Wiifandra- Old One Mistress of Ba'a Zarn the Builder

A little known figure from the era of the Old Ones is that of the mistress of the last king of the old ones, Wiifandra.

From the sketchy accounts that still survive, and those that have been pieced together by the Archivists at Parn Tandalorn - mostly from surviving images and translated texts inside ruined sites of the Old Ones, it appears that Wiifandra was imbued with great magic powers, but that she sometimes disagreed with her consort, Ba'a Zarn the Builder, especially on matters concerning the Elemental gods.

Images that have survived that depict Wiifandra, depict her in one of two ways.  Within Old One sites, she is shown riding in a very large chariot (befitting her large size, as of all the Old One race), and it is being pulled by two gargantuan cats, similar (and probably the same) as the great plains cats (of the Shattered Plains) that are allied with, and ridden by, the Aublan Cat Riders.

The Archivists at Parn Tandalorn have surmised that one of the reasons for Ba'a Zarn to have build the King's Highway, was for the purpose of Wiifandra, and others of his clan, to be able to ride their chariots up and down the length of the Valley.

The other depiction of Wiifandra, is that of a powerful sorceress, aiding the Shagmen of the Darkearth Plains against the coming of the Storm King Barbarians.  These images are amongst the oldest of the surviving images in old settlements, and the barrow mounds of Jarls, among the Storm King Barbarians.  In such images, she is shown assisting the Shagmen against the Storm King Barbarians.  Curiously, in the images, the Shagmen are often depicted as being more sophisticated and advanced than they appear today.  In modern times (approximately 1500 W.M.) the Shagmen are quite primitive, much like our modern concept of a Neanderthal man.  And yet in the imagery that survives, they are depicted as tool users empoying quite sophisticated weapons and armor.  This may have been an attempt by the early Storm King Barbarian Skalds to show their enemies as being more powerful and advanced than they actually were; or the Skalds might not have been present at the battles, and only drew warriors in the way they were familiar; or (most intriguingly) something might have happened to the Shagmen from those earliest times, almost two millenia ago, when Wiifandra first fought for them, and then she disappeared (shortly after the disappearance of the other Old Ones).

Wiifandra, helping the Shagmen (right) against the Storm King Barbarians (left)

 It is rumored that as the advances of the Storm King Barbarians grew more and more intense, with their fleets of dragonships coming out of the north, down the various rivers out of the Destriel Mountains (especially the Greywater), that the Shagmen were beaten back.  A single lone strong point survived, and this was around the cliff-side Solitude of Aether - the last home that Wiifandra used before departing the Valley.  It was located along the southern shoreline of the Great River, as it passed next to the Jazzan Mountains, under the Falls of Arning.  There was a transplanted colony of Shagmen living in caves near the River, and they served and worshipped Wiifandra.

The Solitude of Aether, along the southern shoreline of the Great River

When Wiifandra departed, many of her loyal Shagmen departed with her, and the rest were changed in some way.  Some Archivists claim that they became the Shagmen we know of today, in order to hide the memories of Wiifandra and her magic, others say that those located at the Solitude of Aether were changed into something else.

The biggest secret about Wiifandra, and where she departed from her consort, Ba'a Zarn, was that she was a completely devoted worshiper of the elemental god, The One Beneath the Waves.  She not only worshpped the sleeping god, but she used her considerable magic to create and contact followers of his, and also to imbue the knowledge into the Shagmen.  This is not known, currently, to the Archivists, or to anyone in the Valley.

When she left, some of the things that Wiifandra left behind, were a number of spells related to the worship of The One Beneath the Waves, as well as contacting and serving the servitor races of that elemental god.  Also, she left behind some of her personal magic items.  She left behind the Staff of Aether, the Bracers of Deep Knowledge, and the Tiara of Darkness.  The location of these is not known, but they are each of a powerful (artifact) level.  Many of her spells are assumed to be located in copies of the Book of Zargo Zar the Sage.

Parn Tandalorn - The Great Archive

Near the headwaters of the Tandalorn River there is a strange and magical community, high in the mountains, that is dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.  This is the site of the fantastic Great Library of Parn Tandalorn.  It was settled by a group of monks and priests from the Olmart Empire that accompanied the first settlers to come into the Valley, south of the great river.  They brought with them soldiers, as well as their own families, seeking to establish a new community, in the strange and dangerous land of the Valley.

Parn Tandalorn

It was here, with the various artifacts and ruined sites of the Old Ones, that the Archivists thought they could study and make sense of what the world was like before the advent of Man.  To understand what the Archivists (the original settlers of the Great Library and the community there) understood about man, it is important to understand how they viewed Man's place in the world.  This was, of course, very different than the understanding that the inhabitants, with their knowledge of the three goddesses, and some of the subjected peoples of the old empire - such as the Lass Indol and their goddesses of the Seasons.  The old orders of the Olmart empire see the coming of man as some fulfillment of the element of magic.  The old races were not enough - the Elves themselves are magic, the Dwarves capture magic, the Saurials sing of magic, but only Man can create magic.  Hence, the element itself was responsible for bringing man into the world.  So, they came to study the Old Ones and find out what they could about them, and see whey there were passed over by Magic and why Man was chosen/birthed instead.

In coming into contact with the artifacts, and surviving learning, of the Old Ones, the Archivists learned something very, very different.  The Old Ones were enthralled, and worshipped (largely out of fear) their own elemental god.  There were immensely powerful beings, from another dimension, that were bent on the destruction of reality.  The Old Ones believed that by supplication and appeasement, they could keep them (the elemental gods) pacified until their knowledge of magic advanced to such a point that they could imprison them.  This they did, but at a cost.  Great structures were build by Ba'a Zarn the builder, in order to serve as the locks on the dimensional prisons that the elemental gods are imprisoned in.  These structures are part of the world, in the Valley, and the Archivists are beginning to learn the secrets of the Great River, the King's Highway, Fire Mountain, and the Tears of Heaven.  But not all the secrets, not yet.

The Archivists do know that after the elemental gods were imprisoned, that the young gods and goddesses of the world began to awaken - with the help of The Krunge, and Mika, and Earnissa.  Bronc and Photoss escaped, and became the two Warrior gods known as the Storm King and the Sun King, and their people (the Storm King barbarians in the north, and the Sun King barbarians in the south) have flourished, albeit the tainting of the Sun King by his diabolical mistress has led to a certain strain of chaos and evil that has suffused the culture of the Sun King barbarians.  The three goddesses have awoken, and even the forces of the seasons that the Lass Indol venerated have become goddesses.

