Greenland Saga: The Lost Norse Colony (d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)

'020 Sys te m' and t he ' 020 Sys te m' logo are Trad em ark s owned by Wi zard s of th e Coas t an d are used according to the terms of the 020 System License vers ion 1.0. A co py of th is License can be fo und at www.wiza rds .co m. The Open Gam e Co n ten t in thi s book includes game rul es, characte r and crea t ure sta tis t ics, and similar m aterial using t he 020 system. T his co nte nt is denoted by its placement in sto ne bo rdere d-style sidebards. T he Open Ga me License does no t cover t he rest of the text nor its present ati on as a co mplete work. W ith th e excep tio n o f th e Open Ga me Con te nt, reprod uction of this work without the written perm ission of th e Copy right H older is a violat ion o f co pyright law. This is a work o f fict ion . Any rcscmbl en ce to anyo ne living, o r dead less than 500 years, is p urely un in ten t ional.

Credits Text : D r. Mikc Benni gho f. Ph.D.; Art Direction: Peggy Co leman; Cover: Lorenzo Spe rlunga; Interior Art: Peggy Co leman: Editing: D ou g McNair; Additional Character Design: Tommy [on es, John F. M orris; Play test, Advice and Assistance: Perer Adkiso n,

Ryan S. D an cey, Marcelo A. Figu ero a. Brian L. Knip ple, To mmy [on es, John F. Morris; Plotline Combinations: Doug Mc air: Character Instigation: Brien J. Miller; Special Thanks to Pet er Adk iso n and Ryan S. Da ncey

Avalanche Press Ltd. p.o. Box 4775,Virginia Beach,VA 23454 USA 1-800-564-9008 • www.AvalanchePress.com Copyright ©

A valantbe Press LTD . A II rights reserved. ISBN 0-97° 7961-2-9

200 1

Introduction During the last d ecad es o f th e firs t m ill ennium, Viking adve n turer Erik " T he R ed " T ho rva lds so n s ig h te d th e m assi ve, sn ow -c ov ered is lan d o f Green la n d. Er ik, co ns ider ed rou gh and vio len t even for a Viking , had a bad habit of killing p eople and bein g bani sh ed for th e crime. First he had to leave hi s h ome in south ern No rwa y, set tl ing in Icel and . It wasn' t long before he go t ang ry an d kill ed ag ain , an d h ad t o d epart h is ad op t ed hom e. N ot allowed t o return t o eit he r pla ce for three yea rs, he set sail for so me is lan ds an ea rlie r seafarer had sp o tt ed west of Iceland . Er ik and hi s co m rades found a lar ge landma ss with inh ospi tabl e, rocky sho res . S ailing aro und it, th ey cam e to a ser ies o f fjords sim ilar to th ose o f their No rw eg ian homeland . Th ou gh G reen land is m ostly kn own for th e massive icecap cov er ing almo st all o f th e island , so me areas expe rience warm s um me rs, spo rt pastu rage for livest o ck and co n ta in sma ll g roves o f t rees. T h e N o rse arrived durin g o ne o f th e Eart h 's p er io d ic warm s pe lls , and so th e clim at e was less harsh th an th e 2 I st Ce n t u ry and certa inly an improvem ent over Iceland . Er ik's namin g of "G reen land " repr esen t ed an early fo rm o f real es t ate prom oti on , but he d id in deed see g ree n land s. M ead o ws co uld su p po rt shee p and ca ttle, and t he n earby seas teem ed wit h fish , se als , whales an d sea co ws. N o rse se t t le rs came to thi s new land and se t up co lo n ies th at end ured fo r almo st 500 years . And th en th ey di sappeared. Ju st what happen ed to th e G reenland ers is st ill di sput ed . But th e im age o f a s rn .il] gro u p o f se rt lcrn cn t s o n th e fr inge of th e kn own wo rld di sap pearing un der m yst eriou s circ um stanc es is a pow erful o ne in fan t asy lit er ature. It is a sta ple o f th e ge nre, and o f fan ta sy game pl ay, an d now p layers can exper ience th e or ig inal vers io n . GR EELAND SA(;A is an hi st ori cal adv en t ure for fou r t o six 2 nd th rou gh 4t h-le vel charac te rs , based on th e st illun exp lain ed d isa pp eara nce o f th e No rse set ti er s. T he mat erial includ ed will give yo u t he info rmati on necessar y to co nd uc t th e ga me, t hou g h p layers may want t o sto p read ing after t he " Back g rou nd " se ct io n t o help m ai nt ain th e se nse o f adve n t u re. Norse bel ief inclu d es a po werfu l se nse o f m agi c, and so m agi c-u si ng cha ra cte rs wo uld be approp riate fo r th is advent ur e. H owever, t he G ree n lan de rs have been C h r is t ia n for cent ur ies and th ei r fa ith fr own s o n d is pl ays o f magi cal ab ilit y. Th is is very d efinit ely a " low m agi c" se tt ing . No n - h uma n chara cte rs are also

not ad visab le; th e adven tu re is d esi gn ed for a sm all p arty o f low-level wes te rn E u rop ean cha ra cte rs.

in the so ut hwest. Beach es are gravel rather t han sand, an d valle ys often co ntain gravel beds as wel l. It is a beau ti ful lan d scap e. Nort h of the co lo ny, t he icecap ap p roa che s t h e se a u nt il it m erges into t he Arctic ice. Temper atures are bitterl y co ld , b u t Eski m os live in t hi s regi on.

At Avalanc he Pr ess, we firml y enc o urage yo u to us e yo ur own di scretion when gu id ing pla yers t hrough an advent ure rath er th an s im p ly d ep endin g o n t h e ro ll o f t h e di ce. To build an excit in g sto ry th at keeps player s int er ested , it is so m et imes n ecessa ry t o forc e the act io n. Th is adv enture has several p o ssibl e p lot lin es.

Hunting and Wildlife Hu nt in g G reen land's ab u n da n t wild life is th e most important factor in the No rs e co lony' s s u rv ival. Hu n t in g p arti es of a h alf-do z en or so ran ge hundred s o f mi les from t h e se t tleme n t in search o f m eat , fur an d ivory. Usi n g lessons learned t he h ard way o r adopted from t h e Esk im o s who b egan to filt er into Green land a littl e o ver two centuri es ago , t he N orse h u nters coa t th em selv es with a thi ck layer o f an ima l fat to h elp fight off t h e int en se co ld . W it h he avy fur clothi n g an d eye cove rs as protecti on ag ains t sno w b lindness, th ese

'J ~

hunt in g p art ies are as well-eq u ip pe d t o hand le th e severe co ld as an yo ne in th is age.

Part One: Greenland Background

Fi er cest amo n g G ree n lan d' s ani ma ls is t he p ol ar bear, kn own as th e Ice Bear t o t h e N o rse . T h e p o lar bear is a ma ssi ve, fear less creat u re, weigh in g over 1,0 0 0 pound s wh en fu ll-grown . T h ese b ear s ar e sea- o rie n te d crea t u res , ra rely ven t ur ing m ore t ha n 30 m iles inland . Th ey ar e ext rem ely fast o ver s ho rt d ista n ces, an d can run d own a frigh t en ed car ibo u und er t h e righ t ci rc um stan ces. T hey are exc ell en t swim m ers an d very st ro ng, cap ab le o f g rab b ing a se al's n o se an d sq ueez in g t h e 2 0 0 - p o u n d creat ure th ro u gh a sm all br eathin g ho le in t h e ice, cr us h in g it s b o n es in th e pro cess.

Climate and Landscape M o st o f Green lan d is cov ered by a thi ck she et o f ice, and t em peratu res in th e in ter io r n ever climb ab ove fr eez in g. O n t h e so u t hwes te rn coast, where th e N o rse set tle d, s u m me r tem p eratu res rise t o jus t abo ve 60 degr ees Fah ren heit. W in t er s are ext rem ely co ld , but t h e clim at e is st ill less harsh th an that o f Iceland . R ain fall s spars ely, b u t as th e G reen lan d ers gro w few cro ps thi s is no t a se rio us p ro b lem. G ree nland's pr edo m inant feat ures are th e ba re m ountain s of gray gran ite th at cover most o f t he co unt ry. G rass grows

No rse hu nt ers repo rt cu n n ing behavior fr om t h ese p reda to rs. Po la r bea rs h ave been observed pi ckin g up hu ge ch u n ks o f ice an d s ma sh ing t h em d o wn o n t h e head s o f hapl ess prey, o r st an d in g o n th ei r h ind legs to throw p ieces o f ice at th ei r vic t im s. T hey s talk sea ls by fill ing in th e seals' breathin g hol es in th e ice, th en gua rd ing o n e rema ini n g ho le, kn owi n g th e se al m ust eve n t ua lly p ok e it s n o se th rou gh th e h ol e o r suffocat e. Polar bears will also camo u n age t h em sel ves by p ack in g sn ow o n th eir bla ck n o ses, t he bett er t o b lend in wi th th ei r s u r ro un d ings .

Cold and Exposure The part y's journey to Gr eenland rakes place during the bri ef summer. There arc no cold pena ltie s in place in th e set tlement area. If the parr y ventures onto the icecap, treat this as extreme cold for purpose of det ermining Cold Dangers. Eskimos and Gr eenland Norse are exempt from cold checks (due ro innate toughness nor represen ted by the game stars; and lifelong experience 0 11 th e island) .

Polar bears are loners. M ales will fight one ano ther savagely durin g t heir b ri ef April m atin g seas o n , b ut o t he rw ise ign ore o t h ers o f t h eir sp ecies. Th e b ear s will eat m o st any t h ing, includ ing dead po lar bear s and wood chips, and will sta lk an d kill human s. T h e No rs e in t urn hunt th e p o lar b ear bot h as a t es t o f m anh o o d and for it s wh ite coat , wh ich fet ch es hi gh pr ices fro m E u ro p ean t rad er s. T h e o n ly Arctic crea t ure wit h an o u t s id e ch ance of 4

fighting off a polar bear attac k is th e walrus. A large bull walr us can weigh 2,700 po unds, an d uses it s mig ht y tusks to stab its enemies. But unless they feel th reatened, walruses are not aggressive creatures. T hey feed on she llfish, whic h t hey dig up with their tu sks, and need huge qua ntities to survive. They prefer shallow water, wit h rocks or ice nearby where they can hau l themselves out of t he water (again using th eir tu sks) to rest. The walrus has gaine d an almost mystical sta ndi ng amo ng th e Greenl and No rse, and they co nsi der walrus tu sks and skulls to ho ld vast sym bo lic value. Caribou feed in th e meadows of Greenland's sou th west , and th e N or se hunt th em . T hey are o nly found here during summe r, as they mi gr at e t o win te r gro und s far to th e west o f th e region t he N or se call Markland. Following th e caribou herds co me packs of wolves. The wolves pr ey on weak caribou , and in hard times are even kn own t o attack lone men. Seals form an important part o f th e Norse di et , and th e G reenland ers will take whales if th ey have t he chance. H owever, th e G reenlanders do very little hun ting or fis hing fro m boat s or ships , and t heir whal ing is usually limited to ani ma ls trapped in fjords . Mostly t hese are white wha les, which grow up to 18 feet in lengt h. H ighl y prized is t he white whale's cousin , the narwhal, not ed for its lon g an d twisted t us k (up to t en feet in length ) . The narwhal is m uch less likely t o en te r t he fjords, and will us e it s tu sk to defend its elf if attacked. The Greenl anders will not readil y ad mit th e source of th ese tu sks, and claim th at unicorns inh abit th e inn er region s o f th eir island. White falcons are anot he r pricey expo rt it em, which th e Greenlanders trap with large nets . They rarel y eng age in falconry th emselves, as relyin g on an animal to do th eir killin g for th em does no t appea l to th eir sense of honor.

in t he recently-p agan No rt h to help cement t he bond s betwee n churc h and peopl e. In Greenland, t his instruction d id give fami lies some bas is on whic h to teach th eir childre n abo u t t heir faith. Lack of clergy has also meant lack of enforced tithes , and th e Greenlanders do not m iss th is req uireme nt.

Losing Their Religion Ch ristianity came t o th e G reenland Norse very early in t he hist ory of th e set tle ments. Th ou gh nominally Christian, t he G reenlanders have had no pr iests fo r several d ecades and th us most of th em are unbaptised and have had no reli giou s in struction . As a result, wha t beliefs th ey do hold have been passed d own withi n th e family rath er than learned in church, and some Gr eenlanders have peculi ar ideas. Followin g th e usu al practice in Iceland and Norway, Greenl and pr iest s celebrat ed th e M ass in Latin, but spoke th eir se rmon in th e common lan gua ge. Though no t strictly wit hin th e bounds of Roman Catholic practice of th e time , this was allow ed

Feeling abandoned by th eir churc h, some years ago th e Greenlanders respond ed by sm ashing ever y church bell in t he co lony. Christian symbols retain their power, however, and th e G reenland ers continue to bury their dead un der crosses an d will describe themselves as Christian if asked. H owever, this is a rapi dly-thinning vene er over a despairing empt iness felt by man y of th e in ha bi tants. In a hab it shared wit h Norweg ians and Icelanders, t he Greenland Nors e o fte n carry sma ll cr ucifixes abou t 5

owner afte r d eath. Pri est s are n ot consi de re d vita l t o co ntrac t ing a leg al m arriage in Greenland o r anyw he re el se in E uro pe.

Prayer Table

th ou gh nobles usuall y m arry b efore a cle rgy ma n. Th ere are n o n obl es in G ree n la n d . G ree n la n de rs , lik e o t he r

a h p i, Y r character . hould have a designat d r ligi u affiliation. Ms gr. Marcello is much more lLkeJ to recruit Roman Cath oli c ad vcnrur rs, and highl y unlikely to have sIgned up Jews, arhcisrs, pagans or Mo lems.

north ern peop les, co ns ider a prope r m arr iage t o co nsist of an exc ha nge o f pro mises in fro nt o f witn esses. Whil e a reli gi ou s b lessin g o n th e un ion wo u ld be pre fe ra b le, it s lack d o es n ot in valid at e m arriag e in the

Roll one dzo and appl y any modifi ers . Prayer is answered on a resulr of 20 or gre'Her. Remember thar the people of this age do not believe in S anra Claus, and prayer should 11 t be used to requ s t go dies. Do not hesitate to punish blasphemous LISt.' of prayer (for exampl e, i( a play er pra ys for a bet te r sword or sexual prowess, subject his character to .1 str ing of bad luck ). Rather, the people of this time pray simpl y (or grace, that God will bestow f,lVor on them. This has HIO possible effects: protection (rom evil. and a fe lin g of inner peace. Evil characters may not pra y.

eyes o f th e Green land er s. As a forsaken spot , Greenland held a certa in att rac tion for religious typ es. About 250 years ago , a Ben edi ctine co nvent and an Augu stinian m onast er y were founded in Greenland 's Eas te rn S ettlement. For ove r a ce n t u ry th ey wer e popular with t hos e see king isolati on in whi ch to pursue co mmunion with G od. With n o n ew p er sonnel com ing fr om E u ro pe an d no practic al wa y t o recrui r lo cal m onks o r nuns, it is d oubtful that eit he r in stituti on rem ain s in o pe ra t io n .

Modifiers:

Magic

Roman Catholic character + I request intercession of saint + I character is lawfu] good + I player confesses to Roman Cath oli c priest immediately before pra yer +2 prayer is performed in a consecrated Rom an arholic church, cathedral or chapel player character has harmed ally human chara cter/ lPC player character has harmed go od characrer/I PC praying without presence of Roman Catholic pnest

On e o f C h r is t ian ity' s ad van tages in co nve rt ing th e

orse

was its rel ian ce o n the powe r o f spoken wo rds, as whe n a p ries t's words co nvert bread and wine into Hesh and blood. Pre- Christian

i

o rse m agic worked in a sim ilar f.1s hion. with

spoken words and carved runes for mi ng th e basis o f spells.

o rse ma gi c is s t ill prac t ice d b y some G ree n landcts, who n ever full y aba n do ne d t he u se of so me anc ie nt p rac t ices an d t ok en s. Th or 's hamm er is s t ill a co m mo n s ig n o f powe r, an d ca rve d run es ar e s t ill enco u n te re d. Sorce re rs ar e not unkn o wn , th ou gh they ar e rarel y skille d in u sin g th e power o f N orse ma gi c. M ost co m m o n ly, t ho se practitio ners hau led before co urts have been

Effects:

caug h t usi n g t heir p ow ers for sedu cti on o f o t he rs '

• Protection from evil. If a prayer attempr succeeds, overrule the dice on the charact er 's next failed saving throw and declare it successful.

s po uses o r to achi eve sex ual prow ess . Th e Green land er s are a lu st y p eopl e , th er e bein g littl e el se to am u se th em mu ch o f th e yea r, an d thi s use o f m agi c is o b vio us to

• Inner peace. If a prayer attempr succeeds, increase the character 's Will modifier by +4 and Fortitude modifier by + I for the remainder of the dOl Y. If a prayer atrempr fOlils, increase rhc character's Will modifier by + I for th rem.under of the day.

th em. Ven gean ce again st a d isliked nei ghbor di sease upon hi s ca t tle , for exa m p le -

bringin g

is also co m mo n .

Ca rv ing run es u p on o bjec ts ca n have a m ag ical e ffec t, o rse beli eve ( as d o th eir o r at least so th e G ree n la n d Sca nd inav ia n co us ins, th ou gh th e ch u rc h has had m ore lu ck sta m p ing o u t thi s beli ef in th e m oth er co u nt ry ) . Fo r a d etail ed histor ical ove rv iew o f runi c m agi c as

wi th th em fo r usc in prayer, mu ch like a m od ern rosary.

practic ed b y the

Thes e cr o sses ar c m ad e es peci ally for th eir o wn er s , and

T HE N ORSE G ODS m odul e fro m Avalan ch e Press .

o rse, see th e R AGNAROK: T ALES OF

terminat e in a sha rp point. W hen n o t being carri ed

Us e of m ag ic to in tl u enc e oth er s is consid ered a "black

ab o u t , th e o wne rs jam th em in t o a n ea rb y wall ( as m o st Gree n la nd wa lls are made o f wo od o r t ur f) fo r safe-

art" b y th e Grecn landcrs. Offe n ders are bu rned at t he

keepi ng. As a p erso na l token, t hese a rc bur ied wit h th eir

th e n o rth ern p eopl es d o not dr ug t he co nv icted m an o r

st ake, t ho ugh u nl ike t he practice in th e rest of E urope

6

wo ma n befo re co n signi ng them to th e flam es.

