Hogun Mark

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Hogunmarktable of contentsHalder Alvissons Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Wjulf s Saga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Culture and Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14People of Hogunmark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Holdings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Rumors, Secrets, and Plots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Strategy and Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

creditsWritten by Carrie A. Bebris

Edited by Anne BrownCreative Direction by Karen S. BoomgardenCover and C onceptual A rt by Tony Szczudlo

Interior Art by Roel W. WielingaArt Direction by Bob Galica

Page Backgrounds by Starr M ahoneyGraphic Design by Don Danowski

Cartography by Roy Boholst and Dennis KauthTypesetting by Nancy J . Kerkstra

Prepress Coordination by Donna Woodcock

With t hanks to A nne Brown, D uane M axwel l, and EdStark for playtesting and suggestions; M atthew J. N or-ton fo r i n t rodu c ing me to t he Ice land i c sagas; JonPickens, C indi M . Rice, and Steven E. Schend for amost pr ophet ic luncheon; and A lexander B ebr is forexploring with me the unt amed beauty of Alaska.

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hen Queen F reila departed on avision quest, all thought she wouldsoon return. I nstead, her death has

plunged H ogunmark into chaos; its many jarlsnow squabble over who among them is therightful ruler. Your character has a strongclaim, but is tainted by charges of treason.Can your PC unify the domains warring clansbefore the White Witch sweeps in to takeHogunmark as her own?

what you need to playThis domain sourcebook is an accessory forthe B I RT H R I GH T campaign setting. You oryour D ungeon M aster (D M ) need theB IRTHRIGHT boxed set, as well as the AD&D

P l ayer s H andbookand DU N G E O N MASTER

G uide. The Rju r i k H igh landscampaign expan-sion is also strongly recommended.

how to use thissourcebookThe H ogunmar k domain sourcebook detailsthe people, land, customs, and culture ofH ogunmark, a Rjurik domain on C eril iasnorthern frontier. Queen F reila, the rulerdescribed in The Rju r i k H igh landsaccessory,has died, leaving the domain without a clearsuccessor. This book assumes your playercharacter (PC ) is one of her six landed jarls(though you can play a different type of char-acter i f you choose). Your P C has thestrongest claim to the thonebut still must

prove worthy of it.Players of nonregent characters who live in

or come from Hogunmark will also find thisdomain sourcebook useful. The independentstreak known to H ogunmarks people makesthis domain an ideal home for any adventurer.

Once youve finished reading this source-book, pass it along to your DM . Explain whatyou want to keep or change about the domain,and point out adventure ideas that are impor-tant to your character. With your DM , decideon material that will make H ogunmark thedomain you want your PC to rule while fittingyour DM s vision of the campaign.

N ote that many character descriptionsherein use abbreviations to denote race, class,gender, bloodlines, and so on. These standardB IRTHRIGHT abbreviations are detailed in theRu ins o f Em p i rebook in the boxed set and inThe Rjur ik H ighlandsaccessory.

Domain SourcebookWW

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y lord, allow me to express my shockand sadness upon hearing of QueenFreilas death. I was in Aaldvika when

I heard the news; as I traveled to Veikanger Imade several stops to survey popular opinionand spread a little cheer where I could. Withyour permission, I will relate the tales and con-

jecture currently circulating the realm.

the queens questwave of unease crashes upon H ogun-marks shore tonight, as people fearwhat Queen Freilas untimely death por-

tends. When the queen left on her vision quest,her advisers and jarls seemed confident of hersafe return. Not since Hogunmarks first kinghas a ruler experienced a prophetic dream; allbelieved the queen to be graced by Erik with thedoom of true fate. H er subjects grieve that shedied before fulfilling her destiny.

All know the essentials of F reilas departure.

During the Festival of M idwinter Night, thequeen announced that she had received aprophetic dream from Erik, and that she wouldleave on the morrow to fulfill a quest he

entrusted to her. Freila refused to divulge anydetails of the quests nature. I can tell you thatmany of us were relieved when, at the urgings

of N jorna the Seer, the queen invested you,my lord, with the regency of her holdings,even though she remained attached to therealm itself. Njorna, as you recall, recom-

mended you specifically, but the queendecided for herself how much power to

grant you at this time.

Then, two days agoscarcely aweek after Freilas departure

Njorna experienced a visionwhich she interpreted to

mean that Freila haddied. N ews of Freilas

death thusarrived in

such anunusual mannerthat some are beginningto speculate about the circum-stances of her quest andher death. Thequeen told no one the details of her mission,nor even the direction in which she traveled.And for her to leave with winters wrath anever-present threat seemed questionable judg-ment for a wise leaderFreila lived all her lifein H ogunmark and well knew the hazards ofwinter travel.

It is understandably hard for those who lovedFreila to trust unquestioningly the words of herseer. Though Njorna has served the domain for along time, her mysterious trances and fits leadone to wonder whether her visions come fromErik or a darker, more sinister power. H ow,then, can anyone accept with certainty that thequeen died as revealed in N jornas visions?

Already, rumors suggest that perhaps N jornamisinterpreted her latest dream, or even some-how manipulated the queen into taking the jour-ney in the first place. Who knows, people specu-late, how this strange womans powers work, orof what they are capable?

As suspicion falls on Njorna, its shadow taintsyou as well. H ruthwulf, the queens steward, hascontacted several jarls with the news that thequeen invested you only after N jornas urging.According to H ruthwulf, he administeredF reilas holdings during all of her previousabsences and was prepared to do so this time.H e is suspicious that N jorna insisted that the

queen invest someone with her regency; thatsuspicion carries over to you, as the recipient ofher holdings. H ruthwulf further implies thatonly reluctantly did the queen agree to a partialinvestment. This half-measure, some surmise,demonstrates the queens reservations aboutNjornas motives and your involvement.

I am told that the seer now confines herselfto her quarters, as visions are coming uponher more frequently and she is having increas-ing difficulty interpreting them. Hruthwulf,meanwhile, harbors great suspicion and mis-trust toward you and Njorna, and busies him-self searching for evidence of conspiracy.

domestic affairshe other jarls impatiently await the

J arl s C ounci l that will convene i napproximately three monthsas soon

as the spring thaw permits safer travel. A t thattime they will choose Hogunmarks next ruler.Prepare yourself for a fight, my lord, if you

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intendto pursue your

claim to the throne.Your own clan will almost

certainly support you, but you know thatthe hatreds rooted in the C lan Wars so manycenturies ago still run deep. The blood feudbetween the Yngvi clan and the Rolulf clan stillsimmers, and the H eimdjor clan becameinvolved when they allied with the Yngvi twocenturies ago. The Jarvyll has maintained anuneasy truce with the Otryff since the marriageof their oldest children four years ago, but it issaid that the Otryffs son beats his wife and thather father may soon break the peace. Jarl Jarvyllcould be supported in this endeavor by theHjarni clan, who are ancient allies of the Jarvyllbut who might not want to jeopardize their owntenuous peace with the Rolulf clan, who areallied with the Otryff. This intricate web of

alliances and ancient hatreds will make diplo-macy a challenge indeed.Your clans allies may support you if the cost

is not too dear; your clans enemies will opposeyou on principle alone. Some will seek tostrengthen their own claims by sowing seedsof doubt about you in the minds of neutralpartiesand the circumstances of the queensdeath provide fertile ground for conjecture,expectation, and surmise.

The jarls of H ogunmarks four nomadicclans, though they possess no voting power,have both an interest in and opinions aboutthe succession. Expect even Axel Tjarlhan,

leader of the reclusive J arnkasspel clan, toattend the council . You can also count onGunnar, leader of the Aegilsgaard, to partici-pate in the discussionsand to wield a fairamount of influence in them. A ll the other

jarls hold great respect for Gunnars old war-rior opinions.

external threatshorjak the Green, whose wise counselH ogunmarks rulers have always val-ued, told me that he has been listening

to the land to discern its mood. The wind car-ries a song of disquiet, he said, whispering ofchange and tumult. I sensed that he spoke ofthe kingdoms internal strife as well as outsidethreats. The White Witch has snatched threeof H ogunmarks provinces since coming topower; all know that she would dearly love toannex our entire domain. Before embarkingon her quest, Queen Freila hinted that she leftto aid the fight against a dark power. What

darker enemy does Hogunmark have than thepriestess of an evil goddess with the essence ofa still more evil god in her veins?

Hogunmark also faces threats from the south.The Scarlet Baron grows ever more bold in hisraids on Valkheim. Though the Aegilsgaard clanskillfully defended the province against the orogleaders last attack, some say the baron hasrecently allied himself with a powerful sorcererwho uses death magic to aid the Blood Skulltroops in battle. Hogunmark has lost much landthrough the centuries to practitioners of wiz-ardly magic; a new spellcaster in the region doesnot bode well for the domain.

Hruthwulf cautions that the bandits of Rjuvikmight take advantage of Hogunmarks currentleaderless state to front an assault and attemptto expand their borderand the only provincein H ogunmark that shares a border with Rjurikis the one in which the capital lies. The realmsother city, Aaldvika, faces a far more unusual

crisis: I f Vika Glacier continues to calve, ice-bergs could eventually render Hogunmarks onlyport inaccessible, forcing Hogunmark to createa new link with the outside world.

Fortunately, J ankaping appears to pose lit-tle threat to Hogunmark, as King Alnors king-dom absorbs his full attention. H owever, withthis western neighbor tottering on the brink ofcivil war, no aid is likely to be forthcoming,either.

the path aheadtempest lies ahead, my lord. Thevisionary has seen i t; Thorjak hasheard it; even the jarls seem to feel it.