Something else that the Archivists realize, that much of the remainder of the Valley (the Westroners, the Northerners, the Southerners and many of the non-humans) is that there is still a taint of power from the elemental gods loose in the world.  There are, in secret, and in shadow, pocket of worshipers who feel as if they can gain power, by serving the four sleeping horrors.  Some, the mad and those deranged by evil, see the bringing about the destruction of the world through the doings of elemental god magic, as a desirable goal.  These are the evil forces that the Archivists are arranged against.

Alas, however, the Archivists, in their quest for magic and knowledge, and their desire to exist as a separate community, has led them into a secluded and isolationist state.  They live, alone in their community of towers, schools, halls of study, and dens of magic, without any real thought to intervention in the outside world.  Let the petty barons fight over lands and holdings.  Let the Elves bicker over the boundaries between Faery and the world.  Let the Dwarves hollow out all the mountains, and make war against the orcs and goblins they find there.  The Archivists have much more important things to do - at Parn Tandalorn.

Igo Umblar - Navigator of the Old Ones

Igo Umblar is probably best known today, when he is known at all, as the originator and constructor of the fabled Dungeons of Igo Umblar, located in the north among the River Jarls of the Storm King barbarians (near Icewall).  The Dungeons and the Icewall Steading are both located in the Darkearth Plains region, in the far, far north, near the Destriel Mountains (in fact, Icewall is pretty much at the edge of the Destriel Mountains).

Long ago, when even Ba'a Zarn was young, the Old Ones that peopled the world were hopeful that their ancient and elder gods, the elemental gods, would return to the world.  They did not have a regular religion, as such, but much of their pursuits revolved around contacting and communicating with their four elemental gods.  This involved long and intricate research and studies into magic, strange powers of the mind, understanding of the cosmic structure of the world and the spheres, and other forces that do not have a name today.

Notable and singular among the learned peoples of the Old Ones was Igo Umblar.  He was also called the Navigator.  Igo Umblar's gift was the construction of a cosmic flute, which when played, would create notes that not only could work great magic, but also could create resonances that went out past the sphere of this world, and touched the spheres of other worlds and realities.  In playing his flute - which he did at every dawn, at every starfall, and during every event of cosmic or natural consequence - Igo Umblar was sending out a signal for the elemental gods to navigate by, and to come to this world, returning to their people, the Old Ones.

Cosmic flute of Igo Umblar, with the captured star-being that is part of it

For millenia, Igo Umblar played his marvelous magical flute.  It was constructed out of wood from a bristlecone pine tree that was grown upside down from a floating stone (it is believed it was one of the stones circling the Earthroot at the City of Shadows).  Because the tree grew upside down, the wood from that tree has interesting properties in itself, but the notes that Igo Umblar plays were absorbed, changed, and let out loose again by the small captured star-being that was part of the flute.  The tiny magical creature would take the notes played by Igo Umblar, and turn them into the song of the elemental gods, singing and re-singing each note a thousand-thousand times in the space of the same instant, capturing those notes inside the magical wood of the flute, before letting out into the world.  The magical resonance is how the songs of Igo Umblar could reach out past the sphere of this world, into others.

While the Old Ones were certainly visited by many of the servitors and minions of the elemental gods, they never did return to this world.  Not yet.  However, once the Old Ones encountered the Elves and other folk of the Seely Court, and fought their war with them, Ba'a Zarn convinced Igo Umblar to use his flute to open up a road amongst the spheres, navigating a safe exodus out of the world for the Old Ones.  This was the last time the fabled flute of the star-being was played within this sphere, and the last time this reality resonated with the songs of Igo Umblar.

While he lived here, Igo Umblar dwelt in a magically constructed world underground, that he made with the amazing magic of his cosmic flute.  It was all underground, underneath what is now the massive Destriel Mountains glacier known as the Ice Father.  The underground realm had an entryway to the surface, through a massive castle in the ice and rock, but deep underground it contained amazing, magical dimensions.  Whole vast levels carved out of the rock and full of the stuff of other dimensions, other worlds.  In his magical astral contacts and wanderings, Igo Umblar did manage to contact and draw back many magical beings that were servitors to the elemental gods - the frenetic Gill'ios that worshiped the One beneath the Waves; the body-less star nomads that were mastered by their fear of the Lord of Fire; the mysterious thought-vampires of the Lady of the Air, and also the worm-maidens of the Earth Weaver.

Statue of Igo Umblar, constructed by one of the many magical races in his dungeon

These and many other creatures came back to live among the magic levels and domains in the Dungeons of Igo Umblar.  Many of these creatures came to regard Igo Umblar as a messianic figure, and were happy to serve him, in return for his bringing them out of service to the elemental gods.  Igo Umblar, whose goal was always contact and supplication of those very same gods, did not understand this.  But century after century of the paradox, and his mind began to crack.  In the end, it wasn't that all he did was to play his flute - all he COULD do was to play his flute.  The song took him over, and it was all there was left of him.  The last act he did, was when Ba'a Zarn came and begged him to sing out a path of exodus for the Old Ones away from the world-sphere that the Valley belongs to.

Darkearth Plains - Wilderness Encounter System

Taking a break from finishing the Ostigaar Web dungeon, I have decided that it is time to present the encounter charts that I have been working on for the Darkearth Plains (see map here).

 [NOTE: This has been edited, as of Sept 14]

As mentioned earlier, the region of the Darkearth Plains is one of conditions very similar to the Pleistocene era on Earth.  Many of the animals we are familiar with from the fossil record of that time are present in the Valley of the Old Ones, specifically in this region.  Also, even as far south as the Great River, the weather in the Darkearth Plains is notably cold.  These two features (the presence of the large animals we think of as Ice Age mammals; and the very cold weather) combine to provide an interesting wilderness encounter matrix.

The encounter system works like this:

Each day is divided up into four 6-hour periods.  They are called Dawn, Day, Dusk and Night.

From this rough outline of time periods, for each one that the players spend the majority of the time outside of human habitation, roll 2d6. On a basic score of 9+ there is an encounter. If the season's weather has been particularly rough, then add +1 to the roll (more of these creatures - which represent the aggressors in the food chain - will be prowling for food when the weather is tough). If the player party has any rangers or druids in it, add or subtract one each, at the player's whim.

If the score is successful, then check the following table to see what the chance for surprise is, as well as the likely range of the initial encounter.

Time of Day	Chance of Surprise (2d6)	Opening range of Encounter
Day	9+	100-600 yards (1d6 x 100 yards)
Dawn, Dusk	7+	40-240 yards (4d6 x 10 yards)
Night	5+	20-80 yards (2d4 x 10 yards)

• If the dice roll for surprise is successful, then the party is unaware of the encounter, initially, and the encounter range is half of what is rolled.
• If the encounter takes place in mountains or forest, halve the encounter range that is rolled.
• If the encounter is primarily a flying creature, then double the encounter range that is rolled.