Food Sources and Livestock Greenland ers are no t able to raise substa nt ial fo od crops d u rin g th e island 's brief growing sea so n. T hey rely on a diet heavy in seal and dri ed fish. Th eir o ther d ietary needs are supplied by dri ed sea weed (co nsid ered a de licacy) , ber ries and ed ib le plants. Gra in d oes not rip en t his far north, and even honey is sca rce thank s to t he lack of plant life to suppo rt lar ge co lo n ies o f bees. Tho ugh t hey make weak fer m ented bever ages fro m na t ive ber ries, t he G ree nlande rs impo rt m ost o f wha t they consid er t he m ost im p ortan t part of th ei r di et - m ead and ale, and the malt , grain o r hon ey u sed to m ake it. All Green land farm s raise cows and shee p , t hou g h t hese are rarely eate n but in st ead pr o vid e a ste ady so urc e o f milk an d woo!' T he sum me rt ime m ead ows provid e plenty o f fo rage p lus d ried grass for win t er fodd er. Livesto ck are an im po rt ant symb o l o f wealt h t o th e Green land ers, and t hey t ake a spec ial fon d ness in t heir animals, naming th em and lavish ing grea t car e o n th em. Th ou gh t he G ree nlande rs kn ow o f horses fr om sto ries, th ere are non e in G ree n land. D esp it e livin g near ab u nda n t so urces o f co d, ver y valua ble co m mo d ity in Europe , th e G ree nlande rs do very lit tl e fishing. Th e nearb y seas can beco me vio len t very q uickly, and m aki ng a livin g by chancing t hem o n a daily basis d oes not appea r t o t hem t o be a ratio nal wager. Th ey t ake so me fi sh fo r im m edi at e use in th e fjo rd s, and do dr y a littl e o f it , but t he G reen lande rs are not fisherfolk.

can no t of th is an d no seve ral

Personal Hygiene In keepi ng wit h t heir N o rse ances t ry, t he G reen landers are a clean peo p le. M ost farms tea ds have a bathh ou se attac hed o r nearb y, sim ila r to a m odern Fin ni sh sa una. Steam r ises from ho t rocks d ropped in a b ucket o f wate r, helping th e bat her s swea t p rofu sely. T hey ofte n foll ow a lon g sess io n o f thi s by p lu ng ing int o a n earby po nd, lake or strea m to rinse clea n in th e fri gid wat er s.

surv ive G ree n land win t ers (t ho ugh th e peo pl e tim e have no und er standin g o f di sease vec tors ) infected sa ilo r cou ld survive th e sea voyag e of week s t o land and infect t he G ree n lande rs .

D ysen tery, kn o wn to Europea ns o f thi s tim e as "the flu x," is easy to co ntract fro m co ntam inat ed wate r, b ut N orse clean liness m akes th is a fai rly unu sual co ndi ti o n. Living in iso lat ion, th e G reenla nders are usu ally ab le to draw th ei r dri nk ing wat er fr o m sp rings or stream s free o f hu m an o r an im al was te. H o wever, hun t ers are kno wn t o co n t rac t t he "walrus s ickness" fr o m eat ing raw m eat , a painful int est ina l d iso rd er cau sed by ~a s i tes, which

T he bat hho use is a soc ial gat her ing spo t, where neighbo rs swea t and gossip. Bath ers are ge nera lly naked , and wit h a sma ll po pu lati on th e G ree n land o rse do no t have th e luxury o f ge n de r segreg at io n. M en and women sweat togeth er, th ou gh un relat ed m en and wo m en are disco ur aged fro m doi ng so unless a chap ero ne is pr esen t.

a l.a t er age will call tr i ch i n ~ s i s . Note t~)Y/th e. p eop~ e. o f th is age ar e no t aware of s imple t echni qu es like bo dIn g wat er be fo re d rinkin g it , th ou gh th ey ofte n m ix t heir wat er wit h alco ho l to ach ieve much the same effect.

T he fr igid clima t e and isol ati on have pr ot ect ed th e G reen land ers fr om m ost di seases, and even th e dr ead ed buboni c plague has spa red th e co lo ny. Th e black ra t

Th e cold doesn't stop fleas and lic e, whi ch in ha bit th e Green lande rs just as th ey do everyo ne else o f t his peri od . Typ hu s, sp read by lice, br eak s o ut from ti m e to t im e. 7

Headache, skin rash and delirium accompani ed by a ver y high fever last three or four da ys, aft er wh ich the fever dr ops. M ost vict ims whose fever breaks will survive, but are subject to rel aps e for the rest of th eir lives. About one in four o f th ose infect ed by t yphu s typically di e. Leprosy is als o common in all the N o rdic countries, an d Greenland is n o exce p t io n.

Language Whil e in fantas y tal es all character s spe ak a common lan guage, as in man y thin gs, real life is n ot this way. The G ree nlande rs spea k a N or se dial ect so mew ha t closer to th e Old No rse of th eir Vikin g an cestors than th e No rweg ian spo ken in Ber gen (where th e adve n t ure begin s) . Th e two t on gu es are relat ed eno ug h t o be mut ually und er st andabl e if spoken slow ly an d clearl y. In t he rest o f th e n orthern E u ro pea n wo rld Latin se rves as th e lan gu age o f sc ho larly di scourse. M erchants usu ally rely o n th eir n ati ve t on gu es and em p loy tran slators, th o ugh so me us e Latin as well. But few t rad er s come to G ree n land, an d th ey wo u ld fin d few Latin -sp eakers th er e. T ho ug h Gree nland had pri est s supposed ly flu ent in Latin, in p racti ce few o f th em received us eful training in th e t on gu e o u ts ide the island 's m onast er y. So me G ree n lan ders also have pi cked up sma t te r ings o f Eng lis h and Portu gu ese (t rad e t erm s and o bsce n it ies) . G ree n landers ar e ove rwhe lm ing ly illiter at e. Th er e is no n eed for writt en reco rd s in th eir co lo ny, an d wit h the har sh life th ey lead th ere is little t ime to waste o n fri vo lou s ed ucat ion. Runi c in scripti on s are st ill t aught t o a handful of pri vileged ch ild re n, an d wh ile a bi shop st ill sa t in G ard ar so me p ri est s t au ght very basic Latin readin g skills to a few children. So me o f th ese ch ild ren st ill live in G ree n Lm d as ad u lrs, bur rh eir readi ng skills are ru st y fr om di su se. M ore Greenlander s spea k the ton gu e o f th e Thul e Es kimos than co mp rehe nd any other Euro pea n language, but even thi s kn owl ed ge is seve re ly lim it ed . Wh at lit tl e trad e takes place with t hese en igma t ic peopl e is u su ally h andled by p rimitive barter - each side lays o ut wha t it is o ffe r ing, and ges t u res are used t o reach ag ree me nt on excha nges . N o rse - Eskim o rel ati on s are ext reme ly ho stil e, and th e two peopl es are far m ore likely to fight than to talk on th e rare occas ions whe n th ey meet.

Life} War and Greenland Grcen land er s have n ot participat ed in ope n co m ba t for cen t ur ies. Some of th e early se t tle rs and th e next couple o f ge ne ra t io ns parti cipat ed in th e lasr raid s of th e late 8

Vikin g era - loot fr om t hese expe di t io ns st ill adorns so me o f the oldes t farmst eads. Like all N ordi c p eoples of th is era, th e G ree nlan de rs engage in fe udi ng, an d indi vidual figh ts are fairl y co m mon . Swords are lu xury it em s, and mo st of t hose ow ne d by G ree n lande rs are ancien t famil y heirl ooms. As a result, the G ree n lan d N or se p refer t o arm th em selves with weapons th at can also give good serv ice in hun ting game - th ey are usu ally very good wit h the sp ear o r bow. Ir on kni ves are highl y valued, and the G ree nlan de rs espec ially prize th e large heavy working kni ves p opul ar acros s no rt he rn E u ro pe - useful in co u n tless farm t ask s, but also a fear some close-quart er s weapon. Like most no rthern E u ro pea ns, th ey refer to these as "Finn ish kni ves." Periodi cally No rse hunt in g p arti es clash with Es kimo hunters on th e ope n ice, in battl es that are usu ally fairl y vio len t. With their iron weapo ns an d a far m ore bl ood yminded cult ural h eritage, t he Norse usu ally win these skirmish es. G reen lan d's isol ati on has also mad e it th e t arget o f Eng lis h and Portu gu ese p ira tes, who have also p lagu ed Iceland wit h th eir raid s. Th e G ree n lande rs have fou ght th ese sea raiders, and again have usu ally come o ut ahead. Thou gh the foreign ers are better arme d, th ey arrive exhaus te d from a p ounding sea voyage to face the sons o f Vikings det ermined to save th eir homes.

b u t o nly a handful of pieces remain as hi st o rical curiosities from th e se t tleme n t per iod . Tr ue to t h eir No rse her it age t he Gree n lan de rs practi ce wit h ar ms, but iro n remai ns extre mely di ffi cult to obta in. D ivert ing lar ge amo un ts of met al t o mil it ary hard ware that mi ght b e used on ce in a gene ra tion is a lu xu ry the G ree nlanders cannot affo rd.

Life is har sh in Greenl and , an d ' like t he ir Scan d inav ian cou sin s it s people have develop ed a di sd ain for d eath as a res ult . Th ou gh not as ob sessed as th eir an ces to rs wit h th e hop e t o di e sword in hand , the Green lan ders co u n t death in battle as prefer abl e to slow illn ess.

Wom en wear th eir hair lon g and usu ally braided. Men sport beards trim me d t o me di u m length. N eith er shave any parts of their bod y. Both sexes wear a minimum of jewelry.

Clothing Cash and the Economy

Greenl and sty les have di verged so me wha t from th e northern Eu rop ean norm. Almos t all clothes are woo len, and are dyed a variety o f co lo rs. Wom en wea r dresses with full skirts an d n arr ow waists, wit h lon g sleeves an d deepl y plungin g n eck lin es. In colder weat he r they don more woolens und ern eath , but in wha t p asses for th e Greenland sum me r they d ispl ay a su bsta n tial amo un t of skin by Euro pean sta ndards. H ead coverings are p ractically uni versal - sma ll ro u nd woolen caps, hoods attache d to the woolen tunic s, and th e t all con ical cap s with streamers fallin g behind kn own as li ripipes , wh ich fell out o f fashion in Europe centuries ago .

T he G ree n lande rs kn ow the con cept o f m on ey, but use it rarely in d ealings bet ween them selves. A bewild ering array of co ins circ u lates in G ree n lan d, remn ants of Viking hoards an d all manner o f curren cy brou ght by E uropea n t rad ers. No coins are m inted in G ree nland or Iceland, an d though Greenl and is nom in all y subject to t he Norwegian cr ow n, the go ld N orwegi an mark used in the mainland kingd om is rarel y see n here. Green lan de rs are theoreti cally subject t o fairl y severe roya l taxa tion, bu t t he N orwegi an govern me nt has been in di sarr ay for d ecad es an d h as m ad e n o atte m p t t o coll ect from G reenl and in sever al genera t io ns. Wh en actually p aid , th e t axes mu st be in the form ofcas h, as is the case wit h th e chu rch 's t ith e. In practice, both of th ese duties were usually paid in lu xu ry ite ms like unicorn (narwhal) tusk s an d wh ite falc on s, until they cease d

Men also go abou t clad in wool, wea ring tunics belted at th e waist over thick t rou sers. Like th e women, th ey favor bright co lors - wit h so lit tl e colo r in th eir enviro nme nt for much of th e year, th ey feel the need for contrast. Armor is kn own to the G ree nlande rs from their st or ies, 9

avoid t he illegal vo yage to Iceland ( t h ey would be required to sai l across to Norway first , then back to Iceland). Th ey do regularly cro ss th e waters lat er known as the Da vis Strait to Markland ( Lab rad o r) to cut timber, and som etimes to trap for fur s.

The Holy Trinity: Race, Class and Gender Li ke Icela nd , Greenland ha s no formal feudal structure of titl ed nobilit y. Th e Greenl anders accept ed th e Norwegian kin g as th eir o verl o rd in 126 I , but did n ot import Norwa y' s syst em o f g ran ts an d titl es. Greenland is gove rne d by an alp ing, a m eet in g o f famil y head s o versee n by th e law sp eak cr, Th e lack o f titl es, h ow ever, docs n ot m ean th e island is run d em ocrati call y. Onl y the heads o f certain o ld an d p ow erful famili es ma y being paid altogeth er. Lik e t h e govern m ent , t h e Roman

spe ak in th e assembl y, an d th e titl e o f Iaw sp eak cr is also

Cat ho lic C h u rc h ha s se en no income fro m Greenland

h anded d o wn by birthri ght, u suall y t o th e s t ead ho lde r

since th e precedin g century.

at Brattahild , E r ik th e R ed ' s o ld far m.

Trade and Foreign Contact

outlandi sh p eopl es , th e Am erican Indi an s an d Es kimos

No sh ip ha s official ly visited Gre enland since 140 6. Unofficiall y, two o r t hree European vess els arriv e every

th ey call Sh aetings. gut th at is as s t ra nge a folk as th ey ar e willin g t o acce p t. No n - h u ma n adve n t u re rs will not

year. Norwegian law requires that sh ip s tradin g with

f it th eir view o f th e world , an d ar e lik el y t o be beaten

Gre enland dock fir st at Ber gen to pa y taxes. Since

t o d eath o n th e d ock s o f Ber gen lon g before th ey reac h

Norw egian traders would fac e s tu ff p uni shment for floutin g thi s law, t he y gen era lly avoid Greenland .

Greenl and . A s u pe rs t it io us lot , th e crew o f Pride of Sphinx, th e s hi p whi ch will t ake th e part y to th e island,

Oth ers wh o n ever intend t o visit Norwa y, chi efl y

w ill no t all o w n on-hum an s aboard.

En glish but a lso Han seatic ( G er m an) m erchant s ,

A woman's pla ce in G reen land is subse rvient to her clo sest

G reenland er s ha ve kn owl ed ge o f wha t th ey cons ide r

make illegal journeys to th e island .

ma le relativ e. H owever, wo me n arc held to have jurisdi cti on

The Grccnl and cr s th em selves bui ld sm all sh ips ba sed

o ver wh at arc see n as wo me n 's issu es , an d th e excl us ively

on t he tradi tional Norse knarr, or t radin g ves sel. A

m al e alpin g d o cs n ot int erfer e. Onl y a co u nc il o f eld er

d eep -hull ed variant o n th e fa med Viking raid ers , this t yp e

wom en can co n de m n a woman t o d eath for ad u lte ry, for

o f ship is capable o f lon g-range voyages. Th ese arc o pen-

exam p le. G ree n la nd wom en have co m pa rat ively g re ate r

decked exc ep t for sm all platform s at t he bow and s te rn

influ enc e th an th eir European co u n te rp a rts, an d No rse

and cli nk er-bu ilt (each hull plank o ve rl aps it s n eighbor) .

s to r ies includ e num er ou s s t ro ng fem al e cha rac te rs . For

Lashings ar c made of wha le ba leen, and se al oil co at s

exam p le, E r ik th e Red' s d au ght er Fr eydi s is sa id to have

t he hull in plac e of tar. Th ou gh th e Green land er s ar e

driv en off a ho st o f Skraelin gs s ingle- han de d . Accordin g

familiar with th e more m od ern sh ip desi gn s o f fo reign er s,

to Er ik's Saga, she bared her br east s to show co ntem p t for

th ey retain the ir o pe n vess els as th e mo st effici ent for

her ene m ies and went ber serk , th e m ysti cal sta te o f N orse

hau lin g lar ge lo gs, t he it em most lackin g in Greenland . Mos t Gre enland s h ips ar e s t ill st eered b y lar ge steer in g

battl e-madn es s, before s lay ing co u n tless fo es. H ow ever, ano t he r saga cl aim s th at Fr evdi s ' m adn es s co ns is te d o f

oar s fi xed t o eit h er sid e o f th e s te rn , t hou gh on e o r

murd erin g m o st o f h er o wn party with an axe wh ile

two hav e been fitt ed with rudder s copied from foreign

th ey s le p t.

trading ves sel s. Greenland-built s h ip s do have an advan-

Thu s , whil e G ree n la n d ic wo men d o n ot th em sel ves go

ta ge of requiring only a small crew to operate effic ien tly.

abo u t ar me d o r p art ic ipa te in hunt s , th e G rec n la n dc rs

Not much lar ger than a whal eboat of lat er t im es , th ey

ar e di spo sed to acce p t a rme d fem al e adve n tu re rs . Th ey

can eas ily be sailed by a cr ew of a half-do zen.

wi ll acce p t a woman 's lead er ship if s he is o f th e proper

Anxiou s to avoid No rweg ia n t ax co llectors , who see m

Greenland famil y lin e, but are n ot likel y to eas ily fo llow a forei gn woman.

t o hav e forgott en Greenland . th e Greenla nd er s usuall y 10

The Unipeds

always in the language of the victim. Later scholars will come to believe that these creatu res must have em p loye d an em pa t hic tel epathy of some rudimentary sort . T his ability gave them some very limited coordination in battl e an d all owe d th em t o se nse o ne ano t he r 's p resenc e and emotions. However, t he saga s ar e very exp lici t in the Uniped s' use of language t o co m m un icate am ong them selv es.

Aft er Leif E riksson's success ful voyage t o Vinlan d , his brother T horvald organi ze d a n ew expe d ition. Aft er exp lori ng and gathering wild gra in an d grapes, T horvald and hi s men ran into a gro up of nine n ati ves, who t hey called Shaelings (difficult t o trans late; "wretc hes" o r "wh iners "), prob abl y Mi cmac Indian s. T he Norseme n kill ed eight of them, but t he last ran away.

Uniped s are tool-users , but lack th e social organization to m anufacture sop his t icate d items themselves. M ost of the~r weapons are seized from human ene m ies, as many Unipe ds b ear fa r too much hat red for m ankind t o allow th em t o t rade wit h human s.

Soon afte rwards, T horvald an d hi s m en were attacked by reinforceme nts summo ne d by t h e escape d Skraeling. Accord in g t o Eriks saga rauoa, an au t ho ri ta tive me dieva l sou rce, the attackers were U ni pe ds , who kille d T horvald wit h an arrow before they were driven o ff.

In a few sca ttered instanc es, U ni pe d an d human ha ve come t o an under standing. Unipeds will t ol erat e sma ll communi t ies o f humans, an d even defend them aga ins t o t he r human s, if th e villa ge will provide t ribute in the form of livin g victims. The Uniped s do n ot particul arl y care whether the vict ims are from th e collaborating village or if they are fro m some o the r gro up, thou gh th ey p refer them yo ung an d tas ty.

