‘Winter’s Fall’ is meant to precede the Yggdrasill Core
Rulebook’s scenario, ‘Offerings to the Great Winter’, but
might easily be played afterwards. It is set in the same place
– the Kjari clan’s village of Rohald – and assumes the player
characters are mostly fairly young Danish characters related
to the jarl. Once again, the pre-generated characters found
in the Yggdrasill Core Rulebook (pages 92-103) fit this
approach perfectly (and includes Jorun, the Jarl’s daughter,
as a player character). Should you wish to use your own
heroes or switch the setting of this adventure, you will need
to adapt the events recounted here slightly. However, this
should not present any major difficulties.
Introduction: Starting Point
This is the first winter after Frodi the Usurper’s accession
to the throne. As per usual, during the Jol (see the Yggdrasill
Core Rulebook page 56) celebrations, he has summoned the
jarls of Denmark to a thing so that those who have not done
so already might come to pay him tribute and swear an oath
of fealty. However many are reluctant to accomplish this
task and have found an excuse to avoid it.
Among them is Hrolf Knudsson, head of the prestigious
Kjari clan, long-time ally of the king of Odense and vassal of
the late Halfdan. To avoid attending Frodi’s thing, the Kjari
clan invited all their vassals and allies to celebrate Jol within
the walls of Rohald in recognition of Jorun, daughter of
Hrolf, who has recently become his official heir. The jarl had
gifts sent to Hleidra, but also sent his apologies, being too
busy with his fatherly duties to be able to come in person.
Guests, dealers, suppliers and travellers have been
flocking for the past week to Rohald, the city from which
Hrolf reigns. Amongst this constant excitement, the
characters participate in the festivities (and if Jorun is
a player character, they will be in the centre of all the
attention). Soon enough, everything is ready and as the
evening marks the beginning of Jol, in the morning the
jarl suggests they should form a hunting party to mark the
occasion. Fifty horsemen leave Rohald in the first light of
dawn - amongst them, the heroes.
Jorun Hrolfsdottir,
the Chief’s Daughter
If you play with the pregenerated characters from
the Yggdrasill Core Rulebook, Jorun is Hrolf ’s
daughter and the heir to the jarl’s title. Her older
brother, Hermod was killed in action last summer,
during a naval battle against Saxon pirates. Her elder
sister Gudrid is married to a noble from another
clan and Hrolf refuses to see his more prestigious
clan become blended into his son-in-law’s. So he has
recently officially declared and recognised Jorun as
his legitimate successor.
Hunting Party
The landscape is covered with a thin layer of snow.
A heavy sky hangs over the moors and rolling hills that
surround Rohald. A few crows and seagulls inspect the land
in search of food. To the west, the sea is so calm that we do
60
 Winter’s Fall
not immediately hear the incessant flow of waves lapping
the village banks. Lazy smoke rises from the chimneys of
the few farms still visible so close to the forest. Everything is
quiet. We have just reached midday.
The heroes are riding along the edge of a forest
pursuing a deer that has eluded them. They have separated
from the rest of the hunters, determined to demonstrate
their skills and not return empty handed. After all, Hrolf
has challenged his friends to provide meat for the banquet
the following day. The tracks are fresh and go deep into
the woods. They are fairly visible at first but very quickly
nature takes its course and the bushes become more
abundant and paths almost non-existent. The player
characters must dismount quickly in order to not lose
track of the game (for hunting, the player characters are
equipped with bows).
The dense vegetation rapidly begins to make the hunt
more difficult, and the player characters should make a
Perception + Survival test (SR: 10). Those who succeed
realise that the deer has escaped them. They also discover
more traces left by boots, as well as indications that someone
has picked up dead wood here. However, the nearest farm is
more than fifteen minutes walk away and the place is pretty
wild. In addition, this new track plunges into the heart of
the woods.