The rational behind this table is that most animals in the Valley of the Old Ones that are encountered in the wilderness are more active, and more mobile, early (and late) in the day, than during the middle of the day. This does not apply to underground, or planned encounters, only those random creatures encountered in the wilderness during travel or mapping.
If the surprise number is rolled, this means that the encounter is present before the party is aware of them. If the surprise roll is failed, then the party is somehow aware of the encounter at the same time as it appears. Once it appears, normal rules for surprise and perception should apply.

Once an encounter has been determined, then roll two 6 sided dice, and consult the following table. Add +1 to the Red dice if they players are within 10 miles of a sizeable human settlement/habitation (sizeable means more than 100 humans, demihumans, or humanoids living in a regular place - such as a town, castle, fortress, etc).

White Dice	Red Dice
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
1	L	Q	S	U	W	X	N
2	L	B	H	H	D	N	N
3	K	B	F	E	D	N	N
4	K	A	E	F	C	M	M
5	J	A	G	G	C	M	M
6	J	P	R	T	V	Y	M

This will generate a letter. Then for each of the terrain types listed below, this will give an encounter. Many of these are already detailed with statistics inside the OSR reference document (posted here). Other creatures will be detailed in a future posting on this blog.

Encounter	Plains	Hills	River Valley	Forest	Mountains
Irish Deer	-	A,B	A,B	A	A,B
Mammoth	A,B	C	C	-	-
Mastadon	C	D,E	D,E	-	-
Giant Stag	D	F,G	F,G	-	C
Sabre Tooth Tiger	E	H	H,J,K	B,C,D	D
Dire Wolf	F	J	L,P	E,F,G	E,F,G
Cave Bear	-	K,L	-	H,J,K	J,K,L
Flightless Bird	G	P,Q	Q	-	-
Axebeak	H	-	-	L	-
Hammer Head (Titanothere)	J	-	-	-	-
Humans (see subtable)	M	M	M	M	M
Others (see subtable)	N	N	N	N	N
Gargantua (Baluchitherium)	K,L	-	-	-	-
Frost Moth	P,Q	R	Q	P,Q	P
Ice Wyrm	R	-	-	R,S	Q,R
Frost Rhino	S	S	S	-	-
Ice Serpent	T	T	-	T,U	S,T
Floating Horror	U	U	T,U	-	-
Giant (see subtable)	V	V	V	V	U,V
Dragon (see subtable)	W	W	W	W	W
DemiHuman (see subtable)	X	X	X	X	X
Special (see subtable)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

There are several entries that call for consulting a subtable. These are presented below, with regional specific notes (for instance, human encounters in the Aghanz hills are likely to be Shagmen, whereas human encounters near any of the three Baronies in the region are likely to be typical medieval period humans).

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Humans

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Ever since the invasion of the Westroners into the Valley of the Old Ones, they have dominated the landscape, at least from the point of view of civilized beings.  The Westron Baronies (independent Kingdoms in all but name) represent the only really organized political entities within the Valley.  Before the Westroners arrived, of course, the barbarians (the Sun King tribes, the Storm King tribes, and oddities like the Shagmen) existed, but not in the same numbers.  This subtable is a way to determine what sort of band of humans are encountered, when they are.

Dice	Humans
1	Warrior
2	Religious
3	Merchants
4	Craftsmen
5	Raiders
6	Elite

Warrior

A body of armed soldiery appropriate to the area encountered in.

• In the Aghanz Hills, or nearby, these will be Shagmen (2d6 warriors; 6d6 women and children)
• In the east, anywhere the Terrapin or Greywater rivers, they will be Storm King Barbarians (2d6 huscarls; 4d6 bondi)
• Anywhere near the Baronies or the Great River, they will be Westroners - Baronial Armsmen (2d6 knights; 4d6 sargents; 8d6 peasants)
• Anywhere else, it will likely be a band of Freebooters (2d6 fighters; 2d6 thieves; 4d6 thugs).  These may be looking for work, or may be looking for mayhem.

Religious

1d3 significant clerics (or druids); 2d6 lesser clergy (same order); 6d6 pilgrims, followers

Merchants

1d6 Merchants or Family members; 2d6 armed guards (missile weapons and polearms); 4d6 servants and attendants.

Craftsmen

2d6 craftsmen; 2d6 armed guards. 50% chance that an appropriate camp/settlement will be nearby to support the craft (charcoal burning camp; mine; lumber camp; fishing village; windmill; etc.

Raiders

1d6 powerful leaders; 2d6 strong lieutenants; 4d6 thugs - from some culture "somewhere else" - here for thievery and mischief

Elite

This is some sort of out of the ordinary group of Humans, met traveling through the local area. If encountered at night, they will have a nearby camp.

1. Adventure Party
2. Questing Paladin; or Patrolling Ranger (with a unit of Northguard)
3. Errant Knight
4. Shaman (primitive) on vision quest
5. Assassin on a mission
6. Evil High Priest (otherwise, as Religious)

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Others

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This entry represents intelligent beings, that may have a reasonable level (not necessarily advanced, however) of organization and structure, but that are not Humans or Demi-Humans.
In some regions of the Darkearth Plains, it is not necessary to roll on this table.

• In the western part of the plains, near the Lost Mare River, any encounter of this type will be of the intelligent horses of the Great Herd, led by the Khan of All Horses.  
• The area just north of the King's Highway near the Great Owl Forest is home to a federation of tribes of Broo (chaotic evil goat headed beastmen), called the Horned Ones.  
• Along the Greywater River, in the lands of the Storm King Barbarians, there are tribal areas of the Furlingga (a particular language group of Gnolls, very advanced and organized compared to other bands of Gnolls).
• Between the Great Owl Forest and the Terrapin River, in the Terrapin Marsh, there are the notorious Marsh Trolls.
• In the west, where the great sinkholes near the Nightwash River are located, the influence of the Dark Elf Buccaneer kingdoms is significant.
• At the south end of the Lost Mare River, there is the Arriott Bottom Swamp.  A very large community of Lizard Men dwell here.

In all other cases, or where random wandering humanoids are desired, roll on the following table.