The people know not where to turn, and maycling to anyone who offers a steady hand. Ifyou truly believe yourself capable of leadingHogunmark through this critical time, youmust prove your worth before the clansfall sway to another.

You know that as a skald, I mustremain a neutral party in all matters.

Though I cannot choose sides, I dooffer my assistance and diplomaticskills in resolving the situation.

M ay I someday tell this talewith a happy ending.

Ever at your service,Halder Avisson

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ike other Rjuirk domains, Hogunmarkentrusts the chronicling of its history tooral historiansits skalds. Hundreds of

tales compose H ogunmarks full historyfartoo many to set down in the pages of a singlebook. But one series of stories forms the coreof H ogunmarks history: Wjulf s Saga, namedfor the domains first ruler who foresaw manyof the events that have since come to pass.Written down here for the first time, WjulfsSaga is told every year on M idwinter Night bythe skald Halder Alvisson.

Oral historians conventionally mark timefrom major local events: in the twenty-sev-enth year of the Clan Wars, or in the eighthyear of Breyanas reign. For the sake of non-

Rjurik readers, calendar years in H aelynsC ount (which takes as its starting point theBattle of M ount Deismaar) appear in paren-theses for reference.

tale of the sevenprophecies

ur ancestors came to this land, Cerilia,with the great evil of the Shadow inpursuit. F leeing by boat from Aduria,

they did not drop anchor until they reachedthe northern shores of the Tael F irth. Therethey lived until the Battle of M ount Deismaar,in which the ancient god Reynir sacrificedhimself to save his Rjuven children, and his

champion Erik ascended to godhood. Ourancestors fought bravely at Deismaar and

brought much honor to their clans. Butthese deeds are matter for other stories.

In the years following the great battle,the Anuirean man Roele sought to build

an empire in the south. Roeles ambi-tion knew no bounds, and soon hiseye turned northward. H is soft sol-

diers, dependent on their metalarmors, were no match for ourRjurik warriors. But sadly, his

soft words conquered manyRjurik minds.

Thus it came topass that the

Taelshore

domains freelyjoined the AnuireanEmpire a mere quarter-centuryafter winning their independence fromthe evil of A zrai. Some R juri k, however,refused to bow to Anuirean domination.

Twelve clans answered the call of freedomand traveled north to the unexplored territorybeyond the Aald and H jarring rivers. Theydeparted settlements throughout the Taelshoreregion over a period of several years. TheRolulf and Gautrakka clans departed Jankap-ing for the lure of the frontier; the Jarvyll,

Trygvaar, and Kjarr clans left H alskapa; theH eimdjor and Aegilsgaard clans migratedfrom Svinik; the Otryff clan fled Rjuvik; the

Jarnkasspel clan left Stjordvik; and the H jarni,Yngvi, and Halskorrik clans departed H jal-sone, the domain now called Dhoesone.

The clans lived as independent entities inthe vast highland frontier, having little contactwith each other. Each clan had its own leader,its own laws, and its own ways of li fe. Nonesettled in any particular area, prefering to con-sider the entire territory its home.

Our ancestors, however, were not the onlycreatures who lived on the frontier. The clanssoon found themselves plagued by orogs andgoblins to the south, elves to the east, andtrolls, ogres, and fhoimorien giants throughoutthe territory. I ndividually, the clans could notsurvive the repeated attacks of these groupsbut together, they could.

One man rose to the challenge of uniting thetwelve disparate clans. Wjulf, jarl of the Yngviclan, is said to have had the doom of true fate.A hero of Deismaar, he survived both that greatbattle and the Anuirean War of Empire to leadhis clan to the freedom of the frontier lands.But Erik had one last charge for him.

One night, Wjulf experienced a dream inwhich a great serpent attacked twelve wolves,one at a time, and slaughtered all of them. Thefollowing night he again dreamed of the ser-pent attacking the wolvesbut this time thewolves fought as a pack and defeated the ser-pent. When Wjulf awoke, he recognized the

wolves (Reynirs totem animal) as the Rjurikclans and the serpent (Azrais totem) as vari-ous threats to the clans survival. He immedi-ately set out to meet with the jarls of eachclan, urging a united front against those whowould drive Eriks faithful from the land.

The jarls, reluctant to relinquish their sover-eignty, agreed to a loose confederation for thepurpose of mutual defense. Respecting Wjulfsrenowned military prowess and the honor he

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M idsummer Day. The Yngvi clan, it wasassumed, would chose a new jarl from among itsfinest male warriors before the council convened.

But the Yngvi clan had already acceptedWjulfs daughter, Breyana, as its new jarl. Suchgreat respect did the clan hold for Wjulf thatall hoped his daughter embodied her fathersnoble spirit and keen intellect. They knew, too,that she had inherited some of the mysteriousabilities that had come upon her father andothers who witnessed the godsdeath at Deis-maar. They did not understand these abilitiesbut neither did they fear them, for theybelieved the powers to be a sign of the godsfavor, and called them godsgifts.

Breyanas kinsmen advised her to disguiseherself as a man so that the other jarls at thecouncil would listen to her words. They gave hermens clothes and taught her to move and speakas men do. Breyana concentrated so hard on herlessons that she invoked a godsgift none had

seen before: H er appearance actually altered tobetter resemble that of a man. Breyana prac-ticed using this ability until she could bring it onat will, then set out for the council.

The jarls arrived at the meeting place withtheir retinues; the twelve then prepared tomove into the grove for private discussion.

Traditionally, the king would have led them,but in his absence, the jarls approached as agroup. When they attempted to enter thegrove, however, they could notsome unseenforce opposed them. The chiefs then tried toenter the grove one at a time. E leven jarlsfailed. The last, the new jarl of the Yngvi clan,

passed through without trouble. The otherswere then permitted entry.

The land wishes for the Yngvi jarl to rule,they said. You look familiar to us. To whomdo we swear loyalty?

At that moment, Breyana revealed her trueappearance to the other jarls. I am Breyana,Wjulfs daughter and jarl of the Yngvi clan.

The other jarls gasped in amazement butthen swore fealty to her, for Wjulfs first

prophecy had been fulfilled.Years later, in the eighth year of

Breyanas reign (61 HC), the landexperienced a terrible winter. The

cold weather set in much earlierthan expected and was harsher

than any our ancestors hadever experienced. Food was

scarce and the wolveswere both fierce and

bold. M anyHoguns died

becausetheir nomadicways had not allowedthem time to adequately preparefor the bitter season that lay ahead.

During those frigid months, Queen Breyanaspent much time in thought and prayer to Erik.

The following spring, she announced that herpeople would never again suffer such heavycasualties when nature chose to set her own cal-endar. With the support of several jarls, thequeen founded two permanent settlements. Thefirst lay near the grove where the jarls held theirannual council; this she named Veikanger andestablished as Hogunmarks capital. The other,at the head of the Aald River, she named Aald-vika. She invited members of all of H ogun-marks clans to populate both settlements, hop-ing that the fledgling communities would gainstrength from diversity.

The queen asked her own clan, Yngvi, torule Aaldvika and its environs; she claimed forherself and her descendents rulership ofVeikanger and its surrounding lands. ThreeclansJarvyll, H eimdjor, and H jarniagreedto settle in the two villages. The remainingeight clans chose to honor the old ways. Theydid not wish to give up their nomadic lifestylesfor the soft life of the cities.

Thus it happened that Hogunmark becamea domain of two peoples: those who settled intowns and those who roamed the land. Thus,Wjulfs second prophecy was fulfilled.

H ere the saga breaks of f for a period o f severacentu ries. Alt hough H alder A lvisson kn ows manta les that t ook p lace dur in g th is t im e, they arst o r i e s o f i nd i v i dua l he ro i sm , no t o f dom a i nchanging incidents, and t hey do not fulf i l l any oW julf s pro phecies.

D ur i ng th is per iod, the nomadic c lans l i vedmuch as they always had; the sett led clans, meanwhi le, retained many of t heir ways but adjusted tthe permanence of village life. I n all, it w as a relatively peaceful t im e, pun ctuated by periodi c raidand battles wit h or ogs, elves, and ot her lo cal enemies, as well as the occasional clan feud. The issueo f emp i re wh ich consumed the at t en t i on o f t h

southern Rjur ik r ealms were of litt le impor t to f rotier H ogunmark and its independent people.

the clan wars talehen K ing Thorvald died without anheir (681 H C), his nephew Bjarni,son of Thorvalds brother Soren,

asserted a claim to the throne. M ost of the

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jarls acceptedBjarnis bid, but the

Trygvaar clan rejected him.Wjulfs descendents have served us

well, the Trygvaar said, but it is time for anew clan to lead Hogunmark, one that betterremembers the old ways. The Yngvi and othersettled clans have become soft. H ogunmarkrequires a true Rjurik to guide her.

Bjarni and the Yngvi took great insult inthese words. You slight our honor to advanceyour own cause, they said. It is you who for-gets the noble ways of our ancestors.

Soon war broke out between the two clans.The Yngvi called on the rest of the clans foraid against the treasonous Trygvaar, claimingthat the upstarts threatened to destroy thedomain. M eanwhile, the Trygvaar soughtalliances with the other nomadic clans, saying

that the settled clans would divide the land ofH ogunmark among themselves. M ost of thenomadic clans sided with the Trygvaar exceptfor the K jarr, who remained loyal to Wjulf sdescendents.

For 26 years, civil war shook H ogunmark.M any great warriors died, including Bjarni andhis sons. The Kjarr clan, which had no perma-nent fortifications, was preyed upon as a trai-tor by all the other nomadic clans and com-pletely destroyed. The Ygnvi and Trygvaarclans also suffered many deaths.