The Unipeds are savage bein gs, on e-footed crea ture s who hop wit h great spee d and have no co nce pt of ju stice or mercy. T hey propel t he mse lves on one thic kly-m us cled leg, and can man eu ver wit h grea t quickness. T hey are faster and quicker th an a human. T he have two arms end ing in well-a rtic u lated hand s sim ilar to a hum an 's, but somewhat larger and t ipped with p owerful claws. A Uniped also boasts a m ou th of large, sharp t eeth, and Unipeds prefer t o b it e their victi ms to d eath in order to en joy the t ast e of fresh blood .

W hile individu al Unipeds are mu ch toug he r opponents than the average human , they are on the decline and their race is dying out. Their inability to apply their intelligence t o t echn olo gic al issu es h as put t he m at a se r io us di s ad vant age in compet in g with humans . U n ipeds also breed very slowly, as a Uniped fetus gesta tes for over two yea rs, an d a Uniped female comes into season only onc.e every five years and never deliv ers litter s of multiple U nip up s. T h us, whil e battles betw een humans an d U nipe ds usually result in far mo re human than Uniped dead, the one- foote d creatures cannot susta in their losses.

T hick fur covers the U niped's protective layer of blubber. T hey are impervio us to cold, and occupy an enviro nmental ni ch e p u t ti ng t he m in di rect co mpet it ion wit h t he p ol ar bear, another fierce Arctic pred at o r. Some Unip ed clan s live in th e forests of n orth ernmost Nort h America, but these are rare as human com p etition has d riven them into ever mo re margi n al lands. Uniped s are carnivo res, an d eat sea ls and car ibo u. Pol ar b ears are hi ghly so ug h t as cha lle ng ing prey, and Unipe ds are thr illed at t he op po rt uni ty o f sing le combat wit h th ese creat ures . Unipeds will also scavenge carrio n. T hey do not swim well and dislike wate r. As a result they rarely attack whal es, sea cows or ot her sea creatu res.

Unip eds enjoy eat ing humans, best served while st ill alive, and also ens lave them. After a success ful raid on a human village , the Unipeds are known to t ake captives and keep th em penned up mu ch like cat tle, haul in g them out one at a time for slaughte r as food . Sl aves are wor ked hard , and seldom survive long, as the Uniped hatred for the spec ies and desire to consume their flesh even t ua lly overwhelm s an y appreciation for th eir us efulness as laborers.

Uniped s live in a lo osel y- or gani zed tribal societ y, owing fealty t o the largest an d fiercest m ale U ni pe d, wh o rul es with total aut hority and also fat he rs all Unip ed young on hi s trib e's fema les. Period ically this dom inant Uniped will be challe nge d for lead ership, an d a fi ght to the death will ens ue . T he winne r then becomes the n ew chieftain, and ma y not be challenged again for two lunar cycles (t o allow any wounds to heal; if the winner is still inc ap acit at ed at that point , h e is ob viou sly perman ently disabled an d thus unfit t o rule).

Unipeds are capable of spee ch, which they use to torment their ene m ies wit h pointed in sults. They hurl venomous ep it he ts directed t oward the victim 's ins ecurities, and 11

Monsignor- Marcello di San Dimas 6th~Level Aristocrat

Papal Spymaster Th e adve n tu re o pens in Berg en . a o rwegia n p ort wit h a large wa lled se ct io n o f t o wn for fo reign m er ch ants. It is

Hit Points: ) 8 Initiative: + 7

th e su m me r o f 14 54 . m o re than a year since Cons ta ntinop le fell t o th e Tu rk s, T he ad ven t ure rs have been sum m o ne d by

(Impro vcd Iniriarive)

Speed: 30 ft. AC : 17 ( + 4 chain shirr;

th e en ig m at ic pa p al s py mas te r Monsi gn or M ar cel lo d i Sa n D ima s. Th e m on si gn o r is a cu lt u re d m an . seem ingly

no t vis ible und er ro bes)

Attacks: Damage : Face/Reach: Saves:

o u t o f p lac e in th is ro ug h co m me rc ia l port city. But h e

Dagger + 5 melee

is alr ead y kn o wn t o t he p art y, at leas t by reputati on. as

Dagger I d4 + I

a wily m ast er of intri gu e. H e w ill awa it th e pa rty in a

5 ft. by 5 fr./5 ft.

s m all dining roo m in th e lo cal factory ( as trading pos ts

Fore +6 ( + 2 Great Fort itude). R f +7, Will + 1 I Abilities: Srr 12. Dex 16 , Con 15, In r 17, Wis 16, Cha IS

Skills:

Bluff + 10 Disguise +7 Forgery +7 Ga the r In fo +] 4 Sense M ot ive + 7

Feats: G rear Fo rtitude Iron Wi ll

are kn o wn ) o f th e H ou se of Sp h inx . an It a lian fir m. M o st o f Ber g en 's forei gn m er ch ant s a re Ge rma ns an d E ng lis h. wit h o n ly a sma tteri ng o f Ital ian s . T he H o u se of Sph inx is a m arket in g fir m , t hr ivin g fro m h an dlin g a rich trad e th rough out t he kn own wo rld. H ou se o f Sph inx

Diplomacy + 10 Inn uend o +9 In rim ida te +6 Speak Lan gu age

is not it s form al nam e , b ut sa ilors an d m erch ant s a ll kn o w it fro m its sy m bol, th e carved h ead o f the Eg yp tia n sp h inx, Th e sp h inx is ca rve d o n th e din in g roo m's heavy woode n t ab le. an d ado rns th e s ing le d o orway. Outsid e

Im pr oved In it iat ive Ligh tn ing Reflexes

t he d o orway s t an d a p air o f yo u ng tou gh s . we ll- d ressed in o rna te It alian fa sh ion b ut o bvio us ly armed und ern eath

Challenge Rating: 8

th e ir fi n e lace.

Alignment: Lawful Ne ut ral Language: Larin, Italian, French, G reek,

Marc ello will d o h is ut m o s t to p u t th e part y at case. o rde r ing u p fo o d an d dr ink . an d d isc u ssin g mi nor

Eng lis h. Turkish , Ru ssian , Polis h, Ge rma n.

p leasan tr ies wit h t h em . If any o f t he p layer cha rac te rs have ca r r ied o u t m is si on s for him b efore (p e r hap s

Special: Msgr. Marcel lo is t he pope's spymasrer.

en te r ing th e d o om ed c ity of Co ns t ant inop le in sea rc h

A~ such, he possesses an assassin's abilit ies of Sneak Arrack, Death Arrack and Poiso n Usc as well as the saving throw bonus againsr poison. Though M arcello is a fanatic follower of t he pope. his alignment is neutral rather th:1I1 good, as over the vears he has developed an ability r~ justify any act \\'I~ich advances his vision of the Ro man Catholic Church.

of th e last Byz antin e emp ress) . h e will thank th em for th ei r pri o r se rvices . Bu t n o w t he po p e h as need o f adve nt u re rs o nce aga in , b rave so u ls chose n b ecau se th ey a rc to ug h. b ecau se t h e)' a rc adap ta b le, and beca use n o o ne wi ll m iss th em sho u ld the y fa il to retu rn. Po p e

ich o las V h as rece ived a p lea for a id fro m th e

C hris t ian inh abit ant s o f G ree nla n d, an icc- co ver ed wast elan d far to th e wes t o f

orway. at t he very edge of

t he kn own wo rld . In shel te re d valleys where g rass grows t o feed liv est ock. d escend ant s o f

o rse co lo n is ts have

m a int ain ed c ivil iza t io n for cl o se t o 5 00 yea rs . T he G recn la n d er s ha ve b een wi t ho ut a b is hop for d ecad es . an d d esp er at el y n eed o ne so t hat pr iest s m ay 12

be consecrated and C hristian worship continue. T ho ug h the diocese has rarel y been vacant, for some t ime now it has been treat ed as a m ere honorifi c and the bishop has been an abse nt ee. No actual Bishop of Gardar (t he Greenland title) has actu ally set foot on the island in almos t 10 0 years. But no w th e Greenlanders report th em selves under attack by savage barb ari ans . People are disappearing, and there are no clergy to offer comfort in th ese trying t im es. Marcello will look out the room 's large win dow and indicat e th e dark clouds overhead . The skies have been gloomy and th e world a colder plac e ever since t he infidel took Constantinople, he'll point out. T hes e are no t times in which to leave Christia ns strand ed in the know n world's co ldest outpos t. T he party m ust aid t he G reen landers agai nst t heir attac kers, len d spir it ual co mfort , and bri ng back word of what is hap pen ing on t he islan d. The monsi gnor will read th e party a lett er from Pop e Nicholas V, his patron. "Barbaric pagans came by th e sea from th e nei ghboring co asts ," it reads , "and invad ed th e co unt ry, brin gin g low all th e people est ablished in this island wit h th eir bloody agg ress io n, d evastating their nati ve land and its sacred edifices by fire and the sword. " Many Greenl anders have been ens laved , according to the lon e rep ort to escape th e island. But the pope is not sure what he can do abo u t this. " To uched as we are by th e d esires exp ressed by th e indigenous people," he writes, " nevert heless We do not have at Ou r command suffici ent information about t he d escribe d situation." This lack of information has led the mo nsignor to summon th e adve nt urers. Give n Marcello's vast but ill-defined powers and vin dic t ive rep utation, well-know n to all t he player characte rs, refusi ng the task would be most un wise. T he mo nsi gnor is far too cultured a man t o speak suc h threats op en ly. H e expects the party to sai l to Green land and determine what is happening to t he Greenlanders. If th e Greenlanders need resc ue from their attackers, th e party is to do whatever th ey can to accomplish this. Whil e th e pope will attempt to rais e a crusade to help the Greenl ander s, if he co uld not convince the princes of Europe to d efend Constantinople he is no t likel y to evoke much symp athy for Greenland . The player characters are likel y to be th e only help Green land receives.

Mon signor M arc ello will act ively recruit at least one cleric fo r th e party, who will be expe cte d to lead th e Greenlanders back to proper practice. For a th ou sand years th e church has held that no peopl e should be allowed to lapse into pagan beli ef, and though th ese are hard times th e pope does not aim to reverse t hat policy now. T he party 's cler ic mu st see t hat mass is again celebrat ed

The plea sent t o Nicholas also mentions that Greenland has been without religious comfort for decades. If th e party. contains a Roman Ca tholic cleric, th ere will be man y tas ks for him on the isl and - prov idi ng co mfort, bap t izing chi ldre n, giving rel igio us ins tr uct io n, celebrating mass. 13

The church is broke, as an y survivors of the suicide mission to Constantinople will readily understand. To arrange transportation for the party, M arc ello has had to broker a deal with this hard-charging merchant princess. In pa st centuries, Greenland exported a variet y of luxury good s to E urope. These have not been seen in Bergen for 30 years , and Elisabeth desir es th em fo r the booming Ita lian market. Growing cit ies need food , and the House of Sphinx is also looking for suppliers of dri ed codfish. Elisab eth wants det ailed inform ati on on the Greenland co lony - its exp o rt potential, and the background of the lead in g citi zens with whom she will have to deal. If the party is forc ed to rescue the Greenlanders, they are to use the resulting grat itu de t o ext ract from th e island ers an agr eem ent to deal exclus ively with the House of Sphinx. She will provide a ship along with a crew, thou gh she will readily adm it that she is assigning her mo st expendable sailors to thi s

in Greenland . If st ro ng -ar m t acti cs are requ ired , t hat is why th e party conta ins members wit h co m ba t ski lls. The mon sign o r will never di rectl y or der t he party to use fo rce t o win relig io us argu ments. Once Marcello has finis hed laying out t he pap al mission, he will ask one of t he guar ds to req uest th e hou se's owner to jo in th em. U n us ual t his far north, but less odd among Italian tra ders, th e H ou se of Sphinx is headed by a woma n, Elisabeth Ca milla. She is yo ung but consi de red h ighl y capable, and ru thl ess in advanci ng her co mmerc ial int erest s. She will appear very soo n after the guard depart s, a ra ther short bu t und en iabl y beau t iful red- ha ired wo ma n. In h er wake will come seve ral more strappi ng yo ung men she calls her "ento urage." Int en sit y radia tes fro m her, and she is mu ch more abru p t and foc use d th an th e genteel M arce llo, movin g di rectl y t o her offer wit h a spee d verg ing on rud eness. 14

The leading trading combine in Greenland, Elisabeth states, is headed by Eugen th e Preacher and his brothers M agnus and Thorvald . The brothers did little business in the wider North Atlantic market, but were known among those who dea lt with th em for fraudulent practices, shoddy mercha ndise and ridic ulo us boasting. Ri vals would be attac ked with vicio us smear cam pa igns, with Euge n's m inions sp reading all manner of out rageo us lies. T he t hree underhanded traders have no t been see n for ma ny years and ma y be dead. The Norwegian crown has an outstanding warrant against Eugen th e Preach er for stealing works of art from a collector na med William the Coarse. As an incentive bo nus, El isa be th will mention that delivering h im to Berge n's roya l co urt will net th e pa rt y a hefty 1,000 go ld m ark s. An other 500 go ld mark s can be had fo r th e safe retu rn o f th e pain t ings. T he re are s ix of t he m, each mark ed on th e back of t he canvas with an osprey, t he sig n of Will iam the Coarse's collection. Th e adventurers are free t o keep the gold should they succeed . One man who has been to Greenland is present in Bergen should the party wis h to qu estion h im . Elisabe t h and Marcello have both t ried to wring in formati on fro m him. Th e mer chant p rin cess is espec ially dis gu sted by thi s man, who appea rs to be utte rly insan e. This is Roland of Abbeville, who once served as Euge n th e Pr each er 's advocate in Bergen. Royal investigators di scovered th at Roland had embezzled the money a client place d in escrow, and revoked his license to practice law. H e then began showing od d beh avio r, and was t hrown in the tow n jail while t he loca l officials d et ermi ned hi s men tal fitness. Elisa beth beli eves t ha t he is on ly pret ending to be a lunatic, and in Norway mental illn ess is no excuse for crimes. Like man y who have had dealings wit h t he sp iteful and pet ty disbarred lawyer, she is eage r for Rol and 's execution. If the party chooses to see Ro land for themselves, t he y will find him in Berge n's jail, a short d ista nce fro m t he H ou se of Sp hi nx but outside t he trading co m pou nd's low wall. Elisabe t h will det ail one of her ever-p rese n t mini on s to guide th em t here , but will refus e to go her sel f. At th e jail, th e guards will sp ring immedi ately t o obey t he Sphi nx ret ain er - Elisa be t h's power and infl ue nce in Bergen are imm ense.

or a fine . Robbin g a per son of hi s or her freedom is co ns ide red cruel and unusual punishment. Th e sta te do es not suppo r.t it s prisoner s; wh en th ey can no lon ger pay fo r th eir m eals, th ey are allowed to sta rve t o death. Rol and is an old m an even for this time, well over 60 . H e is sho rt and softly fat , wit h a fr inge of scraggly gr ay hair aro u nd a bald pa te co vered wit h ecze ma scabs . H e lies o n a pile o f m oldering straw at the back of hi s cell. A thick, heavily-stain ed rag is wra ppe d aro un d h is waist; Roland suffers from incontinenc e. Per iodically he sho uts, "I am the pope of Greenland! " The retainer will explain that , as far as anyon e can tell, Roland once con fuse d a

The jail is a low-sl un g, single-sto ry sto ne bu ilding wit h a central guardroom, four cells along th e walls and t wo hold ing pe ns cu t into the bedrock below for espe cia lly dan gerous pr iso ners. Like most medi eval cities, Bergen jails people only whil e th eir tri als are pending. Punishments are usually final - execu t ion, maimin g, 15

Adventure Choices At t h is poi nt, yo u should d ecid e on t he answer the player cha ract ers will fi nd t o th e d isap p earances, GRE ENLAND SAGA is n o t a lin ear adventure; rather, t her e ar e m ult ipl e possi ble outcomes . Pos sible fates of t he co lo nis ts are:

• Option A . With the co nnivance of t he charlat an known as E ug en t he Pr each er, Unip eds ar e attacking and eat ing t he Green land Norse. Thi s is a fai rly grisly co u rse fo r t he adve nture, but does assur e lo t s o f combat wit h ravenous m on st ers. If yo u do not cho ose t h is option, U n ip ed s will not ap pea r in t he ad venture, • Option B. Q u ietl y, t he o nly co lo ny lead er wit h vis io n and ene rgy ( S igur d Thorvald sdottir, who wi ll be enc o u nte red at Ga rda r (sec below) ) has been recru iti ng t he best and bri ght est Green land er s for a new venture, As th e cli mat e wo rse ns, she ha s found a new ho m e for t he G ree n lande rs in nearby No rt h Am er ica. • Option C. Port ugu ese slave trad ers wo rki ng in co nce rt wit h th e charlata n E uge n th e Pr each er ha ve t aken t hem to a work camp in No rt h Am eri ca. These pat hs may be interm in gled , and doin g so can yield so me rewardin g if co mp lex s t o ry lines. S ee Plo tli ne C o m b inat io ns near t he end o f t hi s book (yo u 'll need to read t he sec t io ns belo w for th ese !" ' ke se nse ).

Frenc h client 's denun ciati on includi n g t he phra se ponte, or laying eggs, wit h pontijc , o r pope, H e is very proud o f his assumed ti tle, and too ignorant to und erstand th e insul t. Greenland 's lawspcakcr, acco rd ing t o Roland , is a man called Jon Eu gen sson , so n o f E uge n t he Pr each er, Bot h arc d ep end ent o n Roland 's wise ad vice; wit ho u t it , he beli eves th e islands populati on is d oom ed , Jo n is an excellen t leader, accordi ng to Roland , for he always foll ows t he advo cate's in st ructi on s to the let t er. Roland will insist th at th ere ar c no problem s in Greenla nd , and th e colony is in fact pro sperin g and rapid ly expa nd ing t hank s to his influ en ce. H avin g g iven little usefu l inform ation , Ro land will beg for mon ey. Roland 's wife, in whose name res ides all of th eir m oney (incl ud ing th e m issing escrow), refu ses an y m or e su bs id ies for hi s path et ic delu sion s. If any o f th e part y at te mpt to g ive h im cha rity, th e Sp h inx re ta ine r will blo ck th e d ona ti on . Roland 's d eath , he will explain, ca n o nly be ne fit h uma n soc ierv and s ho uld n ot be delayed . I

I

16

Part Three: The Ti>yage Elisabeth Camilla will provide a small carrack, named Pride unders ized crew to sail her.

of Sphinx, and an

Pride oj Sphinx di splaces abo u t 50 ton s. Sh e ha s two masts , each bearin g a large lat een (t rian gular) sai l. She is full y-d ecked , with her afte rcas tle (t he last third of her 4 5-foo t hull) raised abo u t five feet from th e main d eck . Sh e carri es tw o cannon sligh tly forw ard of amidships, on e on each side , with tw o more wooden guns for show on each broadsid e. In this age whe n seag o ing cann on are st ill rare, th e guns are o n fi xed carriages - to reload, a crewman mu st climb out onto a narrow platform under th e cannon barrel and swab an d rel oad th e pi ece whil e dan gling over the ope n sea . Thus they are only useful in quiet wat ers , at least aft er th e first shot. The crew sleeps on deck in hammocks , retreating into th e hold in heavy weather. Th e weather d eck co vers an op en hold, though th ere is an op en lattice of pl anks at th e keel to keep th e cargo above th e filthy wat er sloshing in the bilge. Sanit ary need s are met by leani n g over th e sid e. Food (bread and meat which ste adily d et eriorates in qua lity as th e voyage progr esses) is issued to groups of three or four sailo rs and pa ss en gers , who in good weather cook it over small ch arc oal br azi ers on deck . Drinking wat er come s from large barrels known as butts.