If they follow this new trail after a few minutes the
player characters can hear some voices (on a Perception
+ Alertness test, SR: 10). It sounds like two or three men
talking in dansk tunga (common tongue). The trail leads to
the edge of a small natural basin about ten metres wide. It
is cut in half by a stream that is almost completely frozen
with a few grey rocks here and there emerging from the
snow. Three horses are tethered here, grazing on some of
the rare grass sprouting between snowy patches. The player
characters discover a small camp, with as many men as
there are player characters, all armed. Their equipment,
clothes and physicality are reminiscent of Scandian warriors
(hirdmen or mercenaries). They seem to be clearing up
their camp. One of them is burying a campfire in the snow;
most of the rest are kneeling on the ground, packing their
possessions as they prepare to break camp. Most have their
backs turned to the player characters. Unfortunately, one of
the group guards the surroundings, one hand resting on the
hilt of his sword.
If the player characters are not discreet, the guard
immediately spots them. Otherwise, they should make an
opposed test of INS + Stealth against the warriors (2d10
+ Mental). If the mercenaries discover the intruders, they
immediately unsheathe their weapons and rush into battle
screaming “No witnesses!” Unfortunately this is not good
ground for a fight. It is a steep slope covered in slippery
snow, but that leaves no one with much of an advantage so
the Game Master might choose not to impose any penalties.
However, anyone who critically fails a roll might lose their
balance or fall over.
Scandian Mercenaries
Mercenary Hirdmen (1 per player character)
Conflict 10/6 Relationships 3 Physical 6
Mental 3 Mystical 2/2 Vitality 10
If reduced to half their number the mercenaries
will make a break for it, although they will fight to
the death if cornered. If you are new to running
Yggdrasill it is a good opportunity to get to grips
with the combat system in this reasonably straight
forward fight.
Once their opponents have been defeated, the player
characters can search the camp for clues as to the warriors’
identity. Here is what they find:
• Cast Iron: while these items do not contain any
evidence regarding the warriors’ identity, they do prove
the group were prepared for a decent-sized journey
across Denmark. Most interestingly, counting the sets
of equipment proves there may be a horse missing…
• Ritual Objects: inside a cloth, a warrior has gathered
a collection of objects related to the practice of magic
(runic bones, herbs, stones, a gold ring engraved with
esoteric symbols…) A runic or Seidr test (SR: 14) or
another Superstition test (SR: 19) enables them to 61
identify the nature of this equipment. A critical success
confirms that they are used to throw a curse.
• Treasure: inside one of the cast iron objects, a leather
bag contains tens of gold and silver bracelets. A
Commerce test (SR: 10) indicates that this sum would
easily suffice to hire the services of the mercenaries for
a long expedition.
• Clues about the Mercenaries: their clothing and
weapons are typically Scandinavian. They have the
body and stature, as well as the scars, of accomplished
warriors. The colours and dyes of their clothes, and
also the shape of their jewellery and equipment could
very well be of Danish origin.
If the Heroes Capture
a Mercenary…
At first he refuses to speak, but once threatened, he
becomes a lot more talkative. However, he does not know
much. He and his friends were engaged by a thulr in Hleidra
who needed an escort to Rohald. They arrived yesterday. In
the morning, he performed a strange ritual and enchanted
a runic stone. Then he went to the Kjari clan’s city alone.
The warriors were ordered to wait until tomorrow and
then accompany the thulr to the Danish capital. It seemed
apparent that the wizard was also under someone else’s
orders, but the mercenary has no idea who. The warrior
can also briefly describe the thulr; “tall, thin, black beard,
long hair, ordinary outfit…” Not bad, but not enough to
lead an investigation amongst the foreign population in
Rohald.
The Jol festival
Armed with these clues, the characters are probably
suspecting a plot, one that is probably designed to trigger
during the festivities taking place in Rohald. But by whom,
against whom, and for what purpose? The most immediate
suspect might be King Frodi, but only if the players are
aware of the current political situation in Denmark.
However, once they return to the village and take time to
investigate, they discover other possibilities.