In the twenty-seventh year of the Clan Wars(708 H C), the Trygvaar himself was killed in a

raid. H is son, Valthjor, agreed to a Jarls Coun-cil to negotiate peace. There, it was decidedthat each of the remaining eleven clans wouldbe offered a province within H ogunmark torule as its own. K ings and queens, to whomthe jarls would pay vassalage, would be chosenfrom among the jarls of the settled clans; theywould control holdings of office and rule anyunclaimed provinces. C lans that chose toremain nomadic would be sovereign untothemselves, but allowed to freely move acrossprovince borders. Jarls of nomadic clans couldattend the J arls Council, but would not begiven a vote.

The Trygvaar, G autrakka, A egilsgaard,J arnkasspel, and Halskorrik clans remainednomadic. The Yngvi, J arvyll, H eimdjor, andH jarni clans, already settled, chose to ruleprovinces. The Otryff and Rolulf clans, whichuntil this time had held fast to their nomadicways, also chose to settle and rule provinceslest they lose a voice in Hogunmarks govern-ment. The Jarls Council chose Arildnar, jarl ofthe Jarvyll clan, as king.

A nd so K ing Wjulf s third and fourthprophecies came true, for the clans slew one oftheir own and Hogunmark became a land ofmany provinces.

the sorcerers

talehe year the Anuirean Empire fell (973HC), a stranger appeared in northeast-ern H ogunmark. I t was at fi rst said

that this A nuirean man journeyed to theNorthlands seeking peace from the chaos andcivil wars of the broken empire. But he soonrevealed his true purpose.

N o one ever learned the strangers realname. H e became known simply as the Sor-cerer, for he used wizardry toward his ownevil ends. The Sorcerer sought to create an

empire of his own by conquering lands alreadyruled by others.In the wilds of Folda Fjord, the Sorcerer

created a stronghold which no armyhumanor elvencould breach. F rom there he madewar on H ogunmark and L luabraight, hopingto carve a domain of his own between them.Calling upon the forces of evil, he manipulatedundead legions and other unspeakable horrorsinto doing his bidding. The Hogun provincesof Pitea, Nordcapp, and Boden fell one by oneunder his domination, for no permanent set-tlements existed to help hold them, and eventhe stoutest warriors recoiled in fear at the

sight of the Sorcerers servants.These four H ogunmark provinces thus

became known as the Sorcerers D omain.Over the centuries, they came to be held bymany regents, but no one can say when therule of one ended and that of the next began.Each ruler was a wizard, and each claimedthe name the Sorcerer during his reign.

Hogunmark even lost one of its clans tothe Sorcerers Domain. The capturedprovinces were the traditional roaminggrounds of the Trygvaar. Havingalways felt a stronger tie to the landthan to the political power that

ruled it, the clan elected to liveunder the Sorcerers gazerather than find newhunting grounds.

About thirtysummers afterestablishing

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his domain, the Sorcerer turned his eye southtoward L luabraights western forests. Theelves, themselves wielders of wizardly magic,posed a greater challenge to the Sorcerersundead legions and other minions than thesmall nomadic H ogunmark clans.

The war lasted for centuries, with neitherside willing to concede. The Sorcerer hiredmany mercenaries to supplement his magicallegions, and finally managed to overcome theelves by sheer numbers. By the time K ingGaret ruled H ogunmark (1249 to 1271 HC),L luabraight had lost some of its outlyinglandsthe provinces now called Mandal andVejle. The elf realm retained Oulu and the landto the south of these provinces, howeverwith the unwelcome help of the Jarnkasspelclan. That story is related in Keldens Tale.

In the following two centuries, Hogunmarkcontinued to slowly lose ground to the Sor-cerer as his mercenary armies conquered

Rovan, southern Solung Bank, and Torne.M any of the Sorcerers hired swords becamepermanent residents of the Sorcerers Domain,for its ruler paid them well. A few becametrusted lieutenantscalled jarls, after localcustomto whom the Sorcerer delegated theadmini stration of hi s realm while he con-ducted magical research.

This trust eventually proved his undoing.Forty-six winters ago (1478 H C ), the Sor-cerers most trusted jarl took advantage of hismasters distraction to plot his overthrow. The

jarl, Gunnar, succeeded. But he did not realizethat an observant and power-hungry student

watched and learned from his every move. Six-teen years later, G unnars niece ascended tothe throne after the jarls untimely death.

This fearsome ice queen, priestess of an evilgoddess, preaches expansion at all costs.

Hogunmark has lost three more of its easternprovincesand many of its finest warriors

to the troops of this White Witch. Theawnshegh excels at stirring the Blood Skullorogs into aggression against Hogunmarks

southern provinces, then using the dis-traction to attack the eastern provinces.

Despite the military leadership ofQueen F reila and the courageous

fighting of the clans, the Realm ofthe White Witch now counts

northern Solung Bank,Soroya, and Kandalask

among its provinces.(The Witch also

renewed

hostilities withLluabraight, conqueringOulu, Innherad, H alten, andBjornoya.) K ing Wjulfs fifth prophecyhas come true: The Bjark River now dividesHogunmark from its aggressive neighbor.

keldens taleuring the reign of K ing Brynjolf (1271to 1292 HC), L luabraight still shareda border with H ogunmark but was

quickly losing ground to the Sorcerer. I n thesixth winter of Brynjolfs rule, the elves foundthemselves once again struggling to hold theirnorthwestern territory, the province calledOulu.

Kelden, jarl of the Jarnkasspel, happened

upon a fierce battle as his clan moved south tomeet the Blood Skull orogs. Realizing that theelves would make a strong ally against theircommon enemiesthe Scarlet Baron and theSorcererK elden ordered his warriors to jointhe battle on the side of the elves.

The clans support enabled the elves to winthe day. For the first time in H ogunmark his-tory, human and elf fought on the same side.During the fight, Kelden saved the life of awounded female elf by healing her with hisgodsgift.

When the battle ended, the elf commanderapproached Kelden with fury. The elves of

L luabraight do not need human help to keepwhat is ours. Be gone from here at once or weshall prove it.

Kelden had no desire to break the sullentruce Hogunmark shared with Lluabraight, sohe and his troops withdrew to Solung Bank.

That night he had a surprise visitor: the femaleelf he had saved.

I offer words of thanks my father wouldnot give, she said. You have saved my life; Ishall serve you until I can repay the favor.

The elf F ianna lived many years among theJarnkasspel clan, for K elden was a fine war-riorthey fell in love long before he had need

of F iannas offer. And thus, many believe,Wjulfs sixth prophecy was fulfilled.

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hose who li ve in H ogunmark some-times think of their realm as twolands:one of winter and one of summer, one

of tundra and one of taiga, one of darknessand one of light. A true Hogun, it is said, findsbeauty in all seasons and all places.

climatet its northernmost point, H ogunmarklies about 5 degrees south of Aebry-niss arcti c cir cle, or at approxi-

mately 60 degrees north latitude. Becauseof its proximity to the north pole, the landreceives about five hours of daylight at win-

ter solstice and 20 hours of daylight at sum-mer solstice.H ogunmark generally experiences pleasant

summers and frigid winters. Summer temper-atures can climb as high as 85 degreesFahrenheit in the forest, but usually hover inthe high 50s right along the coast. Wintertemperatures throughout the domain canstay below zeroand feel even colder due tostrong northern windsfor many weeks at atime. Precipitation ranges from 50 to 200inches annually, falling most heavily in thecoastal provinces. H igher amounts are notunusual; Roykenskapa has been known to

receive 400 inches of snow during particu-larly brutal winters.

geographyisitors to H ogunmark are continuallyamazed by the vastness of thisuntamed, uncivilized land. Its dense

pine forests, wide-open expanses of tundra,and miles of ice-choked coastline seem to goon forever.

permafrostH ogunmark is underlain by what some schol-ars call discontinuous permafrost. To thenatives, this simply means that the subsoilremains frozen for stretches of two or moreyears before experiencing a thaw. This condi-tion can affect natural and manmade featuresin a number of ways (but the H oguns havedevised clever means to circumvent theseproblems): F or example, structures built while

the ground is frozen may sink or tilt when iteventually thaws, and in warmer months, hun-dreds of ponds and marshes dot the tundrabecause the ground is unable to absorb rain-water and melted snow.

forestThe provinces of G undviir, H jolgrun, andValkheim lie entirely within the thick Rjuriktaiga. The dense timberland of these provincescomprises miles of paper birch, quakingaspen, white spruce, and pine species. Theforests throughout the realm produce enoughtimber to provide Hogunmark with a healthylumber trade without excessive cutting thatwould damage the environment.

The forest does not end decisively where itmeets the tundra. While southern D jaalfund,F joltyr, and B jarkheim lie within the deepexpanses of taiga, the northern edges of those

provinces experience a thinning of the trees.The heavy spruces and firs give way to scrubtrees, smaller and spindlier than their south-ern neighbors, and create acres of dwarf for-est. As the climate grows colder to the north,trees often grow for years on shallow rootsabove the permafrost; when the thaw comes,the pines sink and tilt. The off-balance, totter-ing look of such trees earns these regions thenickname drunken forests.

The dwarf forests eventually give way toshrubbery and laurels, then tundra.

tundraWhen the folk of C erilias southern climatesthink of tundra, they generally envision flatexpanses of unyielding frozen wastelandwhere ice and snow cover the treeless terrain,and frigid northern winds slice through lay-ers of clothing to bite those who venture outof warm homes.

