Wild-eyed Wolverine (the Prince, cursed) In the Winter Wood:

 Ragged fur, wears golden collar (royal Crown)
 Too mad to talk, blames everyone else for his woes
 Resentfully stalks the woods around the Earth Hut:
Roll d6 each day to determine its location [1-6]
9 HP, 14 STR, 15 DEX, fangs d10 or razor claws d6+d6
 DISHONOURABLE: attacks vulnerable foes first
 FEROCIOUS: bites throat of victim and hangs on
 Critical Damage: disembowel victim
 If DEAD: transforms back into human form
 It is cold [wear extra warm clothes, or Deprived]
 Getting water is cumbersome, must melt snow
 Firewood is easily available everywhere
 The Triple Peaks are visible from all landmarks
 Local denizens know what is in their vicinity
 The snow discloses recent tracks
 All animals can talk

Every Day consists of 6 Shifts [each about 4 hours]:

 Morning [dim light], Midday [sunlight], Afternoon [dim light], Evening [dark], Night [dark], Predawn [dark]
 Travelling BY PATH from a landmark to the next landmark takes about 1 Shift
 Travelling OFF-PATH from a landmark to a nearby landmark takes longer than 1 Shift
 If travelling WITHOUT SKIS, add 1 Shift to the travel time between landmarks
 Everyone needs to SLEEP 1 Shift per Day or gain Fatigue, sleeping additional Shifts removes Fatigue
 If sleeping UNCOMFORTABLY, be Deprived until next time sleeping
 Establishing a COMFORTABLE CAMP (including melting snow and eating food) takes about 1 Shift
 For EVERY Shift, roll d6:
1-Random Encounter [roll d6], 2-Signs of Random Encounter [roll d6], 3-Signs of nearby activity [consult map]

d6 RANDOM ENCOUNTER
1 – Snow Giant King and Queen with retinue
 Snow creaking loudly, sounding like an avalanche
 Shambling bridal procession, touring their domain
 Demands proper address (the Prince was disrespectful
by the Enormous Stone and was walked over)
2 – Ice Bear
 Huge white bear, always hungry
 Bully (chased fine-dressed lad south from its Winter Lair)  Good SWIMMER, claws through the river ice
3 – Mega Owl
 Chilling in the daytime, hunting in the dark
 Smug (has not seen anyone by the Solid Waterfall)
4 – Naughty Nisse
 Short old man, woollen clothes, long maroon cap
 Trickster – imposes “fair” trades on unaware
travellers (tricked the Prince while he crossed the river)
 Giggles loudly in his beard after making trades
5 – Ash-Aspen
 Outworn clothes, sooty hands, brimming knapsack
 Cheerful, wants to recruit the people they meet as
their helpers (heard the Prince crossed the Log Bridge)
6 – Howling Blizzard
 Terrible wind, whiteout, need to find cover
 Screeching whispers (if listening closely one question is
answered) [roll d6: 1 false, 2-3 strictly right, 4+ true]
Stats and abilities [Ability Scores are 10 if not listed]
9 HP, 16 STR, 7 DEX, trampling feet d8, Detachment
 SLOW leisurely march, not veering from their path
 Made of hard-packed SNOW
 Critical Damage: buried under layers of snow
 Leaves no tracks in the snow
10 HP, 17 STR, sharp teeth d8 and icy claws d10
 CAMOUFLAGE: almost invisible in the snow
8 HP, 14 STR, lacerating talons d10 or grab
 Fantastic NIGHT VISION
 SWOOPS down from the night sky, snatches prey
12 HP, 5 STR, 16 DEX, hard kick d6
 INVISIBILITY at will
 If TREATED NICELY: offers to trade away from his
secret stump stash a Fancy Poniard (royal insignia,
hot to the touch) [d8, shears through ice like cream]
7 HP, 13 DEX, 18 WIL, whittling knife d6
 CLEVER mind, resourceful
 KNAPSACK filled with useless items [dead magpie,
shoe sole, pottery shards, two goat horns, withy]
INVINCIBLE
 IMPOSSIBLE to travel further for next d6 Shifts
[no more Random Encounter rolls meanwhile]
 COVERS recent tracks in the snow
 11 Triple Peaks

Rock Face Glacier cracks

Sastruga Musk ox [8 HP, 15 STR, ram d12]