D runken and in ept, Knud is a t er ribl e pil o t and th e sha me o f Elisabe t h C am illa's serv ice. Knud is fairl y old for a No rweg ian - well ove r 50 - an d carr ies h im self with an arroga nce born of no obvio us acco mp lishme n t. H e limps fr om a t errible leg injury some years past , an d will gladly tell tales of th e many shipwrecks he has survived. Also , for no appa rent reason, he will o fte n list how mu ch he has been paid for each pri o r voyage, and demand t o know how much each m ember of th e party and any nearb y crewmen are being paid for their services. While he ha s t aken m an y loads t o and fro m Iceland , severa l times wad ing asho re am id th e wreckage of shi ps dri ven on t he island' s ro cky coast s, Knud has never been to Greenland . Sailing m ast ers ha ve sp oken o f th e voyage for years , though , and he is co n fide nt that he can trace th e path wit h no tr ouble.

Thorsen Narvald captains th e ship. A weathered old salt , he is cyni cal but hi ghly professional. C once rne d for hi s sh ip and crew, he does not fancy t his mi ssi on and hopes to conclude it with th e least possible risk. His long and stringy hair, once blonde, is now an old man 's yellow and hi s weathered skin sp eaks of many ocean voyages. A pr ofessi on al, Narvald's on ly concern is completing th e voyage and collecting his pay. As pilot, Pride oj Sphinx has Vin egar Knud , so called for h is habit of drinking vast amounts of sour win e. If t he party demands to see his credentials, they will learn that Knud 's ro yal charter do es not allow him to guide a craft ferr"ying passengers. But he is the on ly pilot available in Bergen, according to Elisabeth, and royal inspectors are not likely to interfere with th e pow erful House of Sphinx.

If any m ember s of th e party have th e least skill o r expe rience at sea, Elisabet h will reduce Pride oj Sphinx 's crew acco rdingly to save on m anpower co st s. The

17

Atlan t ic p assage is very ro ugh an d very long , usually over t wo wee ks , an d h ors es d o not su rv ive it very well. Th e pas sage it sel f t akes abo ut t hree wee ks , but th er e is littl e adv en t ur ing opportu n it y. It is a rough vo yage , wit h h eavy seas an d t h ick fo g. An d thi s is su m me rt ime. In winter thin gs are far wo rs e. E ven t u ally lo okout s will s ig h t th e m assi ve g ra n it e m ount ain s o f G reen lan d, and

Pride oj Sphillx will tu rn southwa rd an d sail alo ng the

-2 (drunkenness)

Speed: AC:

8

Attacks:

Cutlass -1 melee

Damage:

Cutlass 1d6 -1

Face/Reach: Saves: Abilities: Skills:

Io fr.

5 fr. by 5 ft./5 ft. Fort

+ 1, Ref -2, Will + 1

way th er e will oc cup y time an d reveal so m e o f th e info rm a t ion t h e mi ssi o n seek s.

Str 8, Dex 7, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 7

Balance + 1 Knowledge (navigation) -2 Feats:

rocky co ast. Wh en t h e sou t he rn t ip is reach ed , th e s h ip will fo llow aro u n d t he curve o f Cape Fa rewe ll , Greenland 's so uth ern p oi nt . A few m iles n o rt h o f th e cape begin t he fjord s along whi ch t he o rse h ave se t tl ed. . It m ay also h ap p en t ha t th e d r unken Knud c ra s h - la n ds th e p arty far away fro m th e se t tle me n t, an d findin g th e

Climb + I Profession (sailor) -3

None

Challenge Rating: Alignment:

Chaotic Neutral

Sphinx Sailor

Special: Though hopelessly inept in his chosen profession and often drunk on vile, cheap wine, Knud has survived many a shipwreck. His amazing luck gives him better odds when making saving throws than his lack of ability might otherwise indicate. This also explains why sailors continue to serve aboard ships he pilots, despite his record of failure.

rem ai nd er o f th e crew -

Is~~evel Expert (Sailor)

Dregs 01' B :J ergen H~t. Dice: I d6 + 1 InitIative:

17 includ in g capt ain and pil ot -

+I

Speed: 30 fro AC:

I I

Attacks: Cutlass +0 1 me cc Damage: Cutlass Id6 FacclReach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 fro Saves: FOl't + I R . Abilities: s-. 10 0, e! + 1, Will + 1 , e,y 13 C Inr 11 W· ,on 12,

Pride oj Sphillx req u ires are t he fl ot -

Sam us u all y was he d u p in a ny b u sy com m er cial po rt . T he H o u se o f Sphi n x has o bvio us ly not bank ru pted it s el f hirin g s ailo rs fo r th e ex pe d iti on . Th ey represent a var iet y o f nati on aliti es, o fte n redu ced to co m m u n icat in g with o n e an o t h er by ges t ure , an d a rc d efi n ite ly fa r f rom a smo o t h ly r u n n in g un it. U tt e r m ercen ar ies,

De

•

Sk ills: Ba1ancc

+7

'

Profcssion (S '1 alaI') Feats: Ooder

IS

9, Cha 6

+? ]Climb +4 -

Ulllp

C hallenge R . be atmg: 1 Alignment: Chaotic Nrc urra 1 Language: Varies. ~ry few S h' speak rh

th ey will p ro ve m o st u n will in g to pe rfor m any

help d ur ing th e m ission to G reenla nd.

Pride of SphilLx is not built for t ran sport ing horses, t ho ugh temporary stalls co uld be rigged for one or two. Th e N o rt h 18

.

p 1I1,y sailors c sam c 1anauaoe o

task beyond t hat fo r whi ch th ey h ave sig ne d o n. The c rew will not be a u seful so urce o f

+4

b'

Part Four: Greenland Msg r. Marcello and Elisabeth Camilla will have recommend ed a number of lo cat io n s for searches. The first obviou s landfall is along Ket ilsfj o rd , wh ere the ancien t far m known as H er jo lfs n es and t he Augustinian m onaster y are lo cat ed .

The Monastery High atop a ridge overloo ki ng Ketil sfj ord, the southernmost of th e deep fjo rds in th e set tled area, lies a heavy stone m onast ery. It is a forbidding sight, with s now-capped mo untains b eh ind an d th e dark b lue wa t ers o f t h e fjord lapp in g aga inst the rocks below. The monas tery can on ly be app ro ach ed by sai ling furt her u p the fjo rd b ehind it , and walk ing ove rla n d t o it s m ain ga te. A gr ay gr anit e wall s ur ro u n d s the fort ifi ed tower an d a handful of o t he r s to ne buildings. Only o n e o pe ni ng is vis ib le, a ga te wi t h h eavy wooden d oo rs. T he y are b ar red . fro m the insi de, bu t a heavy wood en door- knocker da~gles from a rope frame for th e use of visitors. Po und ing on t he gates will cause them to open slow ly after a su itab le delay. The ga tes op en to reveal t h e monastery 's lone occupant, a: sm all an d b ent b eard ed m an wi t h a sh in ing b ald d ome fram ed by scraggly gray h air. T h o ug h human , h e lo oks ver y mu ch lik e a gno me o ut o f Norse m yth ology an d is very an gr y at th e di sturban ce. H e wea rs a m onk 's gray

wo rk ing t abl es fo r the monks, bu t m ost are covered with dust. T he walls are cove red by stacks of woo de n cases, in

cassock, ti ed aro u nd h is wais t wit h a fra yed rope, an d

whic h pi geonh ol es h old p archment scrolls. Thi s is

fingerless glov es o n h is hands. In a n ervo us ges ture, h is

Kar lse fni 's lifet im e achievemen t -

greas y fi ng ers contin ua lly smear his sh abby clo th es . This is Karl sefni Steam - Brea t h, the m onast ery 's sole oc cupan t.

con flict. But if any o f the party co nvince Karl sefni to allow th em t o exa m ine a scroll ( h e is ferociou sl y p ro te ctive of th em ) , th ey will find alm os t all o f t he m cover ed wit h sc rawled gib be ris h. Buried de ep und er them is a Latin d ocument in a more learned hand. This one lies flat , with a leather b inding protecting its handful of pa ges. It is the accou nt of the m onaster y 's last da ys, penned by an eld erl y monk. It will yield little informat ion o f direct use, but will

Th e m on as t ery is sev era l ce n t uries o ld , an d held Au gustini an m onks who che r is he d it s isol ation at th e very edge of th e known world. Like m o st Christian monks, th e brother s lab ored , co llect ing sh eep an d wool f rom Greenland farm ers

to

the h ist o ry of human

sp in ro ug h cloth. Thou gh t he y

copied bo oks, thi s was always a sideline among the largely illit er at e Green lan d ers, performed m o stly as a ritual tas k.

give hints of strange and fell beast s on th e ice if U n ipeds are about. It will also te ll how the col onist s turned aga ins t th e

With some b itterness, Karl sefni will co n d u ct the part y to the m onaster y 's sc ri p toriu rn , where h e spen ds almost all

ch u rc h, angry ove r their aba n do n me n t. Accord ing to the long-dead m onk, Brother Stefan , Eugen the Preacher and hi s ni ece led sep arate anti-Christian campaigns. This is the

of his time. In the corner of t he scripto rium stands a claylined barrel from wh ich smoldering bits of trash lend th e only warmth t o the cold sto ne room. Ther e are numerou s

so rt of document Monsignor Marcello would pri ze greatly. 19

out o f th e scr ip tori um to melt when the co ld Greenland rai ns even tually fall. Ass ura n ce that t he party has not come to reclaim the monastery will go far to soothe Karlsefni 's terror, thoug h it will not make h im an y mo re pleasant. If the party ques t ions Karl sefn i, t hey will fin d that he subsists off a stockpile of foo d stored in the monastery. Periodically, farmers arri ve to replenish t he hoard: with t he Aug us t inia ns havin g die d out, the co lo ny's stoutest buil d in gs make effec tive warehouses. If the party enco unters any of th ese people, the Norse will explai n t hat th ey don 't mind Karlsefn i filch ing eno ug h to survive . Like most medi eval peopl es, th e G reenland No rse believe th e insan e to be tou ch ed by God. Accord ing t o Karl sefni , t hey co ns ide r him hol y and suppo rt hi s great proj ect. Karl sefni is angry wit h hi s ben efact or s, th ou gh since Karl sefni is ang ry with the ent ire wo rld thi s sho uld not be surprisi ng . Th e stoc ks of food are dwindling. More and mo re of th e far mers who had been usi ng the mon astery to store the ir surplus - and thus support Karlsefni and his projec t - have stopped co ming wit h fresh supplies. Karl sefn i suspects that h is be nefactors have bee n killed or lu red away by evil shipbuilders, fo r whom he has an irra t ional hat red. An inspec tion of th e monast ery will more or less support Karlsefn i's versio n of events, stripped of its paranoid elemen ts. Ther e is no evidence of any o ther inhabi tants; the monk 's cells have been empty for years and are covered in du st. Dried-out remnants of years- old straw st ill litter a few. M ass has n ot been cel ebrat ed in t he ch ape l in at least a decad e, an d th e wo rk areas where monks wove their rough homespun also show sig ns of lon g-term negl ect with th e looms and sp indles in p oor rep air. Only on e of the wareh ou ses, used by the monks to sto re t hei r woo l and clo th, shows signs of hu ma n work. It is clean , an d holds a small stack of d ried co d and a barrel o f th e d ried seaweed the Norse love so dea rly.

Since Brother Ste fan's death , Karlsefni has been alon e and has come more than slightly unhi nged. H e rants abo ut th e betrayal of Ed uar d th e Corsica n, but can' t give th e party a coherent explanat ion of where Eduar d went o r why h is depart ur e represen ts t reason . It is no t partic ularly clear whether Eduard even exists : fore igners are extremely rare in Gre enland. Any day now, Karlsefn i swears , Frenc h friends will co me and join him in his work, giving new life to his pr oj ect. Karl sefni clearl y has had some dea lings wit h outsiders , but cannot defin e who the Frenc h m ight be , where Franc e is found , or what so rt of aid these imaginary friends will bri ng.

As a young m an , Karlsefn i served th e last few monks as dung-boy, shoveling out the sheep pens and collecti ng food fro m nearby farmers as tribute to th e monastery. 0 new monks came fro m Europe, and gra dually the order ceased to func t io n. O nce the abbot died, the remain ing monks coul d not draw new initiates fro m t he local pop ulation. Karl sefn i saw bro t her s wo rk in th e sc riptori um and so he mim ics their efforts, th ou gh he is illi terate and cannot actually form or read words. Th is story will only becom e evide nt und er repea te d question ing, so me t h ing wit h wh ich th e p arty may n ot wish to was te tim e.

If the party contains a Catholic clergyman, Karlsefn i will react with deep-seated host ility. T ho ug h he wears th e remnants of a mon k's robe , Karlsefni is not an Augustini an nor is he a memb er of any ot her hol y or de r. H e has no right to inh ab it t he mon ast ery, an d fear s evict ion. Even worse, he is t errified th at his pr eciou s scro lls will be cas t

Th e clos est farm lies at th e foot o f th e rid ge, o n th e 20

side of the ris e away from the ocean. Karls efni will tell the party, if asked , that it is held by a young man nam ed Ulf Olesson and his family. Karls efni is not sure how many childr en or retainers this includes, but is very angry th at Ulf has made no deli veries at all this summer. The valley behind th e mon ast er y is green , wit h man y large gray rock s peekin g through th e turf. A path leads from th e monast ery gate t o Ulfs fa rm, which is about 500 yards away and scr eened by a small grove of scrub trees . The main building is a solid house built of logs ; th eir size reveals that th ey could not have grown in Gr eenland. A turf (solid chunks of sod us ed like bricks) barn is attached. Trimmed grass cov ers th e roof. No sheep are evide n t, thou gh th ere is a pen for th em.

Options A and C If you cho se Option A (U niped attack) or Option C (slave traders ) , th e party finds the followin g: The farm app ears uninhabit ed - no smoke comes from it s chimney, and th ere are no people about. Calls will go un answ ered. On app ro ach, it is immediately obvious th at th ere has been troubl e. Th e farmhous e's wood en door has been smashed. Within, th ere are broken bits of a tabl e and benches and smashed cro cker y. A seem ing ly complet e inventory of a farm family' s belongin gs is st rewn about th e interior of the hou se. If Unipeds atta cked, th ere will be bl ood on th e walls, but not if slave traders cam e. In either cas e, th ere are no bodies to be found. A t rail snakes away ove rland around th e head of th e fjord . If Unipeds attacked, it becomes impossible to follow onc e it reach es th e gravel field s at th e base of th e glaciers. If slave trad ers sn atch ed th e people, it end s at th e fjord 's headwaters .

The second, sleeping, roo m lies through an open doorway. There is a bedframe on th e floor wit h a heavy woo len bolster on it , clean and neatly tucked in . A child's bedroll lies at t he fo ot o f th e bed , alongsid e a handful o f carved woo de n anima ls. A woode n chest holds woolen clothing in both adult and children's sizes .

Option B If you cho se Option B fo r th e fat e of Greenlanders (peaceful evacuat ion) , th e party find s th e followin g:

The barn is sim ilarly cleaned and abando ned. No animals are evide n t, though th ere is ro om for seve ral do zen sh eep . A hayrick holds some of what is obvio us ly last year's crop. No people o r anima ls are anywhe re t o be found; an apparently complet e set of po ssession s is also on hand , thou gh th ere are no weapons p resent.

Th e farm appears uninh abited - no sm oke comes from its chimney, and th ere are no people about. Calls will go unanswered. In side, all is in o rder - benches along side a tabl e with a neat cloth on it , rou gh clayware bowls on the cloth and a spray of what once must have been flowers in a clay vase in th e center. A set of iron-bladed tools - shea ring kn ife, axe, tongs - lies car efully stacked near th e door. A pair of clean iron cooking pots are st acked next t o th e heavy st one fir eplac e, which has been swept clean o f ash es.

Gardar, Seat of Bishops At th e head of Eina rsfjord , th e fifth of th e d eep fjords, lies th e center o f th e Greenl and col on y, th e farm kn own as Gardar. G ard ar lies on an isthmus bet ween two 21

A sma ll t rading car avel lies an cho red ju st o ff the beach. If the p arty hails its crew, the sa ilo rs will repl y in truly execrable Latin that t hey are Fin n ish t rad er s co me in sea rc h o f dri ed cod; t hei r ship is th e J atkosotka fr om Turku . They have no t fo und good busin ess. Thei r lead er, the crew will report, is at the m ain farm build in g. Ro wing to shore, the party can beac h it s bo at o n t he gravel lining the water's edge. T he farm bu ild in gs are abo ut 100 yards up t he slope from t h e beach. Like mos t Norse farms in t he region, t h e bu ildings are mad e of thi ck bl ocks o f tur f, wit h a turf roof A well-ma de sto ne facade d eco rat es t he m ain bu ilding. Sever al barn s are nearb y, but unlike mo st G ree n land fa rms th ese are not attach ed t o the m ain build in g. As th e party ap proaches the bu ilding, a weak and tr embling voic e will inquire as to t he ir id entity. Slowly, shy ly, a slig h t figure wea ring a thi ck woolen tunic will co me o ur o f the very o ld and highl y polish ed heavy wooden doubl e d o ors. T h is is Jon Eugensson, current lawspeaker o f t he G ree nland No rse . Afrai d of h is own sha dow, Jon is relu ct ant to spea k wit h st ra ngers, but will becom e slig h tly m ore ope n o nce t he party ente rs t he main hall. Thi s, Jon will an nounce pro udly, is whe re G reenland's Alpi ng m eet s. A so rt of governing co unci l, wi th eve ry ad ult m ale a m em ber, the Alping se ts broa d po licy goals for the islan ders and also serves as th e ulti ma te d ispense r of ju sti ce. As lawsp eaker, Jo n presents in fo rm at ion to th e cou nc il, servi ng as bo th prosec utor and d efen se co unsel for t ri al s. Th e lawsp eaker us uall y has grea t ind ivid ua l influen ce by nature o f t he o ffice , but it is immediately ob vious th at a sp in eless cretin lik e Jon would have littl e if any moral au t ho rity. Jon will make grand iose but pat ently absurd claims abo u t th e siz e of the Green land se t tleme n t , claiming o ver 10 ,0 0 0 act ive p arti cip ant s in th e last Alpin g. Quick o bserva tio n will show t ha t at m ost 200 peop le mi ght wit h effort squeeze into t he hall ; pe rhaps th at m an y m ore co uld overhear disc uss io ns wh ile lu rking o uts ide . Acco rdi ng to Jo n , all is well in the co lo ny an d all Green lande rs acco un te d for. Th ere are n o problems, and in fac t t he co lo ny co n ti n ues to prosper. W hi le t he G reen landers suffer, th eir lawsp eaker is o blivio us.

fjo rds, and is a sho rt walk from th e sixt h and fin al d eep fjord, Eiriks fjo rd. Th e farm lies o n a sma ll pl ain , o ne of G reen land's few st ret ches of flat land. Th e far m is th erefo re much lar ger than most , and includes a festal hall. It is also th e site o f th e Ca t he d ra l o f S t. N icho las, an impressive sand stone church an d th e sea t o f Greenland 's bish op . N ear th e church are a number o f rem arkably large barns and ware ho uses, wh er e in p ast years th e peopl e brought th eir tith es. Th ese now st and empt y for th e most part.