That is tundra in winter.In summer, the tundra comes alive

with plant and animal life. Though thesubsoil remains frozen, the topsoilthaws and retains large amounts ofwater, forming hundreds of small

marshes and ponds, and enablingthe land to support manyspecies of moss, lichen,sedge, and other low-growing vegetation.Because vegetativeresidue over the

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centuries has built up a generous layer of peat,and because the roots of existing plants are soshallow, tundra actually forms a soft carpetthat springs when travelers walk on it.

The summer tundra bears one of H ogun-marks greatest sources of natural beauty:wildflowers. In late spring and summer, theplains explode in color as millions of wildflow-ers awaken. The land displays hundreds ofvarieties including arctic lupine, cotton grass,fireweed, forget-me-nots, marsh marigolds,primroses, and twinflowers.

Wild blueberries, cloudberries, crowberries,raspberries, and poisonous baneberries alsoadd to the panorama of color. H ighbush cran-berries are one of E riks blessings; the shrubsnever drop their f rui t in autumn, and thefrozen berries have been known to save wintertravelers from starvation.

Seven of H ogunmarks provinces featuretundra as their primary terrain: A ldrud,

Horvliik, J arnborg, Njorldar, Oelfrun, Sehaka,and Sjaruud. Though several of them supportnomadic clans in summer, only Njorldar hostshuman occupation in the winterand even theintrepid Gautrakka clan retreats to the forestsnear Aaldvika during the harsh winter months.

glaciers and riversHogunmark is home to two small glaciers in theprovinces of Djaalfund and Hjolgrun. The glaci-ers are thought by scholars to be remnants of a

continentalglacier that once coveredthe region. (Commonfolk harborsuspicions that they are the creations offrost giants.) These giant ice formations are sothick and dense that they actually appear blue.Drifting through the blue ice are visible blackstreaks, the result of dirt and crushed rockpicked up by the glacier.

The largest of H ogunmarks glaciers i sNarikja Glacier, in the hills of H jolgrun nearthe Jankaping border. I t is named for an oldlegend that claims it was formed by the Ladyof M ournings tears. This glacier extendsabout 15 miles and has been retreating for thepast 80 years, carving out kettles and leavingmoraines in its path. N arikja Glacier, alongwith the Solveig G lacier in the Aaldvaarprovince of J ankaping, feeds the Aald River.

Near the mouth of the Aald River lies VikaGlacier. This small glacier has become moreactive in recent years, advancing at nearly threetimes its normal rate (now moving approxi-mately three feet per day). N o one paid muchattention to Vika Glacier until about a year ago,when it reached the sea. Now Vika has startedcalvingin warmer weather, huge chunks of icebreak off and fall into the sea, where theybecome icebergs. Those who use Aaldvikasport fear the harbor may eventually become tootreacherous to navigate.

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plains. Roykenskapa, H ogunmarks northern-most point, is said to be the home of stormand/or frost giantsdepending upon which ter-rified witness or boastful adventurer one asks.

I n the domains southern half, a fewfhoimorien and frost giants inhabit the forests.Ice trolls live near Narikja Glacier and at theheadwaters of the Bjark R iver. A nd bardscarry tales of nymphs appearing now and thenin the thickest parts of the taiga forest.

birds and aquaticcreaturesM any varieties of birds and waterfowl gracethe skies and coastlines of H ogunmark. Someof the more common species include terns,eagles, falcons, loons, geese, ducks, wagtails,and, on the tundra, ptarmigan.

Sea otters are a common sight along the

coast, as are seals, walrus, whales, and nar-whals. Selkies are said to populate the islandthat bears their name, though their existencehas never been proven and no one actuallylives on the island to bear witness.

The Thaelasian Passage is home to a speciesof fierce, serpentlike creatures known asunnskrajir. These sea monsters pose as muchdanger to sailors as the straits storms and ice-bergs.

Unnskrajir: AC 3; M V 12, Sw 18; HD12; TH AC 0 9; #AT 1; D mg 2d8 or 5d4(tail or bite); SA constrict; SD immune to

cold and cold-based magic; SZ G (508long); M L 12 (steady); I nt semi (2); ALN; XP 5,000.

Notes: An unnskrajir can crush a shipby constriction. F or each round theunnskrajir constricts, the ship must make asuccessful seaworthiness check or sufferone hit of damage. (See the C it ies of the

Suncampaign expansion or the N avalBatt le Rules: the Seas of Ceri li aaccessory

for more information about seaworthi-ness checks and attacks at sea.) The

creature cannot use its bite or tailattack while constricting.

Thought to be aspecies as old as Ceriliaitself, unnskrajir live in thedeepest waters of the ThaelasianPassage. They generally attack only when dis-turbed (such as when a ship passes overthem) and have an 80% chance of gainingsurprise. Unnskrajir tend to be solitary crea-tures; it is rare for a ship to encounter morethan one at a time.

humanoccupation

ogunmark currently comprises 13provinces, some more developedthan others. Most permanent settle-

ments lie in forest provinces, while the tundrais primarily home to seasonal trappers,hunters, fishers, and nomadic clans.

aldrudThe province of Aldrud lies at the tip of theRoykenskapa penninsula. It has no permanenthuman settlements; the nomadic Gautrakkaclan occupies it during summer months.

njorldarJ ust south of Aldrud, N jorldar also supports

no permanent human settlements. The G au-trakka retreat here during winter months, liv-ing in ice shelters and surviving on food gath-ered during warmer months or caught throughice fishing. In summer, the Aegilsgaard clanoccupies this province.

oelfrunThe province of Oelfrun supports no perma-nent settlements, though a few trappers cab-ins dot the tundra.

sehakaThe village of H jarsik, home of the H jarniclan, lies in southern Sehaka.

horvliikI cewatch, a small settlement of fishers andtrappers, has recently sprung up in H orvliik.Selkie Island, off the coast of H orvliik, has nohuman inhabitants; legend populates it withthe magical creatures for whom it is named.

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jarnborgJarnborg hosts many summer fish camps dur-ing salmon spawning season, but no longer hasany permanent settlements. A small village,

Jarniik, was destroyed by forces of the WhiteWitch about ten years ago.

sjaruudIn addition to being the year-round home ofthe Rolulf clan, Sjaruud is also the site of sev-eral fish camps during salmon spawning sea-son. This province supports one permanentvillage: Kingspawn.

bjarkheimTwo nomadic clans, the Jarnkasspel and theHalskorrik, retire to Bjarkheim for the winter.Both clans always leave a few permanentstructures behindalong with elderly orinfirm clan members and a few caretakerswhen they migrate in spring. The Jarnkasspelcamps are nearly impossible to find for some-one not of the clan.

valkheimThe Aegilsgaard clan traditionally returns to

Valkheim each winter. The province also sup-ports one small village, Eriksgaard. Ancientburial mounds dot the southeastern corner ofValkheim. The remains of many of H ogun-marks rulers rest there, including those ofWjulf and his daughter Breyana.

gundviirHogunmarks capital, Veikanger, lies nestled inthe Jarlskap H ills of Gundviir. The provincealso supports two towns: Wjulfsdatter, namedfor Hogunmarks first queen, and Riversmark,on the bank of the H jarring River.

council groveJust outside the city of Veikanger sits CouncilGrove, a small stand of trees historically impor-tant to Hogunmark. Here, Wjulf was named thedomains first king; later on this site, the landitself chose Breyana to succeed him.

Thought to be a place of ancient magic, thegrove never suffers the ravages that winter

inflicts on the surrounding terrain. Thoughsnow falls and temperatures drop, individualsstanding within the grove remain safe from thefury of storms and the predatorial instincts ofstarving wolves.The jarls once convened annually in Council

Grove, but have long since moved their meet-ings to within Veikangers walls. During theSorcerers reign, H ogunmarks jarls feltuncomfortable gathering in a place touched bymagic; that distrust lingers to this day.

fjoltyrThe J arnkasspel clan chooses F joltyr as itssummer home; its camps are so well hidden,however, that none but the clan itself can findthem.

Also secluded, though easier to find, is thehome of Thorjak the Green. The ancient druidreceives many visitors to his grove at all times

of the year.The town of J arls C rossing, home of theJarvyll clan, also lies within the province.

djaalfundFor centuries the home of the Yngvi clan, theprovince of Djaalfund supports H ogunmarkslargest city, Aaldvika. I t also has three smalltowns: Birchaard, Ojyren, and Ynavik.

hjolgrunH ome of the Heimdjor clan, the province of

H jolgrun contains the town of Eagle Roost.Few people live near N arikja G lacier out offear of ice trolls.

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cultureing Wjul f s prophecy that H ogun-marks many clans would become twopeoples has come trueto an extent.

Settled Hoguns lead different lives from theirnomadic brethren, but loyalty to an individ-uals clan still runs deep.

settled lifeThose who live in one of H ogunmarks twocities (Veikanger and Aaldvika) have a greaterawareness of the world beyond Rjurik thandoes the rest of the population. Aaldvika,especially, receives many foreign visitorstraders, travelers, and ambassadors fromthroughout Anuire and Brechtr. K hinasi visi-tors are less frequent, and one would be hard-pressed to find a single person in H ogunmarkwho has met a Vos.