An icy wind sweeps the country and the dark sky
promises snow in the evening when the heroes arrive back
in Rohald. The large village enclosure doors are open and
the guards are unconcerned about the number of carts
and travellers entering the enclosure before nightfall. For
the last week, a hustle and bustle has filled the days in the
village. Guests, suppliers and farmers from the surrounding
lands have all been coming to attend the celebrations and
ceremonies, or participate in the big end of year market.
The population has almost doubled during this period, and
some of the newcomers now live with friends or relatives.
The rest of the visitors are housed in large tents, wherein a
fire burns permanently. In addition, the jarl put a house near
the fence at the disposal of his guests (about fifty people).
The streets are buzzing with servants, meetings, merchants’
calls and sports challenges.
If they came back directly, the player characters learn
that Hrolf ’s hunting group is not back yet. However, if they
decide to go back and search for him, he soon emerges on
the horizon with a group of thirty horsemen loaded with
game.
From now on, the player characters have plenty of time
to investigate in order to learn more about the conspiracy
that is going on, unbeknownst to them. This part of the
adventure is quite free-form and relies on the heroes’
decisions. This means it may require a bit of improvisation
from the Game Master, depending on what clues they
choose to follow. However, it is possible to divide this
chapter into two acts: investigating in Rohald for the rest of
the day, and the feast that night.
Investigating in Rohald
The following detail should give the Game Master the
information she needs to answer the questions the players
will ask during their research:
62
• Jarl Hrolf: the characters will most certainly want
to warn their lord about what they have discovered.
Seeing their concerned faces, he invites them into a
private room in the longhouse and listens in silence
to their explanations. Even if he has no suspicions, or
does not want to share them, Hrolf will still take their
warning seriously. He wants to get more information,
and decides to order half his guard of hirdmen to stay
sober that evening for added safety. In addition, if the
players think that the target could be one of the guests,
the jarl can provide them with information about the
identity of a few of them. We provide a selection of
guests below, but feel free to add other notable people
of your own to increase the false leads, and the player
characters’ opportunities for interaction. Some or all
of the characters from the appendix may prove useful
here.
• The Guards: the village doors are only closed at night
and, during this period, the guards see many people
arriving for the festivities – including many foreigners.
It is difficult for them to designate any ‘suspicious
persons’ if they are questioned. If taken into the player
character’s confidence, they will be more vigilant.
But the player characters must understand that if the
enemy is already here, he has managed to go unnoticed
until now.
• The Stables: with so many visitors, the place is full of
horses and the boys in charge are overwhelmed with
work. Just like the guards, they don’t remember anyone
particularly suspicious. However, if the heroes take the
time to inspect the horses, they may discover something
interesting (on a Perception + Search test SR: 12). One
of the animals has exactly the same harness as those of
the warriors they fought earlier in the afternoon. The
boys are unable to put a face to the rider who gave them
the horse. However, if the player characters observe the
horses, the owner returns the following morning, after
the feast, shortly after dawn. It turns out to be the thulr
who accompanied the hirdmen. The player characters
may be able to intercept him when he is about to leave
the city and get some answers.
• The Streets of Rohald: they are jammed with a
disparate crowd. Merchants, farmers, hirdmen, nobles
and their servants, wandering animals, carts, stalls
and impromptu meetings… One must jostle their way
through and of course, it is unlikely to find anyone
amongst this flood of people. The Gamemaster should
emphasise the fact that there is a very large number of
foreign visitors, unknown to the clan or the other locals
in the village and therefore many potential suspects.