Vis it ing Garda r is Jatkosotka' s master, R isto o f Turku , a fa irly cu t - t hroa t Fin nis h t ra der wit h a pe nc ha nt for qu oting Scri pture. Ri sto , a 4 0i sh m an wit h a shoc k o f unruly blond hair, is not very t all but o bviously muscul ar. H e is r ichly dress ed in th e lat est Itali an fashion, an o d d app ear an ce am ong Greenl and 's Viking-er a arc h itectu re. Jo n is clearly t errified o f Ri sto , an d will take ever y 22

opport unity to urge him to leave Greenland. Risto feels the Greenlanders have lured him to their island under false pretenses, as he has been un abl e to fill his hold with th e trad e goods appa ren tly p ro m ised by some of Jon 's ass ociat es. Thou gh Jon 's t error makes hi s story diffi cult to follow, he argu es th at he has no control over these associates and bears no resp onsibility for whatever claims th ey mi ght have made. As the party may come to learn lat er, Jon does nothing without th e approval of his father, Eugen the Preacher. If he has lured Risto to Greenland, in all likelihood Eugen has some nefarious scheme in mind , probabl y invo lving stealing from th e Finn. Th ey will soon learn th at p rovoking R ist o is most unwis e. Ri sto does not sho ut or otherwise appear angry, whic h in his case only makes him seem more da ngerous . H owever, as he has no complaint against the adventurers, he will glad ly te ll them what he has seen shou ld th ey ask. As a co mpetitor to Elisabeth Camilla, he will not be pleased should he learn of th e party's commercial interest in Greenland, but will not rag e or become angry. Rather, he will bid e hi s time and strike when the party is most vulnerable. He will instantly recognize Prid e of Sp hinx when he sees th e ship or hears her nam e. If the party do es not tip their hand , Risto will tell them that he has been up and do wn every fjord in th e Eastern Settlement and found a number of farms unoccupied. Even wher e people still inhabit th eir farms, he reports, t hey seem frightened but can't quite define th eir fear. R isto has bee n able to acquire on ly a small amount of dried cod and one barrel of fis h oi l - even at t he working farmsteads, t he peop le have never fished very mu ch. Gree nlanders whose nam es Jon insis ts he does no t recogni ze t old Ri st o he wou ld ob ta in a steady so urce of fis h and oil. T his annoys Risto, who does not care how t he Green landers run their farms , as long as they provide the goods he 's tr aveled far to purchase.

t he emp ty far msteads . T he people see m t o have q uie tly pac ked a sma ll number o f prec io us bel ongin gs and left quickly but wit ho ut pan ic. If slave trad ers came, t here has been more dis turbance at t he far ms, and if Unipeds attacked the dest ruct ion has been who lesale . Whatever result is sel ected, R ist o and his crew have found none of th e Greenland-bui lt ships usually bobbing in the fjords . Green landers have been making fewer voyages in recent years, but the Finn expected to see at least on e or two of th eir ships.

R ist o is also incensed that two of his crewmen, a pair of G erman brothers, jumped ship at Gardar. He insists on th eir return, and accuses Jon of invol vement in th e crime . Should Risto catch either brother, he will promptly invoke the proper legal punishment for desertion and hang them from the small ship's yardarm. The Finnish merchant will pay a hefty bounty if these two are returned to his custody, and impress this upon th e adventurers.

Gardar Farm appears to be in working order. There is a large flock of sheep, but no cattle in evidence. Managing the farm is Jo n's cousin, Sigurd Thorvaldsdotti r, for the pitiable lawspeaker is not capa ble of ma king decisions. Sigurd is every t hi ng that her co usi n is not - a ta ll, bea utiful woma n of sharp mi nd and immense pr esence. She wear s th e typic al Greenl and outfit o f clo se- fittin g

R isto 's descrip t ion of the aba ndoned farms varies dependi ng on th e opt ion chosen. If th e Norse are leaving peacefull y or bein g t aken by slave t raders, Ri sto will tel l th e party that his men have fo u nd little d isturbed at 23

beli eves tha t her fathe r went ma d and fl ed int o t he is land's icy interi o r, searching fo r gold . Whatever is happenin g to t he Greenland o rs e, Jon is terrifi ed and will insist at first that no t h ing is wrong, but if anything is happening it is not his f:1ult. Sig urd's reactio n t o th e d isappear an ces var ies dep en d in g o n th e op tion chosen. If th ere is a p eaceful wit hd rawa l, she is behind it an d is selec t ing the best and b rightest of her people to fou nd the new colony. She will te ll th e party she h as no idea wh at migh t be making her peop le disappear. Sig ur d is a utop ian , with a vis io n of a fr esh start in a new land . Much as she loves her island , sh e longs to live among trees.

Finnish Sailor tst-Level Expert (Sailor) Minions of Risto Hit Dice : Id6+ I Initiative: + 2 Speed : 30ft. AC: 12 Attacks: Cutlass

+ I mel ee Finnish Knife + 2 melee

Si gurd 's intelli gen ce and beauty have lo ng made her stand o u t amo ng her fellow Green landers . Over th e yea rs thi s has given her an arroga nt turn o f m ind. Sh e d oes not su ffer foo ls eas ily, and react s with ill-concea led co ntem p t to what she conside rs silly qu estions or st at em ents . T here are many fru strat ed s u ito rs am ong th e Green landcrs wh o will bitterl y claim that she co nside rs herself too goo d for an y o f th em . Th ey're ri ght , but so is she.

Damage: Cut lass Id6 +2 Finn ish Knife Id4

+I

Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 [ t. Saves: Fort + I , Ref +2. Will +2 Abilities: Str 12. Dex 14. Con 12, Inr 12 . Wis 10. Cha 9

Skills: Balance +6

Climb + 5 Profession (Sailor) +7 Intimidate + 3 Spot +4

Feats:

Sh e is th e st ro nges t so rceress left o n th e island , the on ly orse ma gic-user o f any appreciable power. T ho ug h she seems an excep t io n amo ng t he add led inh abi tan t s of G reenla nd , she is also so mew ha t unbalan ced . Linking her peop le's glo r io us pa st wit h G reenla nd 's war mer da ys, she ha s turn ed t o th e o ld o rse rel igi o n. S he sec retl y beli eves th at she is a Valkyri e, wit h a di vin e mi ssi on fr om Odin to save her peopl e. Th ou gh Si gurd is no fri end ro Eu gen th e Pr each er, she scorns C h rist ian ity and will u se her consider ab le per su asiv e power s to oppose th e part y 's m ission ary atte m p ts . Drop h in t s o f her magical ab ilit ies , but th is is not in formati on she will share eas ily wit h o u ts iders.

None

Challenge Rating: Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Language: Finnish Special: Critical Hit . Ri sto has made the Critical Hit a centerpiece of his philosophy. Therefore, the Finns achiev e a Critical Hit on a result of 18 through 20.

gree n blou se with gene ro us ly d eep necklin e ove r a full skirt. and wears it very well. A st riking bl onde, she look s very mu ch like a m ythi cal Valkyr ie. Tr ad e goo ds are no rm all y sto red at Gard ar, she will tell th e party, but several years ago a declin e in th eir arrival becam e appa rent. In her fath er 's tim e, cattle g razed ver y p rofitabl y, but since her child hood t he gro wing seaso n has short en ed ju st eno ug h ro red uce t he available pa st ura ge.

Sho uld yo u choose to co m b ine st o ry op t ion s, no te th at Si gurd acquires even g reate r import anc e t o th e sto ry (see Pl ot lin e C ombinations ) . U nd er t he evacua t io n o p t io n, even rn o reso wh en used in co mbinati on wit h th e o t he rs, Si gurd 's mes sianic co mp lex is a key drivin g force t o t he ad ven ture. T his is probably a delusion, but yo u m ay wis h ro make her secret ide ntit y as a Valkyr ie a realit y t ha t th e pa rty has a hard tim e accep t ing - aft er all, many Grecnlandc rs lab or und er severe delu si on s.

Th e tr ad in g co m bine o f Eu gen , M agnu s and Th o rvald has been o ut o f bu sin ess for at least a decad e, Si gurd will report , after m an y o f its peop le we re buri ed by an avalanche. Eugen th e Preacher st ill lives at th e sertlemc nts o ldes t fa rm , Brarrahild , ro get her wit h a sma ll handful o f degen erat e, syco pha n t ic foll ower s. M agnu s and Th orvald bot h di sappea red several years ago. S igurd

If slave tra d ers or U n ipeds have at tacked t he co lo n y, Si gurd will have a fairl y good idea th at som e o ut s id e age nc y is at work, and will have see n a pattern. The slave trad er s o nly atta ck iso lat ed farms wh ere no witnesses can relat e what happened . Th ese sites are also always withi n eas y reach o f t he sea. If U nipeds are at fau lt, Sig urd will have no t iced that while 24

Brastabild, Hall of Heroes

Kitchen Main Hall

very Thick Turf Wa lls

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10

1.0

30

I

I

I

40 I

Scalf in

° I

'0 I

50 I

Fen

zo I

30 I

40 I

50 I

Sralr in Fm

Scattered Boulders

Lair oj the Unipeds

Forest Primeval

o

10

20 I

"

30 I

4 (~

I

50 ,

Srllit ;" Fen

Sma ll Boats . /

Rendering Pots

Camp of tbe Slavers

.,

Snorri s

Hovel

~~ Festal

Hall Commo n ~

Areas

~

Cardar, Seat of Bishops

th ese farm s are also usually isol at ed, th ey are gene rally inland , thos e closest to th e glacie rs behind t he col oni zed area. Also , th ose t aken are gene rally the col on y 's most religiou s-minded and its mo st indep endent thi n kers. She has also no tice d th at all ser io us ene mie s o f Euge n th e Preach er are now go ne. Sigur d has little regard for her uncl e, but holds t he t rad itiona l resp ect fo r th e male head of her family. If plotlines are co m bine d, Sigur d may be pr eparing her peopl e fo r battl e agains t invade rs . In th is case, Ga rdar will have a sur p risi ng number o f large yo u ng m en and wo me n to iling about. Jon is oblivio us t o any suc h p reparat ion s. Sigur d will not th ink highl y o f th e fo reign adven turers who've co me to Greenland to p rofit fro m her people's misery, what ever optio n is in force. Ob t aining her advice and aid will not be easy - th e party will have t o con vinc e her t ha t th ey are ge n uinely interest ed in inves t igating and p utti ng a stop to th ese strange attacks. She will only o ffer ass ista nce in th e cases of Un iped or slave t rad er attac k - if she is beh ind t he disapp earan ces, she will rema in co ldly aloof. Jon will sugges t the part y look in t he Vatnahverfi D istrict , a short sailo r march fro m G ardar and one of th e m ost thickly-settled areas . If there is any t roubl e - whic h Jon di spu t es - it wo uld obvio us ly affect th at region . Th is suggest io n will earn Jon a sharp glare fro m Sig ur d, und er wh ich he will whit her. She will reluctan tly agree th at th ere are man y fin e far ms th ere, t o which Jon will add th at so me o f Greenlan d's best furs and falco ns com e from th ere. T his time she will t ell Jon t o shu t hi s mouth. Sh e will no t explain any mor e to th e party.

Eiriksfjord

Euge n th e Preac he r is a ta ll, charismatic man wit h gray hair. Thoug h his t alk almost always tu rn s to bu siness , wit hout fail he will pl ace t hi s in a relig io us context. H e has mast ered th e art of th e ap ology, and begs pard on fo r all and every o ccurrence. Euge n sees himself as a C hr ist -like figure, forced t o t ake t he wo rld's sins upon his sho ulders , and feed s off his fo llowe rs ' approval of this sacr ifice. T he part y may no t ice that while Euge n talks o f sacrifice co ns ta n tly, he d oes not act ually do without co m fo rt. Brattah ild 's main hall is fu rnis hed in the lat est northern Euro pean fashion, wit h heavy tapest ries and a fair amo unt of gold fixtures. A series of very nice paintings adorn the walls of the festal hall, each including the likeness o f a bearded Sco ttish warrior. The hall has a massive ro ck fire place on one end and a lon g, heavy woo den table running d own th e middle plus ben ch es alo ng th e walls .

Well-known t o t rader s is th e sixt h fjord, kn own as Eir iksfjord. At th e head of the fjord, on th e northern sho re, lies th e mo st important farms t ead in Greenland, Brattahild. Fo unde d by Erik t he Red , it is occup ies a beauti ful slo ping site wit h grea t views of th e fjord and th e nearb y mountain s. Brattahild is actua lly a compo und of th ree far ms, each on a sma ll rise wit hin sig ht of t he o t her two. Bet ween them is a wet and boggy patch where cranberries grow. The farm closest t o the fjord is th e largest , and is th e headquart ers of Euge n th e Pr each er. All t hree farms con sist of large turf farm buildings wit h at t ached barn s. In contrast t o oth er farm s th e part y mi ght visit, th ere are a large number of livesto ck pr esent, chiefly shee p and goa ts. Th ere are a small handful of cows, but no horses.

29

dealings, must be "for the faith." By living for the faith, the faith itself grows, bringing salvation to the faithful. The Roman Catholic Church lacked this faith, Eugen explains, and this is why it abandoned Greenland. Eugen helped free his native land to follow a truer faith by organizing the destruction of church bells, the most powerful symbol of Christianity on the island. Missing from this equation is any clear definition of just what "the faith" is supposed to be, though Eugen's followers seem to have missed this. The act of belief is more important than the belief itself Though Eugen is careful never to state so himself, his followers will define acts "for the faith" as those which profit Eugen's business interests. While the symbolic act of breaking the church bells brought

Eugen dresses well, in stark contrast to his grubby companions, and drinks imported wine as opposed to the raw home-made alcohol swilled by the hangers-on. While he has no formal education, his vastly greater experience of the wider world has given him a practical knowledge unrivaled by the other Greenlanders. He has used his influence to place his son Jon in the lawspeaker 's post, as he can better wield power through a malleable weakling. Jon is purely Eugen's creature, though he is never called on to perform evil acts - more from Eugen's contempt for his weakness than from any fatherly devotion. Eugen has no respect for family ties , though he is more than willing to use them to his own profit. Long ago, he cheated his brothers Magnus and Thorvald of their share of the family enterprise. According to Eugen, the community of the faithful is the essence of religious faith . All of one's action in life, especially one's business 30

the G reenl ander s have a spi ritual need , and with no established church to fulfill this aching emp tiness, Euge n has be en able to prey on them. Thank s to 5 0 0 years of inbreeding wit h little new .blood en t ering th e settlement, th e Greenl and Norse produce far more than th eir fair share of the men ta lly fee ble. Th is is the pool from whic h Euge n rec ruits. Eug en's follo wers describe th emsel ves as th e Five Hundred Sel ect, though there are only a sm all handful of them. No women are present, and the men of th e Five Hundred speak oft en o f sex and wome n in crude and sophomoric t er m s. H owever, if any fema le adve nturers or NPCs come to Brattahild with t he part y th e

Eu gen little direct profit (he did sell some of th e scrap met al) , it removed the last vest ige of competing spirit ual pow er. If th e party con t ains a cleri c, Eu gen will seethe wit h resentment. His inane theology ma y impress his ragged band of followers, but it cannot stand up to the slight est scrutiny by a tr ained reli gious mind. Eu gen will dodge any public debat e wit h a Roman C atholi c cleric , but will qu ickly set one or more of h is follow ers to murder the cleric by st ealth. It will be important to Eugen that the cleric die before revealing the utter inanity of Eug en's belief system. Though Eugen's gre ed is readily apparent to outlanders, his foll owers seem t aken in by a pseudo-religious fervor. With no actual, ordained clergy serving the colony for decades, Eugen has been able to bamboozle the more weak-minded among the Greenlanders. Like all humans , 3I

men of the Five Hundred will show themselves to be pain full y sh y arou nd t hem. W hile t he rest of the G reen land Norse co nt in ue t heir for ebears' hab it s of regular bath ing and saunas , t he Five Hund red are noticeably rank - some wou ld say even game y. Their clothes are filth y, their bodies unwash ed, and assorted practice weapons litter th e ground where the Five Hundred have been playing at war, the ir usual pasti me . Loud est among th e Five Hundred is Brand th e Friendless, a sma ll, dark and bitter man of indeterm in ate age. H is whiny voice grates on the ears, and breaks like a teenager's when Brand becomes agitated - which is most of th e tim e. Brand carri es a vicio us hatred of all foreigners, for t hey have in sul ted t he inhere nt goo dness of Euge n. T hey mu st be mad e to pay. Brand makes no secret of his

spite, loudly calling for t he death of all who oppose Eugen. A twist ed so ul, th e hate pou rs off of him in an almost physica l wave of loathing. H e will attempt to murder any member of the party he finds alone. Anders Si lver Bags, a pudgy and jovial middle-aged man , seems out of place in this perverse lit tle compound. Forme rly a well-to -do far mer wit h exte ns ive hold in gs near Gardar, his is th e mon ey behind Eugen's commune. H e is blissfully unaware of Eugen's oily double-dea ling , and will be genuinely shocked if confronted by evidence of dec eit. Like Brand , he truly beli eves he is following th e path of righteousness. O fficially second on ly to Euge n, he wields little aut ho rity. More in flue ntia l is Rud iger Gislisso n, a would-be pa in te r. Older th an any of the other men present, he suffers from an insatiable need to take thi ngs which are not his. During Eugen's last trading mission to Bergen, Rudiger snatched Wi lliam the Coarse's paintings . This pseudoarti st has no loyalt y and if caug ht will claim he only

32

copied the art , that Eugen committe d th e theft. Unlike the ot hers, R udi ger does not really believe Euge n's prattle. The paintings th emselves adorn th e walls of Brat t ahild 's main hall, and Eugen praises t hem highly, calling t hem Rudiger 's work of course. Rudiger, he states, is th e greatest art ist on th e pl an et and Greenland is lu cky to have him . Two new recruits ro und out th e visi ble members o f th e Five Hundred , a pa ir of Ge rma n br others who jumped ship fro m t he Jatkosotka. Eg bert and D ulmo of Sc halke will defend Euge n with all th e fu ry of new co nverts , and will bitterly resis t a return to R ist o of Turku 's ship . Short, blond Germa ns , the two are surprisingly fat for having just sai led the North Atlant ic. Th ey drin k heavily, an d are usu ally ine bria te d. If cau gh t and pressu red, th e two will co nfess th at Jon Euge nsson enticed th em to desert to Eugen's team. If Ri sto is present for th is confession , th e Fin n will qui ckly retu rn to Gardar to calm ly and delib erately kill t he craven lawsp eaker.