C ity-dwellers must rely on the goods andservices of others. N early all men and mostwomen specialize in a trade and then barterfor or buy everything else they need. U rban

Rjurik tend to be more educated than thosewho live in the country; approximately half ofeach citys population can read and write Rju-ven, and a small number can converse withBrecht or Anuirean visitors in their native

tongues. Cosmopolitan Hoguns also harborfewer superstitions than do their backwardkinsmen, though true magic still makes them

as nervous as it does any other Rjurik.M any of H ogunmarks settled peoplelive in small villages and towns apartfrom the cities. The people in these

communities combine the best ofboth lifestyles, retaining more of

the traditional Rjurik ways thanthe city-dwellers, but alsoenjoying the comfort and

safety of permanentdwellings and familiar

surroundings. Somehave small farms

(most are sosmall that Anuireanswould probably consider themlarge gardens); the growing season isshort but the long hours of summer daylightenable a crop to mature before autumn frostarrives.

M ost villagers travel several times a year. Inspring and summer, they may leave to checkfur traps and work at fish camps; at least oncea year (usually in autumn) they journey to thecity to trade goods and stock up on supplies.

nomadic lifeH ogunmark enjoys a more comfortable rela-tionship with its nomadic clans than does anyother Rjurik domain. Though the settledclans no longer embrace a nomadic lifestyle,

the independent nature of all H oguns makesthem respect as equals those who hold to theold ways.

H ogunmarks four nomadic clanstheAegilsgaard, the Gautrakka, the H alskorrik,and the Jarnkasspelare almost entirely self-supporting. M ost members have never seenthe cities; those who do occasionally enterAaldvika or Veikanger may go for years at atime between visits. The members of theseclans are simply too busy hunting, fishing,gathering, and defending themselves frompredators to take much interest in the affairsof clans whose settled lifestyle they shun.

Of all the clans, only the jarl of the Aegils-gaard attends every meeting of the Jarls Coun-cil; the Gautrakka and the Halskorrik attendinfrequently, and the Jarnkasspel hardly ever.All four clans, however, have fought bravelyand will ingly in H ogunmarks defense whenexternal enemies threatened.

the clanTo the people of H ogunmark (and otherRjurik domains), the clan represents morethan merely a group of people with ties ofkinship. I t is an entity unto itself, a whole

greater than the sum of i ts parts, and onethat must be honored, protected, and cham-pioned by its members.

An individual clan comprises several familylines, all with roots that somehow lead backto the original clan name. Large clans, suchas the Yngvi, might have as many as twodozen dif ferent family lines; small clansmight have just five or six. When two peopleof different clans marry, the wife usually

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becomes amember of her

husbands clan (though onoccasion the husband will instead join

his wifes clanif he has married a jarl, forexample). The wife, however, still retains tiesto her clan of birth and may be called upon intimes of need.

In Hogunmarks earliest days, before K ingWjulf united the clans into a political domain,each clan relied only on itself. Today, the clanremains the fundamental unit of H ogun soci-ety. A clans members wil l readily sacrificeindividual wants and desires for the good ofthe clan, with the understanding that the clanwill in turn take care of the individual. Thoughnuclear families are recognized as such, it isthe community as a whole that raises children,provides food and shelter, cares for the elderly,

and protects the weak.C lan ties are sacred, at times supercedingeven marriage and parental bonds in loyalty.Ones primary duty is to his clan; an injurywrought upon the clan is an injury to onesown person. I f the clan goes to war, all able-

bodied members go to war; if the clans jarldeclares a blood feud against another clan,all members share his hatred. I f an individ-ual is banished from the clan, all membersno matter what their relationshipmustshun him.

blood feudsThough H ogunmark can, in a general sense,boast cordial relations between settled andnomadic clans, associations between i nd iv id -ualclans are another matter entirely. Ancienthatreds and rivalries find new fuel in succeed-ing generations, and collective memoryendures many lifetimes.

Though in recent centuries the domain hasnever experienced open aggression betweenclans on the level of the C lan Wars, hostilitiessimmer and periodically result in physical orpolitical outlashes. When such an event occurs

between two clans, the others do not getinvolved. It would be dishonorablenot tomention foolishto interfere in another clansblood feud. Even the domains regent tradi-tionally prefers to let the jarls handle these sit-uations themselves.

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hospitality lawsThe climate and terrain of Hogunmark may beinhospitable, but its people are not. All under-stand the dangers of l iving in and travelingsome of C erilias wildest land, and recognizethat the most threatening foe one faces in hislifetime can just as likely take the form of anice storm as that of a storm giant.

Hogunmarks people see no honor in dyingfrom exposure to the elements, or in allowingones enemies to do so. They believe that foesshould die on a field of battle, not on frozentundra. Therefore, an unwritten code of hospi-tality has evolved in the domain over time, onewhich no H ogun would dare break for fear ofbringing dishonor to his clan. The code can beboiled down to a single idea: A ny t rave ler inH ogunma r k sha ll n o t b e t u r n ed away f r om ahom e in w hich he seeks shel ter .This tacit law

transcends even clan loyalties and blood feuds,and at times has led to the bitterest of enemiessleeping beneath the same roof. (I t has alsobeen known to lead to courtships, as winterstorms can rage for weeks without breaking.)

Of course, pragmatic concerns about thesafety of oneself and ones family presentthemselves if ever a rival insinuates himselfinto the home. After all, it would be an easymatter for an assassin to gain entrance in theguise of a traveler. For this reason a secondunwritten law completes the code: N o tr avelerin H ogunmark shal l bet ray his host s generos i tyand tru st w i th mal ic ious act ions or wor ds.Hav-

ing ones worst enemy as a guest may createstrained conversation, but one neednt fear aknife in the dark.

overland travelOne reason that travel in Hogunmark pre-

sents so much danger is that the domainhas few true roads. The main road into

Aaldvika comes from the south, throughJankaping. Another road, the Forest

Road, leads from Aaldvika toVeikanger. This road is fairly well

maintained and patrolled.

Veikanger also has an old roadleading to it from the southeast,

but few use it anymore.Other rough trails dotthe landscape, clearedby hunters, trappers,

and traders intheir regular

rounds, or bythe nomadic clans dur-ing their annual migrations.

These paths, however, become all butimpenetrable during the winter.

In summer, people most often travel on footor on horseback. In winter, natives avoid thehazards of travel as much as possible; whenthey do venture out, they use snowshoes, skiis,sleighs, and dogsleds.

economicsHogunmark retains an economy dependent onbarter. In a land where one can be set upon bywolves or freeze to death just by walking outthe front door, wealth is measured much morein useable supplies and in the ties of friend-ship than in lumps of precious metals.

Though a substantial number of merchantsin Aaldvika and (to a lesser extent) Veikangerwill accept foreign money, the governmentissues no currency of its own. The regent col-lects taxes in the form of tradable goods; thesegoods are then exchanged with other realmsfor wares not readily available on the frontier.H owever, about half to two-thi rds of thetaxes are sold for cash, with a preference forAnuirean currency. Though most of H ogun-marks people have little need for gold, itsrulers understand the necessity of it to operatein a global marketplace.

housingL ike other Rjurik, most people in H ogunmarklive in wooden longhouses. These homes arebuilt of horizontally-laid logs notched and fit-ted together at the corners, with mud andstraw filling in cracks between the logs. Thepointed roofs have a layer of birchbark (forwaterproofing), then turf ( for insulation). Ahole in the center of the roof allows the escapeof smoke from the hearth fire, which burns allday long. (The holes arent very effective, solonghouses tend to be rather smokey inside.)

The floors are simply stamped earth. Raised

platforms, upon which people sit and sleep,line the walls.

The homes of nomadic clans and those wholive in small villages generally have a singleroom. C ity-dwellers, particularly those whoare wealthy, often divide their homes, withsmaller rooms on either side of the main hallfor cooking, spinning, or sleeping. They mightalso have several pieces of wooden furnitureand a chest or two for valuables. The homes of

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settled familiesalso feature wall hang-

ings (furs or tapestries) orcarved wooden panels depicting

legendary scenes for decoration and additionalinsulation. The home might also have one ortwo small, shuttered windows.

Several families, some spanning three gen-erations, might live in the same longhouse.Nomadic clans tend to crowd into fewer build-ings because they construct them anew eachautumn, then disassemble them in spring.

Those who live in cities consider greater pri-vacy an advantage of settled life, and thus havefewer people sharing a house.

The families living within a single longhousealso share several small outbuildings with lowfloors dug out of the ground. These are used forworkshops, barns, food storage, and privies.

foodH ogunmark natives do most of their huntingand gathering during the summer and autumnin preparation for the long, dark winter ahead.

Fish is a staple food. During spawning sea-son (early summer), the nomadic clans andeven many settled H oguns leave their homesfor several weeks to fish the rivers for salmon.Whole families travel to the H jarring and

Bjark rivers, where they set up fish campsorganized communities devoted to the har-vesting and preservation of fish.

The fishermen use devices cal led fi shwheels to catch great quantities of fish. Simi-lar in appearance to water wheels, fish wheelsuse the power of the rivers current to spin, inthe process scooping up salmon swimmingupstream and depositing them in a large bas-ket. A single fish wheel can catch 300 to 400fish per day in high season.

The women and children then work at swiftspeeds to preserve all the fish before theyspoil. The women clean and fillet the fish; thechildren then hang the fillets in the smoke-house. A practiced adult woman can dress afish for human consumption in about a minuteand a half; fish intended for animal feed (suchas for dogsled teams) can be readied in as littleas 45 seconds.

Some clans head for the ocean to make

their fish camps. These fishermen set out withspears and harpoons in small boats made ofhide or birchbark to hunt whales, narwhals,and seals. The bounty of their hunt takes con-siderably longer than 45 seconds to clean anddressbut no part of any creature is wasted.

H oguns round out their meals with bread(made with anything from barley to driedpeas, depending on a familys living condi-tions; well-off families trade for wheat flour),wild berries, vegetables, and game.