• The Arrival of Gudrid and her Husband: Hrolf ’s eldest
daughter arrives later that afternoon accompanied by
her servants. She married Herjolf Tryggverson two
years ago, a noble from an allied Danish clan. Her
 Winter’s Fall
return is an occasion for a joyous reunion; especially
since the news spreads quickly that the young woman is
pregnant and will give birth in the spring. She and her
husband have just returned from Finland, where they
ran a trading post in the name of King Halfdan. With
the impending birth of their child, Herjolf expressed a
desire to return to Fyn and resume his position in his
clan. They are accompanied by an entourage of twenty
or so people: guards, servants and relatives. Amongst
them is Stigandi, Herjolf ’s brother (see below), as well
as three Finnish slaves that the couple wants to offer
to Hrolf. Two of these slaves are young women with
golden hair and dark eyes. If a character has the skills
Knowledge (Finland) or Superstition, he remembers
that it is often said that Finnish women are adept at
witchcraft (SR: 14). The two women are sisters and
indeed witches, but they have nothing to do with the
current events. However, they may provide a false trail
in the player characters’ investigation (or give them a
clue about the nature of the curse - although they do
not speak dansk tunga).
The Jarl’s Guests
As evening draws near, so does the great feast everyone
has been looking forward to. There are several characters
who will be present at the evening banquet, some of which
the player characters may be able to talk to during the day.
Each brings the player characters an opportunity to use
their social skills. Feel free to add new NPCs of your own
creation if you feel the desire or need for it. After each name
you will find their character type so you can assign them
statistics (see the Yggdrasill Core Rulebook, page 179). Use
the basic statistics for these extras, but modify them with
additional traits if you wish.
Amongst the guests, there are also numerous merchants,
Danish Swedish and Norwegian travellers, Hrolf Knudsson’s
vassals, his hirdmen, Herjolf and Gudrid’s followers, a few
bondi… In total (including the servants who are working
around the tables) there are more than two hundred people
gathering in the jarl’s longhouse to celebrate Jol.
The longhouse where the celebrations are to be held is
much the same as those described in the Yggdrasill Core
Rulebook. It is built on two levels as, while the Kjari clan is
not very rich, it has a glorious history and an old reputation.
Thus, the player characters may know (on a Saga test SR: 7)
that the longhouse was said to have been built by the sons of
Kjari after he killed a troll raging across this land. This feat
earned Kjari the title to the lands from his lord, which were
totally wild at the time, so that he could found his own clan.
Thangbrand Dorisson (Noble): Thangbrand is King
Frodi’s lieutenant, and one of his vassals. He came to Rohald
to officially present Hrolf with a gift as a token of the Danish
monarch’s friendship. So the players may quickly suspect
him of being a spy. When provoked, Thangbrand makes a
great effort to remain calm and respond with humour. But,
if it goes too far, the jarl himself will intervene. The heroes
are likely to bet on the king’s emissary’s guilt and to assume
that Hrolf Knudsson is his target. However, nothing shows
that the noble knows anything about the practice of magic
(although Frodi surrounds himself with many wizards; the
rumour is well known). In addition, during the evening,
Thangbrand proves affable and unreserved, to the point of
ending up blind drunk by morning. He is a tall and well
built man, with a long blond beard blending into his hair,
which is beginning to thin out on top. Aged 40, Thangbrand
is a veteran of many conflicts and is a formidable opponent.
Above all he is very intelligent and proud to be Danish.
While he would never say it, he believes that Frodi will lead
his kingdom to its ruin.
Secret: In fact, Thangbrand Dorisson plays a double
game. He has ingratiated himself with Frodi so he might
become an emissary to the Danish lords who may well
intend to overthrow Frodi once the sons of Halfdan are
found.
Sigr Gunarsson (Noble): Hrolf ’s Norwegian cousin is a
big, bawdy and earthy man. His wit is equal to that of many
skalds, but few of his stories are to be believed. However,
he is quick to apologise sincerely if he offends someone
inadvertently, and to suggest any misunderstandings be
drowned in large quantities of beer.
Secret: During the night, despite being drunk, Sigr slips
away discreetly out of the longhouse and heads to a secret
rendezvous… with a maid. 63
Kurt Wendeler (Merchant): This lean, slender and
hairless Jute scrutinises everything that surrounds him.