Just as E uge n apolog izes readi ly for all slights, real or imag ined, so do th e Five H undred demand that outsiders apo log ize repeat edly and p rofusely for insulting Eugen's hon or. Euge n himself will never demand sa t isfact io n, bu t hi s followers will cont in ually cha llenge memb er s of t he party whe t he r any ins ult has been offered or not. Shoul d the party attempt t o remain at Brattah ild for any length of time , they will find themselves beset by co ns ta nt de ma nds to defend themselves. H owever, in co mmon with t hei r type in all societies , th e Five Hundred have far more ta lk th an fig h t in th em , and will usually back do wn from co mbat

33

he is unaffected by the Five Hundred's demands for apologies. Should one of these oafs be drawn into a deadly confrontation, Rainulf will stand by and watch the wretch 's messy death with no visible display of emotion. The mercenary will perform his paid task and no more. W he n th e party first encoun te rs Eugen and t he Five Hundred , t hey will have suffered no disappearances bu t are aware of t he problem. Eugen insists that the missing have been damned for their lack of faith , and have suffered accordingly. In either the Uniped or slave trader option, Eugen the Preacher is the selfish collaborator who has brought this disaster to the Norse colony. As such, his followers have not been taken, and will not be (at

quickl y if th eir blu st er is met firml y. They will continue to sling insults even if t hey shy away fro m fighting. Pro bably becau se t he Five H undred have n o combat ski lls, Eugen has spent m uc h of Anders' mo ney to retai n R ain ul f the Knife, a hard -bitte n German mercenar y. T hough slig h tly bu ilt, R ainul f is clearl y an exper ience d veteran and is us ually fo und tend ing to his weapo ns, co ns ta n tly oi ling and sharpe n ing. H e is rat he r sco rn ful o f Euge n's th eol ogy and th e pr attlings o f th e Five Hundred . R ainulf ser ves only for cash. Rainulf enjoys gam bling, th e high er th e sta kes th e better, and uses hi s mathemat ical genius to win and his int imi dating p resence to assure payment. Dice games are his dru g of cho ice. T ho ug h a fearsome op ponen t, Rainul f can easily be persu aded to switc h loyalti es if offered greate r pay. His co ntrac t is wit h Eugen personally, and

34

least initia lly ) un less t he y d isplease Eugen . T he charlata n's minion s are not alarmed by the disapp earances - whil e th e Five Hundred sp ew lies read ily and often, th ey are not particularl y good at it. Except for the oblivious Ande rs, all of the Five Hund red are aware of their leader 's connection to the evil ou tsiders, and all approve (wit h th e exception of Rainulf, who doesn't care where his pa y comes fro m) . If t he party has the oppo rt unity to wring t ru th ful answers from a member o f the Five H und red, th e wretch will give out the details of the arrangement (see " Lair of t he Uniped" or "The Slavers" below for mo re on t his connection) . If th e party hires Rainul f away from Eugen, he will not volu nteer any information but will freely answer questions if asked . If you chose the peaceful flight option, Sig ur d has no use for her uncle and his sniveling mi nions . T hey will be left on the island to fend for themselves and d ie a lonely, bitter dea th . Knowing that Eugen will o nly attempt to warp her opera tio n to his own pe rso nal gain, Sigu rd has been proceed ing in secrecy chiefly to keep him out of the migration. If th e part y asks too man y q ues tions , or is t aking t oo obvious a ro le in so lving t he d isappearances, Eugen will sense a threat to his twisted lit tl e empire. Once the party is at a far ms tea d away from Brattah ild , Eugen will t arget it for U ni pe d attac k if t hat optio n is chosen. If the slave traders are lurking about, Eugen might set t he Five H undred to fall on the party during a vulnerable momen t, or call in th e slavers to assist. H owever, in this age before modern telecommunications and wit h no magical abi lity to send messages over long distances, coordinating an attack wit h t he slavers will be very di fficult. Eugen is just as curious as the party to discover th e reaso n for the disappearances if he is not an underlyin g cause of th em. Change can equal profit fo r t he entrepreneur, and if his neighbors are vanis hi ng Euge n wants hi s cut. If Sigur d is behind t he flight, Eugen will aid the party in learning t he reasons and keep very close watch on their progress so as to make use of any knowledge gleane d.

so th at th e spa rse co ver o f meadow grass and flow ers stretc hes up onto th e top o f th e home. The flo wers ato p the roof are un iformly bro wn and wilted. Thoug h t he views of the region are breathtakingly bea utiful, thi s farm is mo st unpleasant to behold and th e sme ll of ro tting garbage is strong.

Va tnabvetfi District Sailing up Eina rsfjo rd, th ere is evide nce of numerous homest ead s. So me are occupied, some are not. About halfway up t he fjo rd, the southern bank flat t en s out into a beaut iful pl ain d otted wit h sma ll lakes. Th is is known to th e Greenl anders as th e Vat nahverfi di strict.

Piles of sma ll bon es, p ro ba bly from sea ls an d caribo u, are st rewn on th e ground in front of t he home as are all manner of trash and garbage. The sma ll nu mb er of sh eep wande r about without any apparent tending, passi ng in and ou t of a bro ken ga te to their nearby pen . Pools of rain wat er mi xed with sheep dung add to t he aro ma.

Just up fro m t he water lies a sma ll and rat her ramshackle farms tea d. T he barn ad joi ns th e dwelling, and th e roof of th e combined st ructu re slo pes down to the ground

If th e party attemp ts t o leave wit ho u t exam ini ng t he home, one of the shutters will op en t o em it to con t en ts of a slop jar, hurled into th e yard to join th e other debris. 35

and often , but avoid actual physical confli ct at all co sts. As Katrina's family ap pa ren tly d isowned her even before the di sappear an ces began , he is ab le to indulge hi s need for p ower by sma cking her, thou gh he lack s th e courage t o d o so in fr ont o f vis ito rs . S he is n o sh rin king victim, however, and regu larl y st r ikes Snorri even in fr ont o f othe rs, wit h eq ua lly littl e provoca t io n. If t he part y conta in s a cl eri c, t hese t wo are cl earl y in n eed o f wha teve r aid he ca n o ffer.

4

Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Face/Reach: Saves: Abilities:

-2

Katrin a is t all lik e m o st Greenl and Norse, but very thin. Sh e is almos t as filth y as S norr i. H er hi gh-pi t ch ed , sc reec h ing voi ce gra tes o n t he ears, and she co mpla ins co ns t an tly and bitterl y abo ut the farm , t he wea t her, th e impo si ti on caused by vis ito rs and m o st of all abo ut S no rr i. S he wea rs a b ri ghtly-col ored woo len Green land ic bl ouse. If S no rri is n ot watchin g, she "acc ide n ta lly" allows thi s to fall ope n as she lean s over near male members

20 ft.

8 non e

5 [r. by 5 ft ./ 5 fr. Fort -2, Ref -2. Will -) Str 8/ 13, Dex 7. Con 7. In t I I. Wi s 5, Cha 6/ 14 (sec notes)

o f th e party, expos ing her sma ll and very dirty br easts.

Skills : none Feats: non e Challenge Rating: Alignment: Chao tic Evil Language: Gree nlandic Special: Barbarian Rage. For a period of three days,

The pair will reluc t antl y in vit e th e p arty int o th eir farm hou se, wh ich if any t h ing is even m o re fil t hy ins ide . A very smoky fir e sp u tters in a sma ll hearth . As t he party seat th em sel ves am id th e br ok en farm im pl em ents, Katrina will brin g them eart he nwa re cu ps half-filled wit h a weak drink m ad e o f fermented berri es, and di splay h er wa res at all o p po rt u n it ies. M ean whil e, th e slig h tly drunk S no rr i will t ell th e t ale o f t hei r o ppress io n.

every 28 days. Katrina is able to invoke barbarianlike rage. During thi s period; her strengt h increases to 13 and she is also able to usc th e Improved Bull Rush feat. Changing Charisma. Katrina actually cleans up quite nicely - her charisma rises cons ide rably if she is bath ed and out of th e pr est'I1ce of Sn orri. Illitem cy. Karrin a can no t read or write, th ou gh she could Jearn t o do so wit h inten sive teach ing. Lust. Katrina is cons umed by lust for any male of rea son abl e age and appearance who is nor Sn orri . This obsess ion rul es her act ions.

Takin g a ru st ed swo rd fro m a pla ce o f hon or ove r th eir hearth , S no rri will d escr ib e ho w th ei r attac ke rs came in th e d ead o f n ig hr. Th ey bro ke in t o th e sta b le and sto le seve ra l sh eep , but fled at hear in g S no rri's battl e- cr y. Katrin a will o ffe r t o show th e dam age to o ne o f th e mal e m embers o f th e pa rty. Alo ne, of co u rse. S t rid ing forth int o t he ni gh t , hi s mi ghty sword hewin g d o wn fo es, S no r ri sp rea d death abo u t him lik e Th or him self. G ian t were th e ene m ies o f Snorri, h uge hulkin g sha pes. Fros t giants , perhap s. M an y a war rio r challe nged th e awesome po wer o f S no r ri, o n ly to be ove rt h row n and cas t into ete rna l d arkn ess. Skalds will s ing of Snorri's victo ry for ge ne ra t io ns t o co me, he wi ll ass ure t he adve n t ure rs.

Ca lling to t he hom e, o r po u nd ing o n it s tiltin g, b ro ken d oor, will br ing fo rt h th e ow ner, S no rr i Bjarn esson , and hi s lon g-tim e co m pa n io n, Kat r in a Jorgi sd otti r. Sno rr i is bell igerent and cru de, de ma nd ing t o kn ow why th ere are o uts iders o n hi s fa rm. H e is sho rt and very stoc ky, wit h sc raggly bl ond hai r and a m oth -eat en beard . H e wea rs a swea t -s tai ne d g ray woo len tuni c, an d even in

Obser vati on will show that S norris swo rd is rus te d and has not been dr awn from it s sca bba rd in m an y yea rs . If the party exam ines the farmstead , th ey will find footprints in th e mu ck sho wing th at m an y bein gs p assed by, but no evide nce o f an ep ic battl e. O r any ot her st ruggle.

th e coo lness o f th e Green land s um me r he is sweat ing noti ceabl y. Th e ste nc h arisi ng from S no rr i is p o werful , ri sin g over t he alrea dy ra nk sme ll o f th e badl y-k ept farm and eno ug h to nau seat e th ose o f weak co ns t it ut ions.

If th e part y has th e oppo rt uni ty t o exa m ine th e farm wit ho u t int erferen ce fro m S no rr i o r Katrin a, th ey will find se vera l recently-b uri ed cac hes o f coi ns. Th ere are m an y t yp es of cu rre ncy p rese n t. Hidd en u nder so me

A typi cal bully, S no r ri is a cowa rd at heart and will back d own q u ickly whe n co n fro n te d . H e will blu ster loudl y 36

dun g and straw in th e sta ble are a number of iron tools and implem ents - ver y valuabl e in Greenland. It is a fair haul o f t reas ure, and und er duress S norr i o r Katrina may ad m it t ha t th ey have been lo oting n earby empty far ms afte r th eir inhabitants have di sappear ed . If you cho se th e Unip ed o r sl ave trad e opti ons, Katrina will reveal - but o n ly in an intim at e naked m om ent with a handsom e male adve nturer - that the attac kers caught Sn orri and Kat r in a wh ile t hey slep t. Fo r reasons she do es not understand , th ey insult ed the pair and then left. Sh e saw no one, but if Unipeds are th e m ystery of cho ice the in sults were q u ite pointed and m ad e her cry. The adventurers may dedu ce th at th e at tac kers simply found th e couple too repulsi ve t o be worth capturin g. If th e Norse are peacefully leavin g Greenland, th ey are abando n ing S no rri and Katrin a wit h it and these two will never di sappear. If Uni ped s or slave tra ders are involved in the adve n t ure , the looting eng age d in by Snorri and Katrina will not please Eu gen and th e Five Hundred. Lootin g abandoned farm s is an activity reserved fo r th e fait h fu l. Snorr i and Katrina have earne d th em selves a spo t at th e next Uniped feast or on th e n ext slav e sh ip. Snorri , reluctantly, will sho w th e ad venturer s th e invade rs' path . It lead s ove r so me. lo w hill s behind Snorri's far m, th rou gh m ead ows an d pas t sm all woo de d groves. If th e party looks closel y, th ey m ay notice that here and everywhe re else o n Greenland a number of the trees see m t o be d yin g. Th e next farm over from Snorris alo ng th e path bel on gs to Arni Ice-Farer, according to Sn orri a despi cabl e bli ght on humanity. Snorri will not venture clos e to Arni's farmh ouse, but will inform th e p arty that Arni is a lyin g, lazy br aggart o u t o n ly fo r h is ow n fam e an d fortune. If Katrin a has co me alo ng, she will be ver y eager to vis it Ami 's farm , so me t h ing Snorri will strictly forbid . Katrina is quit e eage r t o pa y her respects to Arni, and as apparently attemp te d t o do so rep eat edl y in the pa st.

of the proper persuasion) is profound, but Arni is utterly oblivious to this. He will explain that he recently returned from a hunting expedit ion into the Greenland wilderness, and needed to cure his latest catch as quickly as possible.

If th e party approa ch es th e farm, th ey will find a wellordered house built of thick turf There is a barn separated from th e main building, alo ng with a bathhou se. Th er e are no farm an ima ls evide nt , but there is a m an in side the barn wo rking to clean seve ra l an ima l skins .

Donning a tunic , Arni will invite the party into his home and distribute drinking horns of imported mead. It is a well-furnished and clean farmhouse , with many fine anima l skins adorning the walls - polar bear, Arctic fox, and others. Arni is well-off by Greenland standards, trading his fine catches for all manner of European luxury goods. His table is equipped with plates an d cups - unu sual in Green land - and he is

Ami will apologi ze for hi s cov ering of blood an d gut s, and plun ge his naked upper body into a n earby barrel of water to ge t rid o f th e wors t o f the reek before gre eting the party. H e is a large and very mu scular Greenl and er in his late 2 0's, with long blond e hair cascading down his back and a full beard. His effect on women (an d men 37

the region, and longs for greater adventure. If th ere are invaders about, he has seen no sign of this , but was out hunting for many weeks. When last he to ok a load of fu rs to G ard ar for trade, Jon Euge nsson gave him no indicati on of any t rouble. The honest Arni can't believe th at Jon wo uld st eer him wro ng . Being an op en and gu ileless sort, Arn i will sheep ishly ad mi t Sigu rd 's reason for an im osity if qu est ion ed: the two were once betrothed , but Arni refused to give up his long, solitary hunts on the ice. Sigurd took this as an in sult, and belie ves it t o be because her fath er went insane. Arni never thou ght th in gs through that far he only wanted to keep hunting, and fears marri age as a restriction on his freedom . H e's not ent irely comfortable wit h Sigurd 's neo -p agan ism , but is not on e given to theological debate. The idea of invad ers will excite Arn i, who lon gs for th e thrill of battl e. If Si gurd is o rga n iz ing a peaceful dep arture, she has left Arni behind becau se of her grudge agains t him. If t he party already kn ows of th e Unipeds , Arn i will be most eage r to sta lk and kill th em. H e will have seen evide nce of ghas tly killings o n th e ice, and give the party hi s opinion th at a new preda tor has indeed entered the region. If slavers have st ru ck G reenland, Arni will have see n no evide nce of their attacks. Sp ending lon g st retc hes in the wilde rness , usu ally by hims elf, Arni has little co ntac t with his neighbors. Many of th e Norse consider thi s highly dangerous behavi or - the Ar ctic does not fo rg ive mistakes , and an injured hunter is food for scavenge rs. Both t he Greenlanders and th e Eskimos hunt in small gro ups , but Arni scorns this reliance on others . Arni also dislikes th e Five Hundred, mocking th em for th eir reliance on talk rat he r th an act io n. As a result, he wo uld be at the top of Euge n's "hit list," if only he were ever on his farm to be target ed. A party of adventurers who ha ve crossed th e ocean to seek new experiences will appea l to Arni , and he will provide whateve r help he can. H e is intimately fam iliar wit h th e region , and is also o ne of th e few Greenl and ers who spea ks th e con voluted and alien Eskimo tongu e flu ently.

one of th e few lit erate Greenl and ers. Arni is a fri endly, amiable so rt, thou gh completely obsessed wit h trackin g and killin g an imals . H e also cap t u res th e fin e whit e gyrfalcons of Greenland, sta lking and netting th em. Arni is th e o nly Greenlander th e party will me et who actu ally trains falcon s for hunting, and is the onl y falconer on th e island as far as he knows.

Shipwreck! Vinegar Knud is a raving incompetent at th e till er of Pride of Sphinx , and will eventually pil e her lip on so me o f th e man y rocks jutting into Greenl and 's fjords . If th e part y uses the ship incessantly for local tr avel, Knud will have more opportunities to wreck the ship. Rather th an placing t h is at t he whim of a di e ro ll, use yo ur di scr etion as to how and when yo u want to tou ghen th e party' s task.