Dice	Others
1	Orcs (3d6)
2	Gnolls (3d6)
3	Goblins (5d6)
4	Bugbears (3d6)
5	Yeti (2d6)
6	Forest Folk (random type) (2d6, unless Badger, then only 1)

Notes: In all cases, these will be appropriately armed as per their type, and will likely be accompanied by a number of lesser supportive beings, or henchmen. For instance, a band of Orcs will likely have a variety of different weapons, and shards of leather and metal armor, and will likely be accompanied by as many, again, half-orcs, and perhaps half as many goblins. In all cases, if possible, these will engage first with missile weapons. Entries #1-5 will be led by an evil human (either wizard, evil high priest, thief, or fighter) 40% of the time. Entry #6 has the same chance of being accompanied by a human leader, but in some cases he will be good. If entry 6 turns out to be Badger Folk, then the human is a Questing Partner, on a vision quest together.

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Demi-Humans

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This subtable is a way to determine which of the several types of Demi-Humans that are present within the valley get encountered.  When encountered, Demi-Humans are almost always on their own (nearly inscrutable) business.  This table just gives the broad type that might be expected. 

In certain regions of the Darkearth Plains, there is little reason to roll the dice.  For instance, in the Harp Woods or the Great Owl Forest, almost all Demi-Human encounters will be with Elves.  In the Aghanz Hills, especially near Flintgate, they will be Gnomes.  Up in the Destriel Mountains it will be Dwarves.  Halflings mingle with human habitations, especially with the many towns that are dependent on the Baronial cities.

In other areas, or if variety is simply wished for, the following table can be consulted.

Dice	Demi-Human
1	Elves (3d6)
2	Dwarves (3d6)
3	Gnomes (3d6)
4	Halflings (5d6)
5	Dark Elves (3d6)
6	Faery Folk (5d6)

Elves

Number appearing are mounted elfin knights (elven chainmail, shield, lance, longsword, barded horse), with twice as many foot warriors in attendance (chainmail, polearms).

Dwarves

Each dwarf is a professional - miner, brewer, gemcutter, etc - but also a warrior. Likely to be armed with axes and crossbows, with shield and scale mail.

Gnomes

Each gnome is wearing flexible metal armor (usually chainmail) and armed with short bow, short sword, and carrying a small round shield. 70% chance to be led by an illusionist, either gnome or human.

Halflings

Led by a Sheriff, mounted on a small pony or ass. Others likely to have leather armor, slings, throwing axes, and short spears.

Dark Elves

If encountered during daylight hours, likely to be disguised as good elves. If encountered after dark, likely (65%) to be led by some high level organizer(s) of the band (1d6 driders; mindflayer; evil high priest; vampire

Faery Folk

There are likely to be a mixture of types here - faeries, brownies, pixies, leprechauns, talking animals, and others. Likely (65%) to be led by a noble faery (male or female) mounted on a Pseudo Dragon, with 1d6 retainers similarly mounted.

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Giants

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Dice	Giants
1	Ogres (2d6)
2	Trolls (1d6+2)
3	Firbolg (1d6)
4	Hill Giants (2d6)
5	Frost Giants (1d6)
6	Mountain Giants (1d4)

In the case of Ogres and Hill Giants, these will be led by an evil, high level human (such as an evil high priest, an evil thief, or an evil fighter). Trolls may be being followed (35%) by a band (3d6) of goblins that worship trolls. If so, these will join in any fight that the trolls themselves get involved in.

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Dragons

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Dice	Dragons
1	Ice Wyrm (1d4+1)
2	Wyvern (1d4)
3	Roc (1)
4	White Dragon (1d2)
5	Red Dragon (1d2)
6	Green Dragon (1d2)

If there is more than 1 of these creatures in an encounter, there will be a nest somewhat nearby, that contains 1d4 young.

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Special

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Dice	Special
1	Wildfire (1d6 x 5 miles wide)
2	Zombie Horde (5d6 zombies)
3	Single, powerful undead (lich, vampire, etc)
4	Battlefield
5	Natural Hazard (cliff, quicksand, lightning, etc)
6	Stampeding herd/tribe (roll another encounter to see what it is)

Developments

The past month have been a quiet one here at the Valley of the Old Ones blog, this is with good reason, however creative work on my game setting has not stopped.

First, the reason for the slow down - I have started a new position as an Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science, at Columbus State University, in Columbus Georgia.  This involved not only a change in job locations, but also a major move (across 4 states) for my family.  But the move is done, and we are slowly getting things in our new (great) house settled.

Second, the creative work HAS been continuing, and I will begin posting again this week.  This has been in four areas.

• First, I have finished out rooms 11-41 of the Web of Ostigaar dungeon.  Some great surprises there, and once I am finished I plan to gather the whole adventure into a pdf and post it as a downloadable product.  

• Second, I have been gathering up the materials for the Cult of the White Shadow adventure, and am planning to enhance it somewhat (including the map and key to the estate that the dungeon is attached to, and some NPS stats), and also package it as a pdf file.  

• Third, I have been working on wilderness encounters for the whole Darkearth Plains region of the Valley, where these adventures are located.  The far eastern portion of the Darkearth Plains were developed when I discussed the various settlements of the Storm King Barbarians and their holdings, but the rest of the region have a very distinctive feel.  It is a cold region (more-so in the north, but true throughout), and the local flora are very similar to the last major ice age on Earth, especially in North America.  There are not only the typical late-Pleistocene era animals (megatherium, wooly mammoth, saber cats, wooly rhino, etc), but also some distinctive fantasy variations of these (dire sloth, frost rhinos, etc), and an approximation of fantasy neanderthals (the Shagmen of the Aghanz Hills).

• Fourth, I have resurrected an old dungeon that I wrote up a very long time ago, the Bear Caves of the Mad Dwarf.  It features, among other things, some most excellent undead bears, a crazed dwarf jongleur, and a shrieking gargoyle.  I am writing this up, and setting it in the Valley of the Old Ones setting, and also to submit it to an online project collecting content featuring interesting skeleton encounters.  Skeletal Cave Bears will count for that, I hope.  Especially when they have the ability to phase through walls.

Lass Indol - people of the four seasons

The Lass Indol were a people from out of the west that worshiped the four seasons, and had a matriarchal culture based heavily on music, and magic based on music. It is suspected that the Skalds of the Storm King barbarians have a lot in common with the poet-sorcerers of the Lass Indol.  Over the centuries, these folks, although retaining a marked preference for music, have slowly been assimilated into Westroner culture.  Even their own deities (actually personifications of the seasons) were adopted into the Westron church, as demigods associated with Corrise (the Goddess of Agriculture).  The four demigods are Neuvirra Oss (demigoddess of Spring and Planting), Elongar Suu (demigoddess of Summer and Growth), Olimo Vis (demigoddess of Autumn and the Harvest), and Frigia Nor (demigoddess of Winter and of Feasting).

The Corrisan branch of the Westron Church maintains cathedrals to the four demigods.  The cathedral of Frigia Nor is located in Werms.