Representing the king of Jutland, he came to complete a
trading treaty between his sovereign and the Kjari clan.
This contract should end years of hostility between the two
neighbours who have been committing acts of piracy, and
reprisals for piracy on each other for years.
Secret: Kurt is a spy in the service of a powerful vassal
of the King of Jutland, who is considering attacking Rohald
as soon as spring arrives. A display of force from the Kjari
clan (like solving the plot with panache) should discourage
his occult master in his endeavour.
Thorgren Dormalsson (Skald): Neither very skilled
nor very handsome, Thorgren mostly seeks to take
advantage of the jarl’s hospitality in order to spend the
Jol holidays in the warm, in front of a good table. This
inveterate traveller from Sweden has, despite his mere 27
years, been through all the kingdoms of Scandia and has
swallowed impressive quantities of food and beer. During
the evening, his table neighbours beg him for a song.
Embarrassed and drunk, Throgren rises and begins a story
heard the previous month in Hleidra. The song boasts
about Frodi’s victory in becoming King of the Danes.
The skald is not trying to provoke the assembly; he is
just, in all innocence, completely ignorant of the political
situation in Denmark and of the Kjari’s position. However,
his intervention is likely to lead to a clash between the
supporters of the King (travellers) and Hrolf ’s subjects.
Feast in the Longhouse
All night long the party is raucous, with feasting, singing
and games. At the height of the evening, as the freezing
wind beats against a wooden shutter, a brief silence falls
over the room. Everyone remembers that spirits are lurking
outside. But soon enough, drinking horns collide and the
party resumes. Let the players do what they want during
the banquet. If they are not doing anything special except
for spying on the guests or drinking, introduce a few of the
events listed below and then go directly to the morning.
However, they can use this opportunity to meet NPCs and
try to continue their investigations.
• The Oaths: At the beginning of the evening, the Jarl’s
weapons are brought onto the platform, in front
of Hrolf Knudsson’s seat. His sword rests on two
magnificent gold figurines: a bear and a wolf. One
by one, the lord’s vassals and hirdmen (including
the player characters if any of them belong to this
category) come to renew their oath and loyalty to
the Kjari clan. Hrolf takes the opportunity to offer
them gold, silver bracelets and other gifts, including
clothing, furs and jewellery.
• The Skald: Once the oaths are finished, Hrolf signals
the beginning of the banquet and slaves rush to fill
up the horns and cover the tables with food (much
of which was caught in the morning’s hunt). A skald
appears in the middle of the assembly and, with a
loud but pleasant voice, recites an old poem that
captures most of the guests’ attention. This tale is
the one detailed on pages 174-175 of the Yggdrasill
Core Rulebook, which tells of Ragnarök, which you
may choose to read out. A short silence follows the
last word. Then the jarl rises, holds his chiselled horn
in front of him and declares: “For Odin! For the
Gods! Sköl!” At which the assembled company drinks
heartily.
• The Challenge: Amongst those present are many of the
jarl’s hirdmen as well as many guests. Each and every
one of them competes with each other to brag about
their exploits, real or fictitious. The characters’ fight,
which occurred earlier in the day, may have reached
the ears of a few clan members (if they managed to
cover up this event, find another encounter they have
64
participated in, or even get them to make one up).
One of Hrolf ’s friends rises suddenly and insists that
the heroes narrate this episode. Soon enough, the
other guests bang their fists on the table to support
his request. Of course, the assembly expect a colourful
story, not just simple facts. Here, a skald in the group
can demonstrate his talent for storytelling.
The story finished one of a vassal jarl’s hirdmen
laughs out loud. Without any finesse, he loudly doubts
the veracity of these facts and lets out a few sarcastic
words about the player characters. He is not as drunk
as he appears though, and he and his comrades (all
hirdmen extras) are up for any challenge the heroes
may wish to throw at them. Despite the bravado,
this all takes place in a friendly atmosphere; no one
is trying to seriously insult the player characters.