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art,music, andstorytellingBecause the people of Hogunmark spend somuch time indoors during the long, dark daysof winter, they take great pleasure in music,dancing, storytelling, and other artisticendeavors. O n feast days such as M idwinterN ight, all join in singing popular folksongs anddancing to tunes played on lutes, bagpipes,harps, and flutes. The people also enjoy gamessuch as chess, backgammon, and hneftafl (achesslike game in which one player tries toprotect his kingpiece from the outnumberingforces of his opponent).

Hogunmarks craftsmen are known through-

out Rjurik and beyond for the high quality oftheir wood and walrus tusk carvings. Tapes-tries woven by the local women fetch a fairprice in any market.

The skald becomes an especially importantfigure in the wintertime. As the months dragon, people must look harder and harder fordiversion. A good skald knows enough storiesand ballads to tell a different one every nightfor the whole seasonthen come back the fol-lowing year with some new tales to add intothe mix.

governmenthe domain of H ogunmark comprisessix loosely allied jarldoms in 13provinces. Each jarl rules one province;

the remaining provinces fall under the directcontrol of the sovereign.

Though the king (or queen) technically hasauthority over the jarls, the jarls exercise a greatdeal of independence. Dissension has arisen inthe past between jarls and sovereigns whowanted to get too involved in the jarls affairs;Queen Freila avoided such conflicts by retain-ing only a very relaxed hold over her jarls.

The nomadic clans, also headed by jarls,exist as independent political entities. Theyare free to move about within the realms bor-ders; however, they must respect the authorityof each provinces ruler.

jarldomsEach of the six jarls serves as supreme author-ity over his province and clan. Each controls

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the lawof his land (in

many cases, the jarl i sthe law); several also keep a

tight rein on trade. The jarls serve asvassals to the king or queen.

When a jarl dies, the clan members select anew jarl to lead them. Primogeniture generallydictates their choice (that is, the jarls eldestchild inherits his fathers title), though some-times extenuating circumstances call for a dif-ferent choice. Jarls can be male or female, butsome clans (such as the Yngvi) are more likelyto accept a female jarl than others (such as the

Jarvyll).I ndividual jarls and their jarldoms are

detailed under People of Hogunmark andHoldings.

royal protectoratesSeven provincesAldrud, Bjarkheim, Gund-vii r, H orvlii k, J arnborg, O elfrun, andValkheimfall under the direct jurisdiction ofthe king or queen. These are lands in whichthe sovereign has a significant interest (suchas G undvii r, where the capital ci ty lies) orlands so desolate and sparsely populated thatthere is no need to delegate authori ty toanother ruler.

the jarls councilThe landed jarls (those who rule jarldoms)convene for the week of the summer solsticeeach year to discuss matters of mutual con-cern. These discussions often reach high vol-ume levels as the egos, convictions, interests,and ancient blood feuds of opinionated clanleadersall of whom are certain of their owninfallibili tycollide. The sovereign presidesover the council, which convenes in the Meet-ing Hall near the Citadel in Veikanger. Jarls ofnomadic clans are welcome to attend thecouncil but have no voting power.

Although final decisions rest with the ruler,regents historically have followed the wishesof the council in most matters. (C ouncilwishes are determined by a simple majorityafortunate rule, as all six jarls rarely agree onanything.) The regents willingness to let the

council heavily influence policy representstheir pragmatism as much as their egalitarian-ism: The council has been known to deposeunpopular kings and queens and replace themwith new rulers more attuned to the will ofthe people.

When a king or queen dies, the jarls meetin special session as soon as weather andtravel conditions permit to choose a replace-ment, usually from among their number.

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Note: The label C ity-dwelling C lan identifies the clans that first settled Aaldvika and Veikanger. Those clans now ruletheir own provinces.


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Again, the result of the vote need be only asimple majority; if unanimity were required,no one would ever leave. D efeated factionsoften depart in a huff, swearing to make lifedifficult (and possibly short) for the unfortu-nate new ruler.

Q ueen F reilas untimely death and theunusual circumstances surrounding it hasplunged the domain into chaos. Some jarlssuspect foul play in the form of collusionbetween the queens seer, N jorna, and your

jarl PC . (The accusations claim that the two ofyou sent the queen off on a deadly missionfrom which she would never return.) Otherssee this crisis as an opportunity to advancetheir own claims to power. When the JarlsC ouncil meets in three months time, it i slikely to be the occasion of argument, accusa-tions, and lobbying the likes of which H ogun-mark has never seenat least, not since thelast time a regent died.

hogunmarksrulersH ogunmarks rulers traced the line of succes-sion through a single royal familydescendedfrom the Yngvi clanfor the domains first sixcenturies. Since the C lan Wars, the domainssovereigns have come from all of i ts clans,chosen on merit (usually) by the Jarls Council.

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Name (Gender) C lan Ruled (HC)Wjulf (M ) Yngvi 3453Breyana Wjulfsdattar (F ) Yngvi 5373Aldis (F) Yngvi 7392Gimle (F) Yngvi 92111Magnor (M ) Yngvi 111138Royd (M ) Yngvi 138170Frodis (F) Yngvi 170194Halla (F) Yngvi 194221Soren (M ) Yngvi 221243Hrolf (M ) Yngvi 243247

Hrolf I I (M ) Yngvi 247275Gardar (M ) Yngvi 275297Ingunn (F) Yngvi 297323Gunnar (M ) Yngvi 323343Linnea (F) Yngvi 343364M agnild the D oomed (F ) Yngvi 364369Askell (M ) Yngvi 369401Durin (M ) Yngvi 401414Ingharr (M ) Yngvi 414443Terje (M ) Yngvi 443466Royd I I (M ) Yngvi 466495Jorunn (F) Yngvi 495508Askell I I (M ) Yngvi 508527Ragi (M ) Yngvi 527555Frodis I I (F) Yngvi 555576Hroald (M ) Yngvi 576600Ulfar (M ) Yngvi 600614Hrosskel (M ) Yngvi 614629Andvarri (M ) Yngvi 629652

Magnor I I (M ) Yngvi 652677Thorvald (M) Yngvi 677681C lan Wars 681-708 Arildnar (M ) Jarvyll 708723Mord the D espicable (M ) Rolulf 723723Gardar II (M ) Jarvyll 723739Kolgrim (M ) Yngvi 739742K veld the Trusting (M ) J arvyll 742742Bergthor (M ) Otryff 742769Magnor I I I (M ) Yngvi 769785Askell I I I (M ) Yngvi 785808Einar (M ) Jarvyll 808827Gyda (F) H jarni 827847

Name (Gender) C lan Ruled (HC)Maeva (F) Otryff 847872Jorunn I I (F) Heimdjor 872890Askell I I I (M ) Jarvyll 890899Bodolf (M ) Otryff 899919Ashilde (F) Rolulf 919940B jolf the Foolish (M) Jarvyll 940941Durin II (M ) Heimdjor 941964Aldis I I (F) Jarvyll 964994Frodis I I I (F) Otryff 9941023Hrolf I I I (M ) Heimdjor 10231055

Grenjad (M ) Yngvi 10551076Hyndla (F) Yngvi 10761100Brynja (F) Yngvi 11001118Kolgrim (M ) Jarvyll 11181141Terje I I (M ) Jarvyll 11411147Reign of the Three Sisters 11471180 Signy (F) Yngvi 11471157Maeva I I (F) Yngvi 11571170Ragnild (F) Yngvi 11701180Hroald I I (M ) H jarni 11801196Askell IV (M ) H jarni 11961218Fenrir (M ) Yngvi 12181230Bodvar (M ) Heimdjor 12301246H rolf I I I the Aged (M ) Rolulf 12461249Garet (M ) Jarvyll 12491271Brynjolf (M ) H jarni 12711292Astryd the Fair (F) Otryff 12921300Soren II (M ) Heimdjor 13001317Soren II I (M ) Heimdjor 13171336

Gudrid (F) Jarvyll 13361350Cnut (M ) Jarvyll 13501362Einar I I (M ) Jarvyll 13621378Bryan (M ) Jarvyll 13781392Njal the Hot-Tempered (M) Heimdjor 13921397Thorald (M) Yngvi 13921410Onund (M ) Heimdjor 14101427Runa (F) H jarni 14271443Ander (M ) Heimdjor 14431457Runa I I (F) H jarni 14571474Bryan I I (M ) Jarvyll 14741485Gimle I I (F) Yngvi 14851502Freila (F) Yngvi 15021524

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ogunmark is a domain born of ayearning to cast off the shackles ofAnuirean domination, and its people

retain an independent streak to this day.Though willing to join together to overcomecommon problems, the clans otherwise preferto be left to themselves and to make their owndecisions. Queen Freila managed to hold thedomain together through careful diplomacy can the new regent do the same?

the clansf H ogunmarks original 12 clans, sixhave given up their nomadic ways tosettle into permanent communities.

F ive retained their nomadic lifestyle, thoughone (the Trygvaar) now finds itself dwelling inthe Realm of the White Witch. The last clan, theKjarr, died out centuries ago in the Clan Wars.

By tradition, each clan leader bears not onlyjarl as a title, but also the name of his clan.For example, Gunnar, jarl of the Aegilsgaardclan, can be referred to or addressed simply as

theAegilsgaard. M any clan members speakof their leaders in this fashion.

