
can't normally wear more than one pair of footwear,
one pair of gloves or gauntlets, one pair of bracers, one
suit of armor, one item of headwear, and one cloak. You
can make exceptions; a character might be able to wear
a circlet under a helmet, for example, or to layer two
cloaks.
Paired Items
Items that come in pairs—such as boots, bracers, gauntlets,
and gloves—impart their benefits only if both items of the
pair are worn.
174
Activating an Item
Activating some magic items requires a user to do
something special, such as holding the item and
uttering a command word. The description of each
item category or individual item details how an item is
activated. Certain items use the following rules for their
activation.
If an item requires an action to activate, that action
isn't a function of the Use an Item action, so a feature
such as the rogue's Fast Hands can't be used to activate
the item.
COMMAND WORD
A command word is a word or phrase that must be
spoken for an item to work. A magic item that requires a
command word can't be activated in an area where sound
is prevented, as in the area of the silence spell.
OGL
Permission to copy, modify and distribute the files collectively
known as the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD5”) is
granted solely through the use of the Open Gaming License,
Version 1.0a.
This material is being released using the Open Gaming
License Version 1.0a and you should read and understand the
terms of that license before using this material.
The text of the Open Gaming License itself is not Open Game
Content. Instructions on using the License are provided within
the License itself.
The following items are designated Product Identity, as
defined in Section 1(e) of the Open Game License Version
1.0a, and are subject to the conditions set forth in Section 7 of
the OGL, and are not Open Content: Dungeons & Dragons,
D&D, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master, Monster
Manual, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, d20 (when used
as a trademark), Forgotten Realms, Faerûn, proper names
(including those used in the names of spells or items),
places, Underdark, Red Wizard of Thay, the City of Union,
Heroic Domains of Ysgard, EverChanging Chaos of Limbo,
Windswept Depths of Pandemonium, Infinite Layers of the
Abyss, Tarterian Depths of Carceri, Gray Waste of Hades,
Bleak Eternity of Gehenna, Nine Hells of Baator, Infernal
Battlefield of Acheron, Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus,
Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia, Seven Mounting Heavens of
Celestia, Twin Paradises of Bytopia, Blessed Fields of Elysium,
Wilderness of the Beastlands, Olympian Glades of Arborea,
Concordant Domain of the Outlands, Sigil, Lady of Pain, Book
of Exalted Deeds, Book of Vile Darkness, beholder, gauth,
carrion crawler, tanar’ri, baatezu, displacer beast, githyanki,
githzerai, mind flayer, illithid, umber hulk, yuan-ti.
All of the rest of the SRD5 is Open Game Content as described
in Section 1(d) of the License.
The terms of the Open Gaming License Version 1.0a are as
follows:
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”).
All Rights Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/
or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game
Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material
including derivative works and translations (including
into other computer languages), potation, modification,
correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement,
compilation, abridgment or other form in which an
existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c)
175
“Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell,
broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute;
(d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and
includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines
to the extent such content does not embody the Product
Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any
additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content
by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this
License, including translations and derivative works under
copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e)
“Product Identity” means product and product line names,
logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts;
creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic
elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols,
designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts,
themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio
representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells,
enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and
special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures,
equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos,
symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or
registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity
by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically
excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means the
logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a
Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated
products contributed to the Open Game License by the
Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use,
Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise
create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You”
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this
document for personal use only. System Reference Document
5.1 2 or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game
Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game
Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License.
You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that
you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this
License except as described by the License itself. No other
terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game
Content distributed using this License.
3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content
You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing
to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual,
worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive license with the exact
terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are
contributing original material as Open Game Content, You
represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation
and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed
by this License.
6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the
COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the
exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game
Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You
must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright
holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original
Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product
Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except
as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement
with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You
agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with
any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with
a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly
licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner
of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any
Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute
a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The
owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content
shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product
Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You
must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are
distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents
176
may publish updated versions of this License. You may use
any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and
distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed
under any version of this License.
10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this
License with every copy of the Open Game Content You
Distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise
the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor
unless You have written permission from the Contributor to
do so.
12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply
with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or
all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order,
or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open
Game Material so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if
You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such
breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All
sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be
unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the
extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Open Game License v 1.0a
Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC.
System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of
the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris
Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J.
Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend,
based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
END OF LICENSE