T he party 's mission will intrig ue Arni , as he has found his Gre enland hom e stifling to hi s ambi tions. He has already tra cked and killed t he most challenging prey in 38

There are sti ll other m ethods of returning to Norway - findi ng and usin g on e o f th e Greenl and-built sh ip s secret ed away by S igur d or booking passage on th e Finni sh j atkosotka . T he party might also manage to board and cap ture th e slave trad er D evir, if that opt ion is in pl ay. Wreck ing t he ship on th e voyage to Greenl and co uld end th e adventure rather pr em aturely. But if yo u want to make th e party walk to th e settlement, let Knud smash th e ship on th e ro cky coast south or east of the Eastern Settle ment. Lat er, if the party becomes too reliant on th e easy tra nsporta tio n up and down th e fjords provided by Pride of Sphinx, th is is ano t her op po rt unity for Knud to do what he d oes best. Regardless of th e damage inflicted on Pride of Sphinx, Vinegar Knud will always surv ive. His kind always elud e the co nse q uences o f their incompe te nce. The rest of the crew will not be so fortunat e - such is th e d an ger of trusting Knud as pilot. Only so me of th em will make it ashore; decid e how m an y sailors t he party will ne ed to accomplish th eir mission. More of them will be necessary if slavers are invol ved , fewer if the Norse are leaving Greenland by cho ice.

Attack of the Eskimo Along th e west ern coast of Gree nland, Eskimo set tlements are found in sheltered locations. Ph ysically, th e Eskimos are amon g th e tough est people on th e planet , cap abl e of enduring ext reme t emperatures and ph ysical hardships. What Es kimos co nside r" shelte red" is therefore relative.

very poorly arme d, most of th em lacking iron weapons and making do with bone-tipped spears. They have bows, but these lack the range or power of Norse weapons. But th e Eskimos bo ast incredible ph ysi cal toug hness , and m agic-user s of their own .

Unlike th e pi cture of peaceful Arct ic people drawn by wistful 2 1 st - C entury activists, the Eskimos of thi s time are a t ou gh and warlike people. They skirm ish continually wit h Norse hunting parti es, though th ey have never launch ed a full- scale in vasion of th e Greenland set tle me n t. A handful o f Es kimo bands will trade wit h N orse hunting parties on occasion, but they are a small min ority. The Eskimos do not like the orse , and th eir hatred is warmly returned .

Es kim os do not live in tribes , but rather in fam ily units. Th ey do not have permanent chi efs , but instead choose a man with practical experience to lead them in gro up effo rts, such as hunting and battle. Killing thi s t emporar y lead er will have little effect on Eskimo morale. A people who rout inel y send their eld erl y out to sea on ice flo es is not on e eas ily demoralized by casualt ies in battle.

You may wish to unleash an Eskimo at ta ck to increase the advent ure 's hacking and slashing quotient. It may be used in con junc ti on wit h any o f th e options chosen befor e pl ay began. If Unipeds are about, the Eskimos know of them and despise th em . They will not , however, ally th em selves wit h eit he r N orse or Uniped,

The Eskimos use their famous igloos only as travel shelt ers, living in skin tents during summer and stone or turf houses during win te r. They worshi p Sedna th e sea god des s, and believe that sea ani ma ls like th e seal, walru s and whale have esp eciall y powerful sp irits which must be placated if the animal is killed by man. Certain int ernal organs, especially the animal's bladder, must be

The Eskimos will co me in a silen t but mercil ess wave, driving N o rse farme rs before them. Norse livestock have no value for th em as booty, and so they slaughter animals left at farms they overrun. The Eskimos are 39

competiti on for th e isl and 's dwindling res ources an d

to

sa t is fy th eir g o d dess . They will kill m en , wo men an d children with o ut di scriminati on.

Dominant Uniped Male

Th eir lan gu ag e is in credibl y com p lex, w it h multipl e word s for Arcti c co n d it io ns but n on e fo r m an y conce p ts

Loathsome Leader

central t o E u ro pea n t h in k ing. It is unint elli gibl e t o th e

Hit Di ce: 5d I 0 +4Initiataive:

N orse, as are E u ro pea n langu ag es to th em. So different

+4

a re t hese c ivil iza t io ns th at eve n m agi cal m eans w ill n ot

Speed: 30 ft. AC: I Attacks: Bit e + l' melee

allow o ne s ide t o und erstand th e o t he r. T he re is littl e roo m for co m p ro m ise, as th e Es ki mos wis h th e No rse o ff th e island an d th e Norse are n ot w ill in g

+ 3 melee Lo ngswo rd + I mel ee

Claws

to

Es ki mos h ave fa r grea te r m obility o n th e s now an d ice th an th e No rse, th ey are capab le o f laun chin g t he ir a ttac k

Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft ./ 5 fr. Saves: Fo rt + 8 , Rcf + 4 . W ill + 4 Abilities: Sr r 19 , Dex 16 , Con 16,

at any p oint. Th eir h om es a re o n t he wes ter n coas t 150 miles o r so north o f the se ttlement, so th ey wi ll eve n tually return to th e coas ta l rout e o n t he ir jo u r ney h om eward.

Tn t 12 , Wis 9 , C ha 4 Listen

leave vo lu n ta r ily.

wh ic h will q u ic k ly b rin g th e pa rty in to pl ay. As th e

+1

Lon gsword 1d S + 1

Skills:

to

g ive it

As th e initi al t ar g et fo r th e Es k imo attack , choose a s ite

Damage: Bit cldl 0 + 5 Claw Id 6

th em , eve n if th ey are plannin g

to

No te th at Es k imo at tac k ca n also be used

+3

to

obsc ure

th e tru e n ature o f th e d if fic u lt ies a ffl ic t ing G ree nla n d,

Spot +4-

if yo u feel t he playe rs are unravelin g th e m yst ery soo ner

Feats: Endurance Challenge Rating: 5 Alignment: Chao t ic Evil

th an yo u wo u ld p re fe r.

Lair of the Unipeds

Special: The domin ant U n ipe d has a 1 00:g ~wo ~ d

This segmellt shollid Ollly be IIsed ifyOIl chose the Uniped Option.

provid ed by E uge n the P reac her, bu t no tra mmg 111 it s use. Unipeds may no r m ake borh claw an d weapo n attac ks in rhc same roun d. T he DC for th e dom inant U niped's verba l abuse attacks is 13 ( rcfl ecrin g hi s grea ter s pit e).

Th es e are Icc U nipe ds, occ u p y ing a la ir in a se r ies of caves o n t he eas te rn coast abo u t 50 mil es cast of t h e No rse co lo ny. Th e U n ipeds h ad n o co ntact w it h rh e No rse se t tle me nts until th eir la t est round s of attac ks bega n. P revi ou sl y th ey we re co n te n t to prey o n th e Es k imos . In cr easingl y co ld weath er has driven rh e Es kimos f u rt he r to rhe so ut h, an d p u lled t he U n ipcds so u t h as wel l. Th e presen ce o f Norse huntin g part ies ale rted

cas t into t he sea . By sla ug hte r ing th ese crea t u res w it ho u t

t hese vile p reda tors t o ano t he r po te n tia l foo d so u r ce .

m aki n g sac r ifice to th ei r sp ir it s, th e Es k imo s be liev e the

At so me point ea rly in t he U n ipeds lu st fo r Norse fl esh ,

Norse have bro ug h t t he wrat h of t h e gods t o G reenla n d .

t hey ca me int o contac t wit h E uge n th e Preach er. As is

By k il ling t he Norse, th ey ca n appease thi s di vin e anger

o fte n th e case, ev il rend s to ev il, an d it was pe r haps

and stop rh c rel entl ess adva nce of th e ice pac k.

in evit abl e t ha t th ese t wo s ho u ld jo in fo rces . E uge n is

An Es kimo war party will co nsist of 10 to I 5 m ale warriors

se lec t ing th e t arg et s for th e U n ip ed s t o attack , se nd ing

an d t wo or t hree anga koks, as th ey ca ll th ei r sorcerers.

o u t hi s m ini on s fr om rhe f ive Hund red to m ark t he

Es k imo m ag ic is limit ed in it s power, b u t fri ghr en s t he

fa r ms for sacr ifice . Th ou gh Unipeds w ill ofte n seize

Norse du e t o it s alien o rigi n . It is espec ia lly u seful in

weapo ns from th eir hum an ene mies , t h e lu s t for k il li ng

co n tro lling th e wea th er, and t he Eski mo s m ay la u nc h

u su all y ca uses t he m t o leave all b el on gin g s b ehin d .

th ei r assa u lt un d er t he cov er of a stor m . E uropea n,

E uge n 's min ion s foll o w be h in d t he m, th oro u gh ly

No rse an d Es k imo m agi c co me fro m s uc h di f fere nt

lo otin g th e fa r m an d ca r ry ing off anyt h ing o f va l ue t o

traditi o n s t hat co un rcrspc lls h ave n o effec t.

E ugen 's co mpo u nd a t Hratt ahild .

Th e Eski mo s are bent o n tak ing ca pt ives as slaves, an d

In exc ha nge, E uge n h as p rov ided th e U nipcds w it h

o n killin g as m an y Norse as pos s ib le b o th to red uce

weapo ns, an d p ro m ise d a s tead y fl o w of vict ims. It 40

IS

not especially pr ofitabl e, but ver y popular with the Five Hundred as it has allo wed them to target their en emies for extermination. Those who ridiculed or slighted the Five Hundred , especiall y those who have mocked Eugen' s faith , have found themselves featured on Uniped menus. This ar ra nge me n t has go ne on for sever al years now, and hundreds have been cons ume d.

Unipeds always at ta ck by night. As th e fir st step in a Uniped attack, on e of th e Five Hundred will leave a bloody piece of a she ep 's carcass somewhere near the targete d farm. Th e sharp Uniped sense of smell will lead th em to th e carcass. As th ey have no way of knowing where in th e colo ny a farm mi ght be t arget ed , it ma y take th em several ni ghts to find it. Almost every adult Uniped participates in th e attack, but as this is a small and dwindling clan th ere are only four to s ix attacker s. On e of th e lar gest Uniped s will then sm ash throu gh the farmhouse door by lowering it s head and sprin ging at th e door at great spee d. Th e others will follow throu gh th e opening, t errorizing th e inhabitants. If an y resistance is offered , th e Uniped s will be overcome by bloodlust and kill everyo ne in th e hom e. If not, th ey will herd th e humans and any farm animals back t o th e Uniped lair, for co nsum p t ion at leisure. An y corpses will also be carr ied o ff, wit h surviving humans forc ed to do th e hea vy lifting.

Uniped assa ults come on the ni ght of th e n ew moon , when th e ski es are at their darkest. Sometimes th e attac k is del ayed by up to seve ral da ys if th e one -legged killing machin es had troubl e findin g the marked farm. In keeping with their agr eement, the Unipeds only attack eno ugh farms per lunar cycle to yield 10 to 12 vict ims - th ey als o do not want to overl y cull th eir new herd , takin g onl y what they need t o sustain themselves.

The path leads over ice fields and along th e gravel coast. Even in summer, the weath er will grow noticeably colde r thanks to the nearby gla ciers. The Uniped s se t a har sh pace, as they spring alo ng wit ho ut see m ing to tire. Ther e m ay be evide n ce left alo ng the way o f ch ild ren, t he eld erl y o r th e infirm un abl e t o mat ch the spee d of this death march and consumed in pla ce. Uniped s ar e very messy creatures.

The pla yer ch ar act er s ' act io ns will largel y det ermine if and how th ey co me to meet the Uniped s. The Five Hundred do th eir be st to remov e evid en ce of Uniped attacks, trampling or brushing away Uniped tracks. But skilled tracker s might st ill find a trail leadin g to th e Uniped lair. Or the party mi ght shadow th e Five Hundred as th ey mark th e next victim.

Th e journ ey will take three or four d ays to co m p lete even at a hard p ace. Along th e way, th e pa rty may enc o un te r pol ar bear attac ks. The bear s have not far ed well wit h th e n ew competition for food, and t ho ug h they do not often attack hum ans th ey are desperate.

The party mi ght find it self th e victim of Uniped attack if they run afoul of the bitter middle-aged men of the Five Hundred. Or if th ey learn how th e farm to be attacked is mark ed , th ey mi ght se t th em sel ves up as victims. If action see ms t o be lagging, feel free to ch eat and sen d forth Unipeds to attack the farm where the part y is sta ying. The player characte rs will th en have the opportunity to follow the Uniped raiders back to their lair.

Unipeds have no notion of camouflage, an d unless th e party run s into so me of the cr eatures o u ts ide th eir lair, th ey will immed iately recogn ize whe n they have ar rived. Human and animal bones lie stacked haphazardl y outsid e the cave mouths. There are three openings evide nt, th e rightmost of which is covered by a mesh of whal ebones 41

m eal. U n ip eds feed o n a captiv e hum an eve ry th ird o r fourth da y -

var yin g t he routin e in o rde r to m aximi z e

the victims ' distres s . Th ey s u p p le me n t th eir di et wi t h

Joiio Fernandez 6th~Level

Initiative: Speed: AC :

resid es in th e leftm o st cave. Th e U nipeds sleep a lot,

+3

Oth erwi se, th ey spe n d th eir tim e lo okin g rath er b ored

30 ft .

+6

Longswo rd 1ciS

melee

To rescu e th e ca p t ives , th e p art y will h ave to ge t pas t

+2

t he U nip ed on g u ard and e it he r sp ir it th e p eopl e away

5 ft. by 5 ft ./5 Ir. fo rt

+ 5, Ref + 7 , Will

wit ho ut a le rt ing th e o t he rs o r so me ho w d efeat o r +7

incapaci ta t e t h e entire clan. Th e clan co ns is ts o f it s

s..

15, Dex 16 , Con 12 , In r 18, Wis 14 , C ha 15

Appraise + 13 Bluff + I I Disguise + I 1 G ather Info + 11 Listen + 11 Speak Language Alertness Toughness

Challenge R.1 ting:

and talking in th eir g u tt u ra l U n iped lan gu age abo u t h u man s an d anim al s th ey wi sh to kill.

IS

Damage:

Abilities:

exceed ingly larg e an d ugl y c reat ure. Th e res t of t h e cla n and en joy torm entin g th eir cap tives with insu lts .

Lon gsword

Saves:

Th e central cav e hou ses t he d omin ant U niped , an

41

Attacks :

Face/Reach:

Feats:

taken fr om th e hum an se t tle ment.

Double Expert (Sailor, Merchant) Pitiless Slave Trader

H it Points :

Skills :

car ibo u, se als and bear s they hunt , an d with fa rm an ima ls

lead er, th ree yo u ng m al e Unipcd s , s ix fem al es an d abo u t a do z en pups . On ce p ast th e U nipeds. it is a lo n g walk

Balance + I I D ip lomacy + II forgery + 13 Int im idate + 1 I Sense Motive + 1 I

back t o th e se t tle me nt w it h ex ha us ted and probab ly injured se t tl ers . No te th at V inega r Knu d is probab ly n ot capabl e o f n avi gatin g Pride oj Sphinx " er y close to th e Arctic icep ack . If th e U n ipe d and slave t rader opt ions are used in concert .

Lightning Reflexes Iro n Will

a seco n d cl an o f U nipcds ex ists in Vi nland . ncar t he slave r camp . Th ese U n ipcds are la rger. m o re n umerous

5

an d co ns ide ra b ly sma rte r th an the ir G ree nland cous ins . I

Alignment : Language:

Neutral Evil

Th ey in hab it a forest g le n, and keep t heir cap tives in a

Portuguese. It alian, En glish , German, French, 1 lo rwcg ian, Latin,

p en m ad e o f cr u d ely fel led trees ( U n iped s do not usc to o ls t o ch op d own trees . b u t in st ead r am t h em repeat edl y with th eir head s until th ey fall ). Mul ti ple g u ard s s u r ro u n d b oth thi s lair an d th e sla ve pe n . Th e

Gre enland ic Special: Aligl1",mt . T hou gh [ oao's tr ade would be abho rrent to po lit ically correct d eni zen s of th e 21 st Cen tury. it is a perfec tly legal profession in the c tim es. His evil nature comes from his willingness to slau ghter those who stand in h is way, not becau se of his ens laving others.

fo rest cl an includ es 12 t o 1 5 mal e Unip cd s , tw o d o z en fe ma les and about 40 yam me r ing Unipups .

The Slavers This segmfll t sho llid only be used

if)'011 chose the slave trader option.

Trad e in hum an ca rgo is a n a nc ie nt t radit ion , t ho ug h it h as ga ine d n ew im p etu s in th e la st ce n t ury. Po rt ugal has t ak en a le ad in thi s area. fir st in th e sale o f M o sl em and p ieces o f dr ift wo od . T he hum an cap t ives arc kept her e in wre tc he d co nd it io ns, an d a rc peri odi call y thro wn

pri son er s o f war t o Veni ce t o work t h at rep u bl ic 's sugar plant ati on s . In th e la st few yea rs , Portu g u ese slave

p ieces o f raw sea l to sus ta in th em selves. A sin gl e Unipcd

trad er s hav e a lso b egun t o im p ort s ma ll num b er s o f

is always o n g ua rd imm edi atel y o u ts ide th e ca ve m outh .