N o t e: Thi s sour cebook assumes that your PC

is the jar l of one of t he sett led clans. I n consul ta-

t i on with your D M , simpl y replace the descrip-

t i on of one of the jarl s below wi th t hat of your

character. O r, if y ou prefer to pl ay a di f ferent

typ e of character, the DM shoul d make adju st-

ments necessary to provide your PC wi th a back-

ground , as well as potenti al a ll ies and b it ter foes.

settled clansTheYngvi clan occupies a prominent place in

both H ogunmarks history and its currentaffairs. Called the clan of kings by its mem-bers, more of H ogunmarks rulersincludingits fi rst, K ing Wjulf , and its most recent,Queen Freilahave come from this clan thanany other. As a matter of respect for the rolethe Yngvi clan played in H ogunmarks earlyhistory, whenever the J arls C ouncil mustchoose a new regent, the jarl of the Yngvi clanreceives at least token consideration.

The Yngvi clan is allied with the H eimdjor,and maintains blood feuds with the Rolulf,Otryff, and Trygvaar clans that have roots inthe Clan Wars. (The Trygvaar clan now lives sofar away, however, that the feud with that clanexists more in theory than in practice.) Kelda(F Rj ; T7 ; Vo, major, 29 )currently leads the

Yngvi clan.TheJarvyll clan has also provided many of

H ogunmarks kings over the years. An essen-tially patriarchal clan, the Jarvyll have neverhad a female jarl. The current jarl, Audun(M Rj; R9; Re, major, 25), considers himself aserious candidate to succeed Freila and islikely to have the support of other jarls (espe-cially the Hjarni, with whom the J arvyll areallied).

For centuries the Jarvyll have feuded withthe Otryff(a vendetta that began when anOtryff refused to shelter a Jarvyll traveler dur-ing a bitter winter storm). An arranged mar-

riage four years ago between Auduns daugh-ter Saeunn and the Otryff s son Erling was tohave ended the hostilities. However, rumors ofErling beating Saeunn threaten to break thetenuous peace between the two clans, as Sae-unn is loved by all the Jarvyll, her father espe-cially. The Jarvyll consider it an insult to theirclan that the Otryff would allow any harm tocome to their jarls daughter.

The O tryff jarl, H romund (M R j ; F 8 ; A z ,t a i n t ed , 7 ) , denies any truth in the reportsabout his son. Should the situation come tobattle, Hromund could call upon his allies, theRolulf clan. But H romund might choose to

avoid jeopardizing the Otryffs truce with theJ arvyll , as his clan already feuds wi th theYngvi. And with the Yngvi also feuding withHromunds allies (the Rolulf), the Yngvi mightally with the Jarvyll out of spite.

Gunnbjorn (M Rj; F7 ; Vo, minor, 21)leadsthe Rolulfclan. This clan has produced veryfew of H ogunmarks rulers over the yearsa fact that generates great resentmentwithin the clan but little surprise in any-one else. Rolulf jarls traditionally placethe good of themselves above thegood of their clan, and thus arentconsidered by the other jarls to be

appealing candidates for ruler ofthe realm. The Rolulf, how-ever, believe their clan isunfairly overlooked infavor of jarls fromlarger clans.Unless the

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Jarls Council chooses Gunnbjorn as the nextking, Hogunmarks new ruler can expect oppo-sition from the Rolulf clan.

The Heimdjor clan is headed by L eidolf(M Rj; T8; Re, minor, 19). This clan allied withthe Yngvi two centuries ago during the reignof Soren II I , a king who came from the Heim-djor clan. A member of the H jarni clan, withwhom the H eimdjor had (and still have) along-standing blood feud, tried to assassinateKing Soren. The Yngvi jarl got wind of the plotand interceded, saving the kings life. In grati-tude, the kings clan swore an oath of alliancewith the Yngvi.

At age 63, Leidolf is the oldest jarl of a set-tled clan. M ost of the other jarls respect thewisdom that has come with his age, and quitepossibly might advance his name as a con-tender for the throne.

The Hjarni, however, will certainly opposea H eimdjor candidate. Vaetild (FRj ; R5; Ba,

minor , 14 )is likely to offer Audun Jarvyllsname for consideration to more firmly cementher clans alliance with his. Vaetild rose to therank of jarl only recently when her father waskilled while helping to defend Hogunmarkseastern border against incursions of the WhiteWitchs minions. During his rule as jarl,Vaetilds father managed to forge a tenuouspeace with the Rolulf clan, with whom theH jarni had feuded since the Clan Wars. Vaetildwishes to honor that peace, but suspectsGunnbjorn Rolulf of increasing attempts totake advantage of her inexperience as a ruler.

nomadic clansGunnar Aegilsgaard (M Rj; F15; Vo, major, 28)is an old but formidable warrior, loved by hisclan and feared by his enemies. He harbors adeep hatred for orogs after losing his right

eye to one nearly a decade ago. G unnarheld Queen Freila in high esteem and

regards the current succession circum-stances with unease. Under Freilas reign,

the Aegilsgaard maintained peacefulrelations with the settled clans,

although some hostility left overfrom the Clan Wars still influences

dealings with the Hjarni.Axel Tjarlhan (M Rj; F11; Ba,minor, 12 )serves as jarl of theJarnkasspel clan and is ref-

ered to as theJarnkasspel even

though his namediffers from

that ofthe clan. QueenFreila had little contactwith the Jarnkasspel, as the clanis quite insular. The jarl has not yetcome forward to support or refute your PCsclaim to the throne. The Jarnkasspel generallyattends Jarls Councils only when a new ruler isbeing chosen.

N ajlar (M R j ; R12 ) leads the Gautrakka.This hardy clan lives in some of the harshestterrain in all C erilia, and for that reason hasli ttle interaction with outsiders. N ajlaraccorded Freila the respect she deserved asqueen, but is not particularly broken up abouther deathit doesnt really matter to him orhis clan who rules Hogunmark. H e will likelyattend the Jarls C ouncil, however, just so asnot to feel left out of the decision.

Sigmund (M Rj; F13 ; Re, minor, 13)heads

the Halskorrik, a clan that spends half theyear in H ogunmark and the other half in for-mer H ogunmark provinces now controlled bythe White Witch. The hostili ties wroughtupon the H alskorrik by the Trygvaar, whoalso live in the Realm of the White Witch,and the unpredictable, cruel nature of theawnshegh regent of that domain make Sig-mund and his clan eager to maintain goodrelations with H ogunmark and its rulerwhoever that may be.

TheTrygvaar, the clan that broke away fromthe too-civilized H ogunmark to live in thewilds of what is now the White Witchs domain,

is ruled by Darvjaal (M Rj; F13 ; Vo, tainted, 6).Except for the unfortunate Halskorrik, H ogun-marks clans have little contact with the Trygvaaranymore.

the courtith ten dissenting jarls voicing theirviews at each years J arls C ouncil(and on an individual basis between

meetings), Queen Freila had no lack of peoplewill ing to offer their opinions. Sometimes,however, she turned to more neutral parties

for advice.

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halder alvisson8th -level bard

S: 11D: 15C: 12I: 15W: 14Ch: 16

AC: 5hp: 24MV: 12THAC0: 17#AT: 1

Dmg: 1d6 (bow) or1d4 (dagger)

Bloodline: Brenna, minor, 22.Blood Abilities: Blood history, travel.Equipment: Leather armor, long bow, quarrelof flight arrows, dagger, bra cers of defense AC5, bagpipes, harp, scroll cases.Spells Memorized (3/3/1): C harm person,know Ceril ian origin(Book of Magecraft), ven-tri loquism; detect evi l , i nvisibi l i ty, know ali gn-

ment ; spectra l force.

Bard Abilities: Climb walls 55%, detect noise40%, pick pockets 10%, read languages 45%.

Description/Background: H alder stands 6feet tall and weighs 190 lbs. H e generallywears his light brown hair pulled back in a tail.At age 38, his piercing blue eyes have lostsome of their sparkle, especially since thedeath of his wife (also a skald) a year ago.

The two skalds used to wander the landtogether; now H alder travels alone. ThoughH alders blood ability for travel allows him tomove easily and quickly between domains, heprefers to get from place to place on his owntwo feet. H e believes that when he uses theblood ability to teleport, he misses too manytales, songs, and bits of lore that he would pick

up as he roamed. He therefore uses the bloodabili ty almost exclusively in winter, whentravel by other means is not only dangerousbut sometimes impossible. Those he visits dur-ing the frigid months arent quite certain howhe manages to overcome the weather thatkeeps others away, but they are grateful for hiscompany and the diversion it provides.

H alders journeys take him throughout theRjurik H ighlands, but H ogunmark remains his

favorite domain. (H e would never admit thataloud, however, and call his neutrality intoquestion.) The skald held great respect forQueen Freila and sincerely mourns her death.Following as it did so soon after the death ofhis wife, Kellenne, Halder finds it difficult tocheer those who now need his mirth.

Kellennes death haunts her mourning hus-band. She was trapped in a burning longhouseafter first escaping, but then returned to theblaze to search for a missing child. H aldertried to stop her, but i s now tormented bywhat-ifs and should-haves. The child, ironi-cally, was later found uninjured.

hruthwulfChief Steward, 8th -level fighter

S: 16D: 12

C: 12I: 14W: 10Ch: 11

AC: 3hp: 41MV: 12THAC0: 13#AT: 3/2Dmg: 2d4+1

Bloodline: None.Equipment: C laymore, improved mail, dag-

ger, medium shield.Description/Background: A formidable war-rior, Hruthwulf stands 6 feet 2 inches tall andis of muscular build. I f he is prepared for com-bat, the 32-year-old fighter will braid hisshoulder-length dark blond hair to keep itout of his way, but otherwise prefers toleave it free. H is green eyes, seldomexpressive, reflect deep suspicion of late.