Mead Hall - River Jarl Steading (7)

There is a skald's song that starts out "Mead Hall, Mead Hall - Home of Heroes Brave and Tall!"  And it has, indeed, been a home for many heroes over the years.  If there is a Steading of Storm King barbarians that fits the stereotypes that Westroners believe in - it is definitely Mead Hall.

Interior of Mead Hall, preparing for the nightly hero's feast

Mead Hall is structured with a great hall at the center of the settlement, surrounded by huge long houses in a double thick circle around the central hall, and then small plots of artisans, craftsman, and houses of huscarls, etc, out to the edge of the central settlement (which is about a mile across, a little over three miles around the perimeter).  It is all protected by a very tall wooden palisade, and a deep ditch, and a wall of spikes outside the ditch.

The great hall (itself properly referred to as Mead Hall, the rest of it referred to simply as The Steading) is home to the Jarl, his (extended) family, huscarls, women, travelers, wandering warriors, and lots and lots of skalds.  The favorite past-time in Mead Hall is to have warriors go out on adventures, and then come back and have skalds sing of them.

The Jarl and his men, enjoying the tales of the skalds

The current Jarl is Snorri Halftrollsson.  His father, old Halftroll, was the Jarl before, and ruled the hall for some four decades, before being killed on a hunt for giant wooly boar.  Snorri has a wife, and a dozen proper children, not to mention a large number of young women attached to the settlement, who all have children with the curious Snorri twinkle in their eye.  His band of Huscarls numbers close to three hundred, although at any one time more than half of them will be out on adventures, or viking raids.  Snorri's favorite skald, named Alvin Lyremaker, often sings a series of sagas that compare Mead Hall to the great hall in the Storm King's castle at Windkeep.

Windkeep - home of the Storm King

What is commonly known, but not talked about, is that Snorri's sister, perhaps showing more of the troll side of the family, from old Halftroll, is a witch.  She lives in a hovel, outside of the steading, in a marshy place beyond the poorest of peasant farms, but frequently comes into Mead Hall for the nightly feasts, in disguise.  She has a long and burning hatred for Snorri, his men, the steading, and most things from the world of men.  She scorns the religion and culture of her fathers, finding even the worship of Helgor (the Black Chieftain) to be too close to the family of the Storm King.

Instead, this witch, Heizelnag, chooses to worship the demigoddess of the underworld, Noxecatt, a foul creature related to the pantheon of the Westroner Church (the three Goddesses).  In the understanding of Heizelnag, however, Noxecatt is actually a daughter of the Old One deity, the Earth Weaver.  Sufficient understanding of the nature of the Earth Weaver is not known, so that this can be confirmed, however it is suspected among some of the Archivists at Parn Tandalorn. 

Many a hero from Mead Hall has come to a dark, grisly ending due to the magics and summonings worked by Heizelnag against all those allied to her brother, Snorri.

The writeup of the Roaming House of the Elkmen King was originally an adventure location that was part of this article.  It was part of the Week of Adventure Locations, but has been removed to make its own article.

Rookroost - River Jarl Steading (5)

Rookroost is the name of the steading of the Daughters of the River Raven.  It was once an impressive castle, built high on a rocky abutment that rises some 200 feet above the surface of the Erantor river, which runs out of the Great Owl Forest, to join the Greywater River.  Today, the remains of the ancient castle are still standing, but the steading itself is built into the stone mound that it stands upon.

The Erantor is not a particularly wide river at this point (only about 500 yards from bank to bank), but wide enough to require ferries and other means of crossing.  It is also not particularly deep, but it does run swiftly down from the hilly rises of the eastern Great Owl Forest, and cuts deep into the rocky terrain of this area.

Rookroost built into the the rocky escarpment named Carnockle rock.  The ruins of the ancient castle offer a commanding view of the Erantor, and in the distance, even the Greywater can be spotted.

Rookroost is the home of the Daughters of the River Raven.  As a group of Storm King barbarians, this steading is really at odds with the other steadings in the area.  The reason for this is the culture of the Daughters.  The steading is ruled by a woman (which is not unheard of amongst the Storm King tribes), however, all of her huscarls are also women.  This is rare, and it is perpetuated by the culture of the steading.  Long ago, the Black Chieftain, in an attempt to slay the son of the Storm King, put on the disguise of a great black wolf, and he followed Tyrros, the prince of thunder, to a lonely spot on the Greywater, and under cover of darkness, he almost slew the son of the Storm King.  However, Tyrros summoned his two great blue oxen, Glangor and Feory, and they came and trampled the Black Chieftain in his guise as a black wolf. This allowed Tyrros to escape with his life.

The great black wolf lay on the bank of the greywater, bleeding out his life's blood, when he was discovered by runewoman, once very powerful, who lived in the empty towers of the castle what would become to be known as Rookroost.  She was flying in the guise of a giant raven, known as the River Raven (she would fly up and down the Greywater, the Terrapin, and even the Erantor, every night in the form of a giant raven, as part of a curse put on her by a devil, in exchange for her seeing ability).  She saw the wolf, had pity on him, and landed to take care of him.  In daylight, once again in the form of a runewoman, she took him back to her home high up on Carnockle rock, and slowly brought the black wolf back to life.  Some say as a raven she came to love the wolf, some go further to say as a woman she came to love the wolf.  Far to the east, in the Riven Moor, this legend is known, and some attribute the fell beasts and death birds that haunt the barrows there as the children of the River Raven and the black wolf.

The story is as it is, but over the years woman of stature from among the tribes and steadings would occasionally have disagreements with the men of their steading.  In many cases, these would flee to Rookroost and join the community there.  The population of the steading is near to parity - half women and half men - yet those who hold power and positions of authority are all women.  And they all revere the River Raven and her innocent love for the black wolf (even though, when pressed, all would clearly admit that he was the Black Chieftain, or Helgor).

The current leader of the Daughters is Jarless Embra Innamor.  She rules fairly, but does not have much use for trade or bargains with the other steadings.  The Daughters of the River Raven (although this is properly the nickname of Embra Innamor's woman huscarls, it is also applied to the community in general) have a small, but efficient fleet of small dragon ships.  These are able enough to travel up and down the Erantor, down to the Greywater, and can transport fyrd and huscarl warriors, but would not do to stand up to the dragon ships of one of the larger steadings in a battle.

As to the original origins of the castle on Carnockle Rock, it is assumed to be very, very old.  Whether it was built by the Old Ones or not is a matter of conjecture.  When the gather of the Daughters began to dig into the rock to make their steading, they did find a number of underground structures already there.  Some of these still exist, and who knows how many more, still deeper than the Daughters themselves have burrowed out.