10 Solid Waterfall
Avalanches
Open water Strong winds
5 Winter Lair
4 Thousand Year Pine Rigid Rapids
Juniper

6 Crimson Patch
8 Snow Castle
Larson 1 Fallen Birch
Cabin Enormous Stone 7 Earth Hut Reindeer flock
3 Frozen Marsh Snow-covered
Lake
Log Bridge 2 Flatbread House
Indistinguishable
contours
12 Abandoned Shieling

Sawmill Snow drops off branches

Ice Export Camp
9 Royal Estate

KEYED LOCATIONS [Roll d6 each Morning to check which location 1-6 the Wild-eyed Wolverine is prowling]
1 Fallen Birch (weak shouts for help, wood axe by the stump,
headless old hag trapped beneath trunk)
Old Hag – 1 HP, 5 STR
 Chopped off her own head while felling the birch
 The head lies in the branches, shouting for help
 If FREED: carries the head under her arm, offers to
lead her rescuers to her Flatbread House and provide
them with shelter and as much flatbread they want
 Chatty (a collared wolverine sniffed her out while trapped,
scared it off, it also stalked past her house a week earlier)
2 Flatbread House (walls clad with flatbread, no one home)
3 Frozen Marsh (snow lumps hide dead troops who rise up)
Frost Soldiers – 3 HP, 3 DEX, sabres d8, Detachment
 Long blue coats, stiff walk, icy beards, gangrene
 Want to eat warm flesh to heat their cold bellies
4 Thousand Year Pine (gnarly, lynx hideout)
Lynx – 5 HP, 6 STR, 18 DEX, piercing teeth d6
 STEALTHY, listens in on conversations
 QUICK to run away from small signs of danger
 Informed (the Wolverine travels between locations 1-6)
5 Winter Lair (snug shelter, gnawed bones, white fur dots)
 Random Encounter rolls here are automatically [2]
6 Crimson Patch (blood splattered in the snow, antlers)
 Reindeer carcass (throat bitemarks, disembowelled)
7 Earth Hut (no windows, filled with sour smoke rising)
Seid Shaman – 4 HP, 16 WIL
 Spiteful (was harassed by the Prince, then cursed him)
 MOON CURSE: target permanently transforms
into their spirit animal after the following full
moon (can be lifted by the Shaman)
 TROLL SHOT: red-glowing iron fly seeks out
target and hits it wherever it is [d20 damage]
 Bone Flute [produces tones irresistible for every
close-by animal]
8 Snow Castle (colossal, empty halls, vacant ice throne)
9 Royal Estate (sizable barn, adorned with carvings)
 If SWEARING to help search for the Prince: each
is freely provided with skis and ski poles [bulky],
extra warm wool clothes and 3 days of rations
10 Solid Waterfall (fifty fathoms ice column, sparkling
in sunlight, bucket-sized silver bell protrudes from the ice)
 WRECKING the bell free: waterfall collapses
 Moon Bell [Ringing it summons the full moon,
providing dim light during night-time. Bulky]
11 Triple Peaks (perilous climb, magnificent view)
 Can see all landmarks [look Player Map handout]
12 Abandoned Shieling (stone-built, turf roof, log fence)
 Fresh food scraps (apple core by north-west track)
The Prince has gone missing in the Winter
Wood. He was heading for the waterfall in search
of the fabled Moon Bell. The King has promised
the Prince's weight in gold in reward for bringing
him back. Be careful, something is on the move.
At sunrise you enter the yard of the Royal Estate.
From the farm you can see the Triple Peaks to the
north and the lofty mountains beyond. Eastward
there is a shelf of wide-open expanse. To the
south-west is the vale whence you came, and
from north-east a frozen river snakes its way
through the wood. Ski tracks lead on northward
between stocky spruces, towards an old shieling.
Snowflakes are falling lightly and it is biting cold.

This is a submission to Cairn: Forests of Another Name.

Written for use with and playtested with Cairn by
Yochai Gal (cairnrpg.com). Usable with games based
on Into the Odd by Chris McDowall (bastionland.com).
Text written and map drawn by Petter Fornes after a
four day winter hiking trip in Sylan mountains, 2022.
The art is public domain works by Theodor Kittelsen.