Afri can s to perform ag r ic u lt u ra l wo r k in b oth Port u gal

At rand om int erv al s , th e U n ipc ds rel ease o ne or tw o

and th e Atlantic island s ruled by th at kingdo m .

cap t ives t o p erform t ask s for th em -

feed in g and

Skin co lo r ha s not b ecom e th e key issu e in d et erminin g who can b e enslaved th at it will b e in th e futur e.

waterin g th e o t he r cap t ives o r cl eanin g th e caves. T hey verba ll y ab use th ese cap t ives m er ci les s ly, us ing th ei r

Reli gi o n is th e d ecid in g fa ct or -

inn at e ta lent t o fu ll ex t ent. In exc h ange for t he ir wo r k,

to ens lav e ot he r C hr istia ns and a se r io us c r ime indeed .

th e capti ves a rc exempt fr o m b e in g chos en for t he nex t

Bu t in th e fa r n o rth ern reac h es o f t h e Ar lanr ic , 42

it is con sid er ed s in fu l

Portuguese law is far away and easi ly ign o red . For the last decade or so, Portuguese fishermen have discovered incredibly rich fishing grounds off th e coast of a large continent south of Green land. They have no t considered t his new land remarkab le; after all, the ancien t Greeks told of lan d s ac ross th e Atlan t ic. T he abundance o f th e h ighly-so u gh t co d is miraculou s. In the sha llows t hat lat er peoples will call t he G eorges and ewfoundland Ban ks, fishermen catch cod wit h unbait ed hooks or by knocking them on the head with a club and hauling them aboard. The fish appea r in such huge numbers that it seems one could walk across them . This is a secret worth protecti ng, and though the Port uguese crown is aware of the new land s beyond t he fishi ng grounds it has kept thi s in formati on out o f public view. Those invo lved in t he trad e are eage r t o keep it secret, and t hus they t urned to a so urce of labo r they cou ld obtain nearby without embarrassi ng qu est ions. The Greenlanders are being taken to the island lat er folk will call ova Scotia, and their ancestors kn ew as Vinland. T here, they toil incessantly rendering cod liver s for t heir oi l, gutting and clea ning cod to lay t hem o n drying rack s, and loading t h is prod uce aboard shi p for transport back to Eu ro pe. A single ship, the Devir, has been respons ible for sna tchi ng Greenlanders and carrying th~m off t o work in th is operation. H er captain, [oao Fernandez, is an exp lorer, merchant and slave trader well-known throughout the orth Atlantic. Devir carries a crew of about 40, co nsiderably more than are needed to man th e ship. The extra manpower comes in handy whe n subd u ing new victi ms. Th ese are evil men by th e sta nda rds o f th eir da y - n ot becau se they ens lave peop le, but becau se th ey ens lave peopl e who are nom in all y C h r istia n.

himsel f, is an o ld bu s in ess associa te o f [ ofio and helps targe t iso late d farm s in excha nge fo r cas h pay ment. M ember s of the Five Hundred , supp leme n te d by [oao 's bru iser s, fall on the fa rme rs in t he dead of n ight an d carry away all th e able- bod ied . The non -able-b od ied are also car ried away, bu t afte rwa rds tossed ove rboard. Tho ugh t he F ive Hundred have to be aware of wha t hap pen s t o the sick, the very old or t he very yo ung, Eugen shields them fro m direct co n fro n tat io n wi t h th eir evil deed s. Lik e schoo lyard bullies , much of their t ou ghness is purely t alk design ed to convince th em selves of it s truth.

If pressed on this poin t, [ o ao will arg ue that h is actio ns are well-grounded in Portuguese and ot her E uropean law. By smashing thei r chu rch be lls and fai ling t o bap ti z e their ch ildre n, t he Gree n lande rs turned their back o n Christian ity. T hey are apos ta tes, not subjec t t o any of th e pro t ecti on s affo rde d C h ris t ians. Th er e is no legal or moral barr ier t o fo rcin g t he m to labor for th e benefit o f real C hr ist ians.

Th ere are only so man y fjord s in the se t tled area, so yo u may wan t the party to s im p ly spot the slavers and their sh ip. Other methods of learn in g the t ru t h cou ld in clude breaking a m ember of the Five Hundred t o forc e a con fess ion or sta lking the Five Hundred on on e o f th eir raids . If the p arty ge t s close to the truth , or s im p ly an noy s Eugen , he ma y se t hi s assoc iate s to attack them.

As in t he U n ipe d opt ion, [ oao can not eas ily ra id the Green landers wit hou t help fr om co lla bo ra to rs as ho re. Those who have tri ed the di rect assa ult op t io n in th e pas~, chie fly Eng lish pirat es, have been d efeat ed. The Gr eenl ander s d on 't ge t t o fight very often , and reli sh th e opportunity. Eugen the Pr each er, a former North Atlantic trader 43

step is to liberate the captives. Devir has struck the Gre enland settlement m an y times already, and hundreds of Greenl anders toil in harsh conditions. The party has sever al options. They could us e Pride oj Sphinx , if sh e is st ill afloa t. Ri sto of Turku has no moral qualms abo u t sla ver y, but is fru strated by hi s lack of profit o n th is journey and could eas ily be brib ed t o participat e in an assa ult on the Portugu es e. H e will wan t hi s pick o f any spoils, plus cash o r other valua bles in adva nce. Si gurd Thorvaldsdottir could be co nv inced to ass ist in raising cash to pay Risto , and her cousin Jon will glad ly help if Risto has not killed him (in order to be rid o f the Finn t ha t much fast er ) . Si gurd could also help in locate a G reenland- buil t sh ip. Thou gh an exp eri enc ed crew will be hard to come by, if Pride oj Sphinx has been d estroyed by Vin egar Knuds incompetence there should be so me su rviving crewm en includin g her hardened captain. Onc e th e site' s loc ation has been determ in ed and tr ansp ortati on obtain ed, th e party will face a well-g uarded facility. The slavers are using th e well-protect ed harbor t ha t lat er inhab it ants will call Lo uisbou rg, o n th e northern end o f Nova Sco t ia. It is a heavily-wo od ed area, wit h hu ge trees co mi ng d own t o a narr ow beach. T he slave rs have cleared abo ut five o r six acres for th eir fac ili ty. Th ere are abo u t 200 slaves prese nt, held in a wooden stockade ncar t he water's edge. Th e rendering fires and dr yin g racks are alo ng th e beach , ou tsi de t he stocka de . Ab out two do zen slavers are sta t io ne d here perm an entl y, and abo u t t wo d ozen m ore fish erm en slee p in sh elt ers ou tside th e stockade at ni ght, rowing o u t to th e fishing banks at da wn. Th e fish ermen work all sum me r, and in earl y fall a se ries o f sh ips arriv e to tak e th em and th eir produce back t o Portu gal. No t wishi ng t o feed and house th eir cap t ives throu gh th e win ter, [ofi o and hi s m en will m assacre t he m and return hom e as well. Co me spring, th ey will har vest m ore un willing wo rkers from Greenl and.

Rescu e o f th e captured Gree nlande rs is tri cki er than br eakin g th em fr ee of t he U nipe ds. Thou gh th e slavers are not nearl y as t ou gh as t he o ne- foo te d bein gs, th e party will have to find where they are bein g t aken . Nort h Amer ica is vast: locating [oaos fish factory by chance is impossi ble. Inst ead t he party will have to either shadow Devir back to its lair, or find so meo ne who kn ows and swea t the informa tio n o ut of him.

Sigurd)s Journey This segment should only be used abandonmen t option.

Vinegar Knu d, if he has not yet managed to d est ro y Pride oj Sphinx, will be at a disti nct disa dva n tage in a high seas p urs uit. G iven good weat he r and a lot of lu ck (once agai n, feel free to cheat) he m igh t p ull it off. Th e party will sta nd a better chance of beatin g th is in formati on out of a Devir crew ma n, or Euge n him sel f (as a fo rme r mar in er, Euge n is capable of navigat in g t o Vin land). T hey mi ght also capt ure Devir and se ize her char ts, or stea l th em fr om t he carave l.

if you

chose the peacefu l

S igurd is orga niz ing th e voyages to Vi nland fro m her fa t he r's fa rms tea d in th e area kn own as th e Middle Set tle me nt, abo ut 20 m iles no rth o f Brattahild. H ere ships can be load ed in so me sec recy, and it is t he most logical jumping- off poi n t fo r th e No rse route to th e New World. Th e No rse pr efer t o skirt th e coas ts and icep acks bet ween G ree nland and th e island s to th e wes t rath er th an ri sk th e direct pa ssage acros s th e sto rmy and unpredictabl e Lab rad or Sea so u t hwes t of G ree nland.

Sho uld th e party locat e th e slavers' lair, th e next obvio us 44

There are several Greenl and-built ships run up on th e gravel shingle bel ow Thorvald 's farm. Si gurd 's co llaborators are lo ad in g th em wit h supplies , chie fly foo d an d iron tool s. Large n um bers of livestock are also held at th e far m, though these will be limited in practice to breeding stock wh en the sh ip s d ep art. Sigurd foresees se veral stages to the journey. Greenl and no longer p ossess es eno ug h car go cap acity to m ove t he 2 ,0 00 se t tlers o r so she wis he s to recru it in o ne co nvoy. This will leave abo u t 1,0 0 0 p eople o r less in the Eastern Settleme nt , chiefly the degen er at es, insane an d crim inal ele me n ts who will p robabl y di e o u t ra t her quickly whe n th e co lo ny is sho rn of its m o st p rod ucti ve memb ers . Th e fir st convo y has already t aken adva nce parties to begin clearing land and settling affairs with th e Skradings. G iven the Norse way, "se t tl ing affairs" is likely to include a healthy dose o f vio len ce. As in the other o p tio ns , th e pa rty can learn o f t he evacua tio n th rough a number of routes. If they ea rn t he tru st of Si gurd , she m ay see k their aid . Eugen and t he Five Hundred will attempt to foil h er p lan , an d she ma y ask th e party to help h er fend off th eir inte rfer enc e. But Sigurd has little faith in th e competenc e of any o ne else, understandable g iven the p eople sh e's known all her life, and ma y in stead try t o set th e p arty aga ins t Eugen wit ho ut revea ling t he ·real reason. The party m ay be able t o track t he d isap p ear ed over the ice to th e Middle S ettlem ent. It is n ot a long jo u rney, a hard day 's walk wit h an earl y sta rt an d rapid p ace, bu t does go over so me very ro ug h t er rain. Tho se m aking the journ ey ha ve t aken very littl e with them .

t o carve o u t a co lony si te , S ig urd bel ieves. In p ri or yea rs, the N orse co u ld always return t o Greenland. Though G reenland is a hard land, its m eadows an d she lte red fjords were a good hom e to t he Norse and t hey lo ved their is lan d. Bu t as the world grows co lder, ma ny feel t hey could soon find themselves living among the eternal ice. It is time for them to go.

If confronted, Sigurd will describe h er pl an as th e last, best hope for her people's s u rvival. Greenl and has been growing stea d ily co lde r. Every sum m er, th e ice retreat s a little bit less th an it d id t he year before. Iceb ergs an d bits of pack ice cl o g th e nearb y seas a day or so lat er in the season each year. C attle have become m ore difficul t to feed on the reduc ed fo rage g rown in Greenl and 's meadows. Even some of the trees see m to b e d yin g.

The idea of p eaceful co - hab itatio n with t he Skradings in so me multi-cultu ral utopi a of mutual respect is utterl y alien t o the Greenl and Norse, as it wo u ld b e to the Mi cmac Indian s livin g in M arkland o r Vl nla n d. Th e N o rse aim to seiz e the lands they want, and extermi na te o r su b jugate any present inhab it an t s. T he Micmacs wo uld agree who lehearted ly that cooperat ion is ridiculous , and do th eir best t o t hrow t he invaders bac k in to the

For centuri es, th e Greenlanders have journeyed to th e territory they call Markland an d come back wit h shipload s of prime timber. Sagas tell of even better lands to th e south o f M arkland. The N orse never serio us ly cons ide red m o vin g th eir co lo ny before, as the Skraelings defended their lands wit h in san e fur y and the small hunting an d lo gging parties could not st an d up aga ins t th em . But experien ce has shown one Norse war rior, even unarmored, to be worth sev eral Skraelings in battl e. A forc e o f sever al hundred adult N orse sh o u ld be able

sea . On top o f thi s is S igurd 's re tu rn t o paganism; sh e has yet to m ake m an y converts, but C hristian feeli ng is weak among th e G reenland ers and time is on her s ide. Th e pl ayer ch ar act er s will h ave to decide h ow t his fits with t he ir direct ives fro m M ar cell o and Elisa beth. Sho uld 45

and if the adventurers have failed to complet e their mission a trip to a new wo rl d mi ght lo ok in viting.

Plotline Combinatio ns The three options listed for Norse disappear an ce are no t mu tually exclusive. Some guidelines for com bin ing t hem follow.

• Combination # I. Unipeds and Slavers. The sl avers ar e cooper at in g wit h a cl an o f U ni pe d s li vin g in Vinland. In excha nge fo r immuni ty fro m Uniped attack s, th e slave rs g ive th e U n ipeds all of th e slaves who have been worked past th e point of usefulness. Over time th e slaver s have gain ed insi ght into U n ipe d psyc hology, such as it is , and thi s has gi ven th em the abi lity to manipulate the Uniped s. When th e sla ver s sta rted t ak in g Greenl and ers, th ey also enco u n te re d th e G ree nlan d U n ipe ds . Ea rly o n t hey di scern ed th at the Greenla nd U nipeds lived in a state of un spoken fear because o f th e worsen ing weat he r. Th e slav er s fed thi s fear throu gh gu ile and rumor, and soon had th e Unipeds , beli evin g that all th e human s and other animals on Greenland would fr eeze t o death. Th e Unipeds wo uld be left without amu sin g prey o r food , in that order. This se t off a wave o f vic io us U nipe d at tac ks on th e No rse farms . Th e can ny slavers offered th e U nipeds a way o ut. "Ga t he r up as man y humans as po ssibl e and let us t ake so me for o urselves, and whe n th e hum an s are all go ne we'll t ake yo u in o u r ship t o Vinland , whe re U nipe ds live in luxury and abundance." U sing th ei r empat h ic ab ility, t he Unipeds sens ed th e truth in thi s o ffer and are eagerly doin g th e slave rs' bidding. Ever y t im e th ey att ack a settlem ent th ey carry o ff so me vict ims, and leave o ne or two of their number behind t o gua rd so me cap tive humans until th e slavers t ake th em away. T his gives th e party t he poss ibility of enco unteri ng U n ipe ds and slave rs at th e sa me time, in obvio us alliance wit h each other. Even t ho ugh Eu gen is de alin g with both th e Uniped s and t he slavers, he and th e rest of th e Five Hundred have no idea th at th e Uniped s and slaver s are in leagu e with each other, o r even kn ow o f each o t he r 's existe nce.

th e Norse simply be left to th eir pl an ? If so , should th e party lie t o its pa t ro ns , and allow th em t o live in peace? If th e party im pr ess es S igu rd , she m ay in vite th em to jo in th e expe d itio n. Thi s wo uld be in direct vio lat io n o f t he papal mi ssion , and utter ana t hema to any cleric in th e part y, but would place make retribution from Mon si gn or Marc ello high ly un likel y. Bot h t he papa l spy mast er and th e ruth less merchant princess are formidab le ene m ies,

• Combination # 2. Unipeds and Peaceful Evacuation. Th e sta rt o f th e U ni pe d at tacks has co nvince d Sigur d th at th e co lo ny is d o omed . She th erefore orga nizes th e fli ght to Vinland. H o wever, th e proud Viking heritage th at suffuses her ent ire bein g makes an ign ominiou s retreat u ncon scionabl e. Yes, th ere is nothing left here for her peop le, but far better to m eet th e ene my in a fin al 46

characters. These people are worse than pagans in the eyes of the church - they are renegade Christians who have embraced the old faith, and they are led by a pagan demigoddess. They plan to kill a camp full of Catholic Portuguese and turn the Christian slaves th ere into pagans . And yet, the Portugu ese are indeed crim ina l slaver s and have been massacring the Greenlanders the party has been sent here to protect. Any clerics in the party should argu e that a man or woman's soul is infinitely more important than their body - far better to die a wretched Christian than to live a free pagan. Any course that cro sses Sigurd's utopian vision will earn the party undying enm ity from a reborn Valkyrie (at least in her own mind) and her neoViking warband.

battle and destroy them, that songs of victory ma y be sung as th e G reenl and peaks di sappear over the horizon for th e last t im e. She has selecte d a few m en and one or two women she believes are up t o the tas k of figh ting the Unipeds and is tr aining th em fo r battle. She d esperately wan ts Arn i Ice-Farer at her si de among these ch ampions, but her prid e is such that she can 't bring herself to approach him. H e is therefore unaware of both the evacuat ion and th e coming battle against the Unipeds. If the player charact ers can convinc e Arn i to co me to Si gurd and ask to join her group, she will accept en t h usias t ically and invite the party along for the fin al battle as well - a great reward , by her m easure. If the exp edition is successful, Sigurd will reveal all th e details of the evacuat ion to Arni and ask him to marry her so that togeth er th ey may explo re th e vast ne w fro n t iers of Vinland, and adorn their hall wit h the pelts o f st range beasts. Arni will accept, and th e par ty will be invi te d to attend a weddin g in Vinland , where Sigurd an d Arni will adopt them into th e community.

• Combination #4- Unipeds, Slavers and Peaceful Evacuation. Combine #1 and #3 . The Vinland Uniped lair lies close to the slavers ' camp. Unless th e party finds this lair and kill s th e Unipeds before attem pt ing to fr ee th e slaves, th e Unipeds will defend the slaver camp. No fools , th e Unipeds will protect their food supply. Potentially, the play er characters, Sigurd the Valkyri e and her Greenland Norse warriors could end up in a climactic battle wit h the Unipeds and the sla vers. If th e party got to Vinland wit h the help of R isto, aft er the battle th e wily Finn ma y d ecid e to enslave th e lot o f them and put th em to work gutting codfish.

• Combination #3. Slavers and Peaceful Evacuation. Th e slavers ha ve been abd uc t ing t he majority of Greenland ers . S ig ur d learn ed of t h is, and began her evacuation to keep the slavers fr om t akin g th e best an d the br ight est. She esta blis hed a secret bas e in Vinland near th e slavers ' camp. Sh ould th e party gain Sigurd's trust, or provoke her in t o open conflict, she will reveal that she really is a Valkyr ie se nt by Odin t o save th e Greenland N orse and es ta blish th em in a new land. She manipulat ed Euge n into sma sh ing the island's church bells: Odin d em anded the destruction of Christianity in this distant outpost, wh ere the upstart religion's greate r power co uld be th wart ed. S igurd trains the evacuees in th e arts o f war so th at they can rescue th eir brethren. She has also revived th e o ld Norse religion, and bann ed C h ris t ian ity.

Leave hanging th e question of just how de eply deluded Sigu rd mi ght be. She beli eves herself to be a Norse demigoddess , and p roj ect s the beli ef convincingly enough to have won over a sma ll band of d evoted followers. But drop h ints that she mi ght sim ply be a be autiful and persuasive woman with unresolved personal issues. You may have to lead the party by the nos e to follow Sigurd to Vin land. Th ere th ey will find Sigurd's base and her band o f warrio rs. These men and wom en will welco me th e party war m ly an d in vit e them to jo in in the glorio us resc ue of the slaves.

Historical N otes can befound on our web site: www.avalanchepress.com

This sho uld present an unusual dil emma to the player

47

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48

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Spring) '454 . Almost five hundred years ago) Viking colonists came to Greenland. For centuries) their colony thrived on the very edge of the known world. Then they disappeared. In this d20 adventu re ill the spirit oj L AST D AYS OF C ONSTANTI NOPL E, a small party oj 211d through 4 th level tbaracters investigates the decline oj Europ e's most distant outpost. Face the bloodthirsty Uniped, mythical Joe oj explorers. M eet the my sterious allgakoks, Eskimo magic-users. A lld Jilld out just what has happened to the deluded, degenerate remnants oj a ollce-great WalTiOl' people. A stand-alollg adv enture , 01' use its detailed backgroulldas source materialJo r y our OWII campaigns!

ISBN 0-9707961 -2 -9

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