There was originally an adventure location that was described as part of this description of Rookroost.  That was part of the Week of Adventure Locations, and it was location number 4, The Celerium of Great Truth, which is a ruined library, halfway between the western edge of Rookroost, and the Great Owl Forest.

Hearth Home - River Jarl Steading (4)

Hearth Home is the ancestral home of the White Wolf, a very long lived warlock (self-styled) that rules with an iron claw, but is also very protective of his people.  The steading itself is a series of stone mead halls, with a central "great hall" that is actually a multilevel towering affair, with lots of balconies and towers.  It stands atop a great dungeon complex, built years ago by the original followers of the White Wolf.

Great Hall of the White Wolf

The palisade-circled city that surrounds the mead halls overlooks a curious feature of the land.  There was once a lake, with a number of streams and a single river (the Moonharp lake, fed by the Shining River) that ran down into the Great Owl Forest.  Many, many years ago there was a fight in this are between Helgor and the Storm Lady, Othero.  In the battle, Othero fired her bow, Icefinger, three times at Helgor.  All three times, Helgor deftly dodged the frozen missiles fired by the Storm Lady.  But all three of them fell into the Moonharp Lake.  The lake itself was instantly frozen by the first, and the ice made thicker and deeper with the two successive shots.  To this day it stands frozen solid, even in the bright sun of the short, but warm, northern summer.

In the middle of the Ice Lake, which itself is 5 miles across, there stands a rough concentric wall and tower, both made of ice.  These have been constructed by the surviving members of a tribe of Fish Men (Ichor Lang) that lived in the lake at one time. There is a rough truce between the Fish Men and the men of Hearth Home, but that truce does not extend to travelers, or others on the eastern shores of the lake.  The culture and practices of the Fish Men has been described as "vile and disgusting - cursed by the gods" by some skalds and rangers that have encountered them.

Ice Castle of the Ichor Lang (Fish Men)

The Shining River has dried up, for the most part, but the lands in and around it are a sort of marshy territory.  The amount of moisture, and free standing water, in the marsh varies widely during the year, and it serves as a hunting ground for some of the far-ranging Fish Men, as well as other beings that live there, and even more that wander up in search of prey, out of the Great Owl Forest.

South of the steading, almost on the border of the Great Owl Forest, stands a curious tower, nicknamed by wanderers from Hearth Home as the "tower of the world's ending".  It is not known where this nickname comes from, but it could be that the rolling hills that the Hearth Home is part of, finally flatten out, and give way to the very dense Great Owl Forest, and the lands of the tower are at the point where they meet.  Or it could have to do with the sorcerer Belue Gorm who built the tower.  Belue Gorm was obsessed with the long forgotten (by sane men) elder beings that the Old Ones worshiped, especially the Lord of Fire.  The sorcerer felt that the world, since the Old Ones had departed, had fallen into corruption and misuse, and that it was the duty of those who remembered the elder beings from the beginning of time (and before) should seek to recall them to this domain.  In order to do that, at least with the Lord of Fire, Belue Gorm was seeking about a way to bring about the end of most of life within the Valley (and else where) by means of magical fire.  How far he got in his studies, and how successful he might have been, it will never be known, for a war party of Elfin warriors came and laid waste to the tower, and threw down the dead body of Belue Gorm.  It is rumored that the White Wolf was asked by the Fey war party for assistance, and refused.  This story is used to explain the curious rift between the men of Hearth Home and any and all representatives of the Seely court.

Tower of Belue Gorm

In spite of what the Elfin warriors wrought against Belue Gorm, the "tower of the world's ending" still stands, and the dungeons underneath it are unplumbed to this day.


During the Week of Adventure Locations, the writeup of The Glade of Time was originally part of this article on Hearth Home.  This was location 4.

Bright Iron Fastness - River Jarl Steading (3)

The current Jarl of Bright Iron is called Garret Fingolsson.  His name is a curious one for a Storm King barbarian - since it includes a Westroner first name, but it was the name his father (Fingol the Just) gave him.

Old Fingol Olavson (called Trollbane in his youth) was visited by wandering priests of the Order of Brother Rudiger.  It was in his youth, shortly after his father, Olav, died.  In order to secure the Steading, young Fingol had to fight and kill his father's brothers (one of which was nicknamed Ymir the Troll, which is where Fingol's nickname of Trollbane came from).

After this family feud was over, however, a traveling Brother of the Order of Brother Rudiger had come out of the Shadow Woods to the east.  Single handedly, the traveling priest had crossed the Blood Veldt, surviving the Sword People, and had come to Bright Iron to preach the virtues of hearth safety and home protection for the poor and down trodden.  The message resonated with Fingol, and he converted from the faith of his fathers (reverence for the Storm King), to this new strange religion of the Three Goddesses.  In so doing, he also began to mimic Westroner culture and Westroner ways.

Fingol waged war on his neighbors who sought to wipe out his ways, and his people that abandoned the old culture.  In this he was not only relentless, but also quite successful.  His smaller but persistent fleet had waged war on the many trading vessels from Seawyrm, an he also raided the Orc Clans to the south east of Bright Iron.  He held an uneasy peace for many years with the woman warriors from the steading of the River Raven.  The money and treasure that his successful campaigns won him were spent on building a large, fine castle of pure white stone, brought from far south on barges up the Greywater river.  This castle, in stone, is unlike the steadings of the other River Jarls, and more closely resembles a fine stone castle of a wealthy Westroner barony.  Naming it Bright Iron Fastness, it his spiry towers toped with sharp peaks made of the curious Bright Iron, or star metal, that is found in some of the quarries in the area.

Bright Iron Fastness - with its towers skytopped in star metal.

This is the world that Garret Fingolsson was born into, and now rules over.  His is a curious mix of traditional Storm King culture, with some of the behaviors, values, and trappings of more typical Westroner culture.  Officially, his "court" speaks Westron, and writes all official documents in Westschrift.  Unofficially, many of the common people (and some higher up on the social scale) speak Destrikking.  Few remain, however, who can read and write the Ainark Runes.

Garret actually tries to foster the home and hearth life style that is common to the Order of Brother Rudiger, which means supporting agriculture and homesteading more than blood feuds and viking raids.  He has a strong fyrd, however, with a loyal corps of huscarls, that are constantly engaged in warfare against the Orc Clans, and occasional freebooters from the other Storm King steadings.