However, the hirdman is trying to provoke these
‘youngsters’, a custom at such banquets. It is a rite to
orally provoke a hero into a good-natured challenge
without serious consequence. Some examples of
possible events are: a fighting game in the middle of
the room (between the fire pits), archery (across the
long house full of people), emptying drinking horns,
arm wrestling and any other martial challenges you
can think up.
• Family Troubles: During the evening, a few attentive
and still sober player characters notice Herjolf leave
the jarl’s table to join his followers, who happen to be
sitting almost in front of them. Through the smoke and
flames of the main fire, they can see Gudrid’s husband,
all smiles, sharing a horn with his men. Most of them
are toasting enthusiastically but a small group of
diners at the end of the table seem less demonstrative
(on a Perception + Empathy test ST: 12). This group
is made up of Stigandi, Herjolf ’s younger brother, and
his four bodyguards. If the heroes question him about
his attitude, he denies the allegations and explains
that he and his younger brother have always been very
different and have never felt very close. If asked about
it in private, Gudrid adds that Stigandi was assured
the regency of the clan in the absence of Herjolf. But
with the birth of their child and the decision to return
to the island of Fyn, it is the eldest who will wear the
crown when they return after the holidays.
The last revellers leave the longhouse not long before
dawn. Many guests stay on site, sleeping on benches or
directly on the ground. Hrolf and his wife return to their
apartments on the first floor. A few hirdmen (or the player
characters) might stand guard at the foot of the stairs. The
most important guests return to the guest house made
available by the jarl near the village’s entrance. Jol’s night
ends without any further incident.
 Winter’s Fall
The Curse
At first glance, the player characters have not yet been
able to determine the existence of a conspiracy, or even
the target. However, they have probably made several
assumptions. The night passes quickly and the sun is already
rising. As soon as the first rays of sun chase away the night-
time mist, snow starts to fall abundantly on Rohald and
its surroundings. The visibility, even within the village, is
limited and the cold forces people to stay within the warmth
of their homes.
If the heroes stay in the longhouse, they will be able to
witness the first event of the day. Otherwise, a servant will,
at the request of Hrolf, fetch them very quickly.
• The Jarl’s Disease: Even from the foot of the stairs in the
longhouse, groans can be heard coming from Hrolf ’s
room on the upstairs floor. Hrolf will be found writhing
in pain in his bed, his hands pressed on his stomach.
His deeply concerned wife demands the presence of a
doctor and yells at the servants.
The player characters may suspect poisoning, so
they might start searching for evidence, such as in
the jarl’s drinking horn, in the remaining pitchers on
the table and by interviewing the slaves and servants,
etc. A Survival test (ST:14) or Medicine test (ST:10)
indicates the symptoms are actually gastroenteritis. If
no player character has these skills, the village’s healer
gives this diagnosis after examining the lord. The
player characters can, of course, question the diagnosis;
however it is exactly what it is. With a few remedies
and some good rest, the jarl will be up by the next day.
While this whole affair is something of a red
herring, the news of the illness spreads quickly along
with a rumour of poison. The heroes may have to take
some time to restore the truth and reassure the Kjari
clan’s members.
• Gudrid: Hrolf ’s daughter and her husband are staying
in the longhouse. With all the commotion, the couple
comes down to see what is happening. But the young
woman goes back to bed quickly, without waiting for
the doctor’s opinion regarding the state of her father.
She is feverish and if Herjolf is questioned about it,
he simply says that Gudrid has probably just caught a
cold. At least, that’s what she herself says. This snippet
of information will actually lead the player characters
to the real conspiracy, but it is likely to get lost amidst
the panic over the jarl’s condition.
• The Thulr: There are several ways to find his trail.
The easiest way is to monitor the stables as described
earlier. The heroes might also have investigated the
servants and questioned the people who worked in the
longhouse yesterday. While it is a tedious and long job,
it enables them to obtain a description of the thulr, as he
was the only visitor that nobody seems to know (the
player characters might attempt a Communication
+ Search test SR: 14 to discover this). If the player
characters discover this in the morning they will also
find that their suspect has just left the village. They
must run after him and catch up in terrible weather
conditions (wind, cold, snow: Stamina + Riding SR:
14).