Immediately southeast of Bright Iron, just on the outskirts of the tended agricultural lands under the protection of Jarl Garret's fyrdmen, lay the lands of the Stone Houses.  The Stone Houses are curious round structures, long since out of use by their original inhuman builders, made of stacked stones.  The are similar to a Broch, or round house, that is built by some of the distant Storm King barbarians, however the roofs are all long since rotted off, and some of the stone walls are crumbling. What is curious about the structures, is that they are built for giant beings.  Larger than an ogre, whomever it was that first peopled these stone houses must have been of a great stature, perhaps 15 feet tall?  The typical stone house (as pictured below) has a first story that is partially underground, and then usually two more stories above that, and a peaked roof.  Sometimes the roofs are present (when they were made out of slate or other stone) and sometimes they are long gone (when they were made out of material that would have rotted with age, such as wood or thatch).  The typical structure is approximately 70 tall (at the peak of the roof), and about 80' across the base, at ground level.  Of course, there is variation, so some exist that are taller or shorter, and either bigger or smaller around.

For a long time, back before the Elves retreated to the Seely realms, the early humans in this region would commune with the spirits that haunt the stone houses, learning much from them.  Then they began using the stone houses as hallowed places of the honored dead - depositing chieftains, warriors and shamans among the stone buildings, and decorating them with fine implements and ornaments made of all types of fine metals.  The number of ghosts and spirits in the area grew and grew.  For generations, however, it has been avoided by most people, reputed to be a place of horrible fetches and liches, and other undead beings.

Cutaway of a Stone House - for scale, consider the inhabitants to be 15' feet tall.

During the reign of Fingol, those in the steading that were stubborn about giving up the reverence of the Storm King and his court were slowly identified and either forced to adopt the religion of the Church (of the Three Goddesses), or they were driving out of the steading.  A large number of traditional skalds (bards) and priests of the Storm King (even joined by worshipers of Helgor, the Black Chieftain) sought refuge and shelter among the Stone Houses.  Some of these were infected by the otherworldly beings living there, and became a particularly ghastly type of undead being known as a Helgorfiend. These beings are enraged when confronted by living people (human or otherwise), and will attack viciously (even suicidally) on sight.  They will attempt to bite the poor victims, and in so doing have a chance to convert them to Helgorfiend as well.  Stats will come in a future posting.

This Steading is very close to the area, in the Sildur Reaches, known as The Scorch, and it has some ties to the men of this holding.  Very important ties.

Seawyrm - River Jarl Steading (2)

Seawyrm is the northern most steading of the River Jarls along the Upper Greywater River.  It is still a long way short of the edge of the Destriel Mountains, so the Upper Greywater is quite broad and wide by the time it reaches the shore where Seawyrm is constructed.

The walled town is the seat of the Jarl, Scrimjar the Axe.  Scrimjar has been the Jarl for 48 years, and comes from humble beginnings.  Previous to his reign, the Trondvar clan ruled Seawyrm.  Scrimjar was born as a thrall, to poor serf parents, but rose through the fighting schools to compete in the warrior contests that Seawyrm is known for.  As he got more and more popular, his number of followers (and his monetary winnings) grew.  He eventually had enough to buy his (and his family's) freedom from serfdom, and joined a freebooter dragonship crew to go on viking raids up and down the Upper Greywater river.  Having returned from such a journey as the leader of his ship's crew (and several other liege ships), Scrimjar got into a dispute with the elder Bjarne Trondvar, and it came to a fight of honor, where Scrimjar slew Bjarne's chief huscarl (Holvin Heigvarson), and then Bjarne himself.  Since he has been the ruler of Seawyrm.

Riverfront of the Steading of Seawyrm

The city is known for two things - first, the steep, and strong, walls facing the east.  More on these follows below.  Second, the city is also known for the fleets of dragon ships that it is home to.  Many of these river wolves ply their viking trade up and down the river, and even down into the Greywater itself.  It is not an uncommon report that tells of Seawyrm dragon ships reaching even the Great River.

One of the reasons for the raiding and trading that the dragon ships of Seawyrm are constantly at is because the city has almost no agriculture to boast of.  Almost every household in the walled steading (which has a population of approximately 2500 regular citizens - about a third of which are out of the city at any one time on viking expeditions) boasts some small garden for minor root vegetables and herbs, and it is not uncommon to have some of the northern shaggy goats of the region living on the nearly flat thatched roofs of the peasant houses.  In the trade districts of the city, more common slated and planked roofs are common, but among the commoners (and even some of the trades people) the thatched roofs (and their goats) are common.  It is a source for dairy, and occasionally meat, for a city that has little access to regular agricultural land.

The reason for the steep walls, on the eastern (land facing) side of the Steading is because of the Sword People.  These tribes of vicious and primitive savages are found mostly to the east, across the open plains between the Upper Greywater and the Shadow Woods.  These plains are known as the Blood Veldt.  The Sword People are a simple, bloodthirsty culture of savage barbarians that live in crude tribal groups (with simple shelters of sticks and skins that they erect), and make their basic economy by hunting the wooly rhinos of the Blood Veldt, and the herds of giant reindeer.  Occasionally, and all too frequently, they will have some sort of religious frenzy where the young warriors of the tribes will go on a blood frenzy, traveling in random directions, and slaying any and every living thing they come across, leaving the dead just to rot.  This is where the name Blood Veldt comes from...

Sword People

A curious encounter in the area are the rare Lionman warriors, up from the south of the Great River, who decide to go on a vision quest.  They do this, by traversing (alone, usually, but sometimes with specific companions) the plains between the Upper Greywater and the Shadow Woods for months at a time.  Only senior, experienced warrior shamans can do this, because they must be able to deal with hordes of Sword People that might attack them.  Given the nature of their questing, they do not seek long-term company (unless the companion is one that they decide, from their forays into the spirit world, that they must stay with) but a Lionman warrior would serve as a stalwart against a band of Sword People warriors, if a traveler (or band) encountered them on the lonely plains.

Located nearby is the village of Aderbak - the site of the Princess of Roses, Location 2 in the Week of Adventure Settings.

Icewall - River Jarl Steading (1)

Icewall is the name of the northern most of the River Jarl steadings.  It is the home of a very powerful clan of Storm King barbarians, the Isvater clan.  The current head of the clan is Kolfinn Haukson.  He is an old warrior, ruling his great clan, and his huscarls, with a firm but fair manner.  He has a daughter, Vigdis Kilfinndottr - who is young, lovely, and given to romantic adventures.  She has a group of friends, all young ladies, who attend her on all manner of adventures.

The steading of Icewall stands at the forefront of a great glacier that is slowly making its way down out of the Destriel mountains.  The Terrapin River (sometimes known locally as the Iceflow) comes down out of the glacier, higher up in the mountains, it flows under the ice sheet.  At the edge of the glacier, where the river comes down out of the mountains, there is a cliff wall made of both ice and mountain rockwall, and it is here that Icewall stands.