If the players suspect Stigandi or Thangbrand, they
may monitor the guesthouse where these two men
reside. In that case, they see a figure wearing a cloak
entering the building at dawn and leaving shortly after.
After questioning the servants there, they learn that
the unknown man (the thulr) visited Herjolf ’s brother.
The wizard then goes to the stables to prepare for his
departure, where the player characters might follow
him in order to intercept and identify him (his horse
having been a clue yesterday)
The thulr (whose name is Bjorn Gruensson)
is an ordinary-looking Norwegian, without any
distinguishing features. He is not very courageous
and reveals everything he knows straightaway if
threatened with physical violence. He’s smart enough
to cover his tracks if he has been interrogated,
and will threaten to cast a spell on his opponents.
However, he’s bluffing (noticeable with an Empathy
test SR: 19) as he does not know that kind of spell. He
finally confesses to being hired to harm Gudrid and 65
reveals the presence of cursed runes he has hidden
in her purse. He claims not to know the name of his
employer, but he can make a very accurate physical
description, from which the player characters should
easily recognise Stigandi.
• Tracking the Villain: one way or another, by chance
or thanks to their intuition and wisdom, the player
characters’ suspicions should eventually land on
Herjolf ’s brother, Stigandi, as the instigator of the plot.
They can attempt to catch him and thwart his plans. If
the thulr is unmasked, the heroes have the necessary
evidence. Accusing a Danish nobleman without proof
is a huge insult, and he can choose either to simply
ignore the player characters and leave, or to challenge
them.
If his treachery is revealed, make sure that Herjolf
is elsewhere, preferably by his wife’s bed so that the
player characters must solve this problem themselves
(at worst, he asks them to bring him his treacherous
brother).
 The Villain’s Conspiracy
Despite his young age, Stigandi is ambitious and dreams of governing his clan. He got a taste for power when
he was assured of the regency when Herjolf left to lead the Danish trading post in Finland. He has no intention of
giving it up. Strigandi is more loyal to Frodi, and the ways of Hleidra. But the thing’s law will crown Herjolf if he
decides to claim the title, which Herjolf intends to do as soon as he returns to his lands.
Stigandi does not want to kill his brother; such a gesture, even undiscovered, would draw too much suspicion
and tear his clan apart. However, he understands that Herjolf decided to return to the island of Fyn in order to
raise his child. In Hleidra, Stigandi hired one of the many wizards serving Frodi, as well as several mercenaries to
protect him. He planned to use the thulr to cast a curse on Gudrid so that she loses her child, or even dies giving
birth. Without any reason to stay, Herjolf would return to Finland (he himself confessed to his brother how
important his wife and future family meant to him).
The thulr made the trip to Rohald and enchanted a runic stone in the nearby forest (using the negative runes
Bjarken and Uruz). He discreetly entered the village, mingled with the servants. Each vassal has his own who
serves them at the banquet, so nobody paid attention to this unknown face amongst the others. Then he skilfully
slipped his cursed stones into the purse that hangs permanently at Gudrid’s side, which also contains other stones
engraved with protective runes for her pregnancy. In order to recognise the curse for what it is and which stone is
responsible for her illness, a successful test of Runes (ST: 14) must be performed.
Once his work accomplished, the thulr planned to wait for the departure of the first merchants in the morning,
in order to mingle with them and leave Rohald quietly. The heroes have only two hours in which they might
intercept him, and only one day to save Gudrid (and her baby) who weakens before their very eyes.
The player characters may be curious as to where Stigandi found enough gold to hire these people. They may
suspect Frodi is behind this but Strigandi will never reveal his source.

Even though Stigandi may have now been unmasked, he
refuses to surrender. Understanding that his plan has failed,
he tries to get to the horses at the stables so he can to flee,
accompanied by his faithful companions (one hirdmen per
player character).
If the heroes intercept them, the conspirators draw their
weapons and rush into battle, aiming to cut down anything
in their way. As this scene is the climax, wherever it takes
place take some time to set the scene to make it more
dramatic (in the guesthouse with its large central fireplace,
in the stables with the horses, in the streets under the snow,
etc).
If the characters had time to prepare for the
confrontation, they may be accompanied by Hrolf ’s
hirdmen, at least those who did not drink during the
dinner (half a dozen hirdmen extras) which should
facilitate their task. The heroes should succeed in taking
down their opponents, or to call for reinforcements if the
situation becomes too complicated for them. In the worst
case, Stigandi flees Rohald and disappears into the blizzard
where it will be impossible to find him.
• Saving Gudrid: this requires the characters to unmask
the thulr or to discover the presence of the evil runes and
identify them (see above). Once this is accomplished,
one thing remains: destroying the stones responsible
for the woman’s ill health. Let’s hope that our heroes
will come in time, before midday. If they leave things
until nightfall, they can still save the mother, but the
child will be lost. By the following day, it will be too
late for them both.
Epilogue
If he survives the battle, Stigandi is brought before
his elder brother who can hardly resist the desire to kill
him. However, Herjolf instead pronounces a sentence
of banishment against Stigandi and his remaining men.
Stigandi leaves Rohald as a pariah. Maybe one day he
will resurface, determined to take his revenge on the
members of the Kjari clan who prevented him from
becoming jarl…
Hrolf will be recovering from his ailments, and the
festivities and ceremonies dedicated to the gods resume.
The heroes are honoured accordingly and even the veterans
who raised doubts about their abilities are praising them
now. At this time, there is no doubt that a glorious destiny
awaits them.

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 Winter’s Fall
Non-player Characters
Except for Stigandi, each of the characters in this
adventure use the statistics appropriate for the type of
extras they are (see the Yggdrasill Core Rulebook, page
179). However, we have repeated most of them here for
convenience, and all traits have been included in the profile
already. The village’s inhabitants are simple bondi, and most
of the visitors are merchants and villagers, without any
particular characteristics.
The Warriors of Rohald (Hirdmen)
Conflict 11/7 Relationships 6 Physical 6
Mental 4 Mystical 2/3 Vitality 10
Traits: Leader, Veteran.
Stigandi’s Men (Hirdmen)
Conflict 11/9 Relationships 3 Physical 6
Mental 3 Mystical 2/3 Vitality 12
Traits: Superior Protection, Veteran.
Bjorn Gruensson (Thulr)
Conflict 4/3 Relationships 5 Physical 4
Mental 7 Mystical 10/4 Vitality 8
Traits: Coward, Initiate.
Stigandi Tryggverson
1.72m 71 kg 21 years old
Body: Strength 3 Vigour 2 Agility 3
Spirit: Intellect 2 Perception 2 Tenacity 2
Soul: Charisma 2 Instinct 3 Com 3
Gifts and Weaknesses: Agile, Sharp senses, Misogynist.
Reaction: 6 Movement: 5
Encumbrance: 8
Physical Defence: 7 Mental Defence: 7
Hit Points: 49 (24/12/0)
Furor Pool: 3
Skills: Acrobatics 4, Athletics 5, Dodge 3, Eloquence 3,
Empathy 2, Intimidation 5, Knowledge (Danish Politics)
6, Ride 6, Search 3, Superstition 1, Survival 3, Tactics 4,
Traditions 3, Vigilance 6, Hand-to-hand 3, Long Weapons
8, Pole Arms 6.
Combat Feats: Stun (1), Head butt (2), Leap of the Lynx
(1), Friendly fire (2), Iron Defence (2).
Equipment: laminated leather armour, helmet, leather
gauntlets, long sword, spear, shield (total protection: 10).
Renown: 14
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