Isvater clan Steading - Icewall

There are stone pillars in the Terrapin, at this point, and they are all part of a large protected harbor, which houses the Isvater clan's fleet of dragon ships.

The glacier itself is known as the Ice Father, and is home to all manner of dangerous creatures.  In addition to the usual assortment of snow giants, mountain giants, ice trolls and other creatures of the frozen Destriel mountains, additional other creatures that have been spawned by the shadowy practices of renegade ice wizards (all sworn servants of Helgor, the Black Chieftain, god of the underworld in the Storm King pantheon).

Further north, near the headwaters of the Terrapin River, lies the mysterious and enigmatic Plains of Fire.  This is a valley, nestled down amongst the frozen peaks and glacial flows of the Destriel, that is a curious location - it is a fertile green valley, but with jets of flame erupting from among the hot springs and acidic pools that appear among the otherwise inviting green valley floor.  The Plains of Fire also are the spawning grounds of the great dragons of the north.

Some days, across mountains and ice, to the west of the Plains of Fire stands the singular mountain, the Moonspike.  Atop this curious narrow, but incredibly tall, summit stands the magic monolith known as the Great Crystal.  It is rumored, amongst the Archivists of Parn Tandalorn, that the Crystal was formed from the tears of one of the Three Goddesses, and that it is a peculiarly strong focal point of the magic from the Three within the valley.

Located nearby are the famed Dungeons of Igo Umblar (this is location 1 in the Week of Adventure Locations).

Week of Adventure Locations

Over the next week, I am going to work on a series of location descriptions - of the eight Steadings of the Greywater Jarls (Storm King Barbarians).  These are the strongholds/capitals of the various land holdings of the eight powerful barbarian tribes in the valley around the Greywater and Terrapin rivers.

These are the seats of power for these powerful Storm King barbarian rulers.  In some cases they represent the sort of palisade-surrounded towns that are common in medieval Scandinavia, on Earth.  In others they represent actual castles, made of a variety of materials.

Where appropriate, the surrounding elements of the region (named, but hardly described, in the posting River Jarls of the Greywater (Map)) are also enclosed.

These will be done in numerical order (1-8) as per the numbered key to the map.

Storm King Barbarians

Before the three Goddesses were worshiped by the Westroners.  Before even the Westroners came into the valley, the northern peoples (all those north of the Great River) knew and worshiped Bronc, the Storm King.  He is an old deity, who was even known by the Old Ones, but the details of the relationship are not known these days.

The peoples who, since long ago, have remained true to the Storm King culture are divided up into tribes.  There are an unknown number of tribes across the northern frontier of the Destriel Mountains, however there is a concentration of various powerful tribes in and around the lands between the Great Owl Forest and the Shadow Woods.  This includes along the shores of the Greywater River, and also the Terrapin River.  The tribesmen are found throughout the region, however, due to the strong emphasis placed in the culture to go a-viking (raids for booty and adventure).

The tribes in the regions around the Greywater are in some ways rivals of the Westron Baronies, at least how they existed hundreds of years ago, when they were first formed.  There are a variety of the tribes in this area strong enough and numerous enough to have formed (small) cities.  These cities are walled wooden structures, usually with a deep moat around the outer wall.  Many of the Jarls who rule these cities are wealthy enough that they can field sizable fleets of dragon ships along the Greywater and Terrapin rivers.

 Because of the concentration of tribesmen that settle in and around these cities, there is actually a reasonably well defined economy, with all variety of specialty craftsmen.  Because of this, the military technology available to not only the huscarls and fyrdmen, but also to freebooters and adventurers nearly rivals that of the Westron Baronies.  Storm King barbarians disdain, as a whole, armor heavier than chainmail, and also the use of the pike and of the crossbow.  Preferred weapons are the sling, javelin and bow for ranged combat, and the broadsword and battleaxe for hand-to-hand combat.

In addition to the cities of the more powerful tribes, there are numerous smaller villages dotting the region. Many of these are peopled primarily by a single tribe, to also include those that marry in (either by arrangement, or as the result of viking raids).  These tribes are also protected wooden affairs, with wooden buildings, and occasionally (when built along either a main river, or a navigable tributary) with slips for dragon ships, and other craft.  Many of these villages (almost all) are direct fiefdom holdings of the more powerful Jarls, and so owe fyrdmen - feudal warriors - to the Jarl whenever he has a need for them.  When they are NOT enfiefed to the Jarl the fyrdmen either take care of their own small land holdings (animals and crops) or are out on viking raids.

  While animals are used for labor and muscle power (both in transport, and agriculture), there is not a strong horse riding culture among the Storm King barbarians.  Other animals are domesticated, and occasionally ridden, and these include giant rams, wooly rhinos, bison, great bears, and even (occasionally) giant snowy owls from the Great Owl Forest.

Bardic Colleges

There are three widely recognized Bardic Colleges among the Westron Baronies, and also a distributed Bardic Circle amongst the tribes of the Storm King.

The three Bardic Colleges are located in the cities of Botts, Ockham and Gorrem.  These are responsible for training in the craft and science of being a Bard.  Within the Westron Baronies, and elsewhere, being a Bard can take on a number of different titles.  Almost every castle of any size has a Troubadour, Jester, Minstrel or other educated musician.  These sometimes appear to be Fools who only entertain their masters and the household, but they are finely trained in music, the ability to tell and remember a tale, as well as the ability to recall and pass on important information.  Some Bards progress in the science of Magic as well.  In addition to the castle Bards, there are many traveling Bards who bring news and information from place to place, as well as undertaking adventures and quests.

Each Baron with any sort of money also maintain a number of Heralds (more on that in a later post), many of which are also formally trained as Bards.  While the City of Narn professes to have a College of Heralds (which one time was responsible for all nobility patents and lists throughout the Westron Baronies, now that has largely localized), all those who participate are educated at one or more of the Bardic Colleges listed here.

• In Gorrem, the Bardic College of Maelwyn (a master of the night harp from ancient times) is located.  It is housed within the Tower of Druaqua, and the Master of the Tower is Chief Harper Terr Ondway.
• In Botts, the Bardic College of  Brandismore is located at Feyd Hall.  The Lute Master of the Hall is Mistress Leanarra Gwayne.
• In Ockham, the Bardic School of Arts is housed in the ancient castle Larkstone Heights (once a building of the Old Ones, constructed of a mysterious green stone).  The headmaster of the school is Chanter Stuven Fivestar.

Almost all tribes or settlements amongst the Storm King tribes have a bard who is resident to that people.  They don't have a formal school for training, but do all by word of mouth from one generation to the next (in the old fashion that the Westroners used to observe, before the establishment of the three Colleges).

The concept of a Bard is unknown amongst the Sun King tribes.