Hruthwulf served Queen Freila faith-fully for more than 15 years, advancingto the position of chief steward fiveyears ago after the previous stewardwas killed in an attempt on the

queens life. Though subsequentattempts have been made, theagent of the assassinationplot has never been dis-covered; Hruthwulf,like most others,concluded thatthe WhiteWitch

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was behind the attacks. Recent events, however,have caused him to rethink that opinion.

H ruthwulf suspects your PC of conspiringwith N jorna, the queens seer, to overthrow thequeen. H e considers it more than coincidencethat F reila would have invested someone ofwhom the Jarls Council did not previouslyapprove, and that she would depart on her questwithout first attempting to ease the transition inleadership. Such disregard for the future ofHogunmark runs against the queens character,Hruthwulf believesand as her right-hand man,Hruthwulf knew better than anyone.

The steward is also suspicious because hehas always looked after the domains affairsduring the queens absences. Freila, when sheleft, seemed certain of her quests success. H ewonders why she would elect to leave Hogun-marks affairs in the hands of another unlessshe was pushed to do so by the madwomanN jorna, in whom H ruthwulf believes the

queen always placed too much trust.H ruthwulf continues to loyally serve Freilaeven after her death, having sworn to find andpunish the party responsible for her demise.He wont rest until he does just that.

njornaQ ueens Seer, 7t h-l evel vision ary

S: 9D: 12C: 10I: 18

W: 17Ch: 8

AC: 10hp: 19MV: 12THAC0: 18#AT: 1Dmg: 1d6

Bloodline: None.Equipment: Scroll case, writing implements,

scrying bowl, mirror, spell components, staff.Spells Memorized (4/3/2/1): D etect

magic, ident i fy, know blood l inederivat ion (Book of Magecraft),read m agic; ESP, locate obj ect,

past l ife (Tome of Magic);clairaudience, clairvoy-

ance; magic mi rr or.

Description/Background:Njorna stands 5 feet 3 inches tall and hasa slight frame. Though only 25, she seems tohave an old spirit that lends her wisdombeyond her years. H er violet eyes, normallypenetrating, become unfocused during visions.She dresses in loose clothing so as to be unre-stricted when fits come upon her.

Njornas visionary powers manifested them-selves early. H er younger sister, then agethree, wandered away from the village one day.As the clan searched frantically, nine-year-oldN jorna slipped into a trance in which she sawher sister sound asleep in the brush. WhenNjorna recovered, she led her parents straightto the lost child.

Word spread quickly of this young girlapparently born with the doom of secondsight. N jorna soon attracted the attention of

Q ueen F reila, who summoned the gir l toVeikanger. While in the capital, N jorna experi-enced another visionone that foretold anattack by the Blood Skul l orogs. Acting onNjornas vision (and against the counsel of heradvisers, who considered N jorna eitherbewitched or a fraud), the queen immediatelylaunched a counterattack that saved the livesof many Hoguns.

Impressed with the girls abili ties, QueenFreila invited Njorna to stay as a royal counselor.

The visionary has lived at the palace ever since.N jorna has taken advantage of her court

position to learn all she can about her gift.

Though she cannot control exactly when avision will come upon her, she has learned howto bring one on through divination spells.N jorna receives visions (of varying levels ofseriousness) about ten times a year. The visions,which can arrive day or night, are dreamlike(sometimes nightmarish). She often calls orcries out, thrashes, falls to her knees, or engagesin other involuntary movementsa side effectthat has led some in the palace to believe thatshe is not gifted, just mad. Even those whobelieve in her prophetic powers dont like to bearound her when they manifest.

Once a vision ends, N jorna must then inter-

pret it. Queen Freila trusted her interpreta-tions implicitly and always took action on theprophecies. N jornas most recent series ofvisions foretold the queens death and the newPC regents ascension to the throne. Somesuspect N jorna of conspiring with the newregent to issue fake prophecies and effectFreilas overthrow.

For more information about visionaries, seeThe Book of M agecraftaccessory.

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thorjak the greenH igh D ruid of H ogunmark,

13 th-l evel p ri est of E ri k

S: 8D: 9C: 15I: 14W: 18Ch: 15

AC: 7hp: 52MV: 9THAC0: 12

#AT: 1Dmg: 1d6 or 1d4(staff or stone)

Bloodline: Reynir, major, 28.Blood Abilities: Divine aura (great), long life(minor).Equipment: Quarterstaff, staff sling, pouch ofsling stones, fur-lined robe and other warmclothing, boots of the north, ri ng of protecti on +3 .Description/Background: Appearing to be inhis mid-seventies (but actually over 350 yearsold due to his long life blood ability), Thorjakis H ogunmarks oldest known resident. The

white-haired man has a face weathered by theelements; his once-muscular six-foot framehas become somewhat stooped with the pass-ing of time. Though his blue eyes are cloudedwith age, the old druid seems to see beyondthat which can be perceived by the five senses.

Thorjak has lived in a grove deep in thewooded province of F joltyr for as long as any-one can remember. Visitorsfrom pi lgrimsand druid acolytes to jarls and kingshavebeen known to travel scores of miles to seekhis advice and teachings. They are seldomrewarded with simple, straightforward replies,however, as Thorjak believes wisdom cannotbe givenit must be found.

Even those who leave the druids companyin frustrated puzzlement find they are moreat peace with themselves than before consult-ing him. Thorjak himself exudes such calm

that his presence quiets the spirits of thosehe meets. H is trust in Erik to see the domainand its people through any turmoil keeps himfrom becoming mired in short-term distur-bances. I t is said that should Thorjak everbecome genuinely agitated, H ogunmark facesgreat peril indeed.

The ancient druid seldom leaves his grove,though in his younger days, he often wanderedH ogunmarks tundra and taiga to better com-mune with the land. H e does, however, occa-sionally travel to Veikanger for supplies (thelittle he needs that nature itself cannot pro-vide). D uring times of crisis, he has been

known to appear unexpectedly to the regentlike a calm in a storm, though his counsel dur-ing those times remains enigmatic as ever.

Since Freilas death (which the druid sensedeven before it was publicly announced), Thor-

jak has refused most visitors. He spends hisdays in meditation, listening to the cry of thewind, the whisper of the snow, the murmurof the pines. And for the first time in thedomains collective memory, a look ofapprehension crosses his brow.

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Queen Freilacollected a total of 19

RP per domain turn forprovinces and holdings. (As a warrior,

she did not collect RP for her guild holding.)Depending on the timing of your PC s firstdomain turn (if it occurs before he is fullyinvested), he might collect less at first as heworks to establish a base of power. H e beginswith 6 RP passed by Freila during the investi-ture ceremony, plus any other Regency Pointshe earns for holdings of his own (as jarl of oneof the settled clans, for example).

law holdingshe new ruler controls law holdings inBjarkheim, G undvii r, H orvliik, and

Valkheim. H e also serves as the solelegal authority for A ldrud, Jarnborg, and Oel-frun, though no holdings are found there.

Kelda, jarl of the Yngvi clan, holds a law(1) in D jaalfund. Audun, jarl of the Jarvyllclan, holds a law (1) in F joltyr. The Heimdjor,Leidolf, controls a law (1) in H jolgrun, whilethe Otryff, H romund, holds only a law (0) inN jorldar. Vaetild, the H jarni, controls a law(1) in Sehaka; the Rolulf, G unnbjorn, rulesSjaruud with a law (1). F or descriptions ofeach of these jarls, see People of H ogun-mark.

armyThough H ogunmark is not presently at warwith the Blood Skull Barony or the Realm ofthe Whi te Wit ch, they pose a constantthreat. Even Rjuvik can be a sinister neigh-bor at times. The domain supports a stand-ing army because it cant afford to be caughtunprepared.

Hogunmarks army comprises the followingforces: 2 units of Rjurik archers. 2 units of Rjurik infantry. 1 unit of Rjurik cavalry.

1 unit of Rjurik scouts. 1 unit of Hogunmark Dragons.

The two infantry units are stationed in Aald-vika and Veikanger to defend those cities andnearby settlements. The archers are headquar-tered in Bjarkheim and F joltyr, though theysometimes move to Valkheim and Hjolgrun tomaintain a presence there. The cavalry is sta-tioned in Gundviir, near the capital.

The unit of scouts patrols the domains bor-der from Jarnborg to H jolgrun, especially alertfor incursions from the White Witch or theScarlet Barons minions. The H ogunmarkDragons are the rulers personal guard; thisunit travels wherever the regent does.

These seven units cost a total of 8 G oldBars in maintenance each domain turn.

I f the domain goes into a state of war, theclans will come forward to defend their land.Each nomadic clan can provide one unit ofirregulars; the settled clans, which are larger,can each provide two units of irregulars.

navyThe domain of Hogunmark has more miles ofcoastline than any other realm west ofBrechtr, yet its status as a sea power is nearlynonexistent. The realms navy comprises a sin-gle longship; the only other craft leaving its

shores are small fishing and whaling boats.The ship, Prophecy, anchors in Aaldvika butmakes regular tours in warmer months topatrol the domains coastline.

templeshe Emerald Spiral dominates worshipin H ogunmark. The independentH ogun spirit prefers the traditional

rites of the wilderness druids to the more civi-lized Oaken Grove of Erik.

Gretta Seligsdotter, high priestess of the

Emerald Spiral, controls temple holdings in allof H ogunmarks populated provinces. M ost ofthe temples are not permanent buildings, butcommunities of worshipers who gather out-doors in wilderness shrines, groves, or druidiccircles, where they can offer prayers to Erikunder his direct gaze.

Because she also holds temples inStjordvik, Svinik, Jankaping, Hjolvar,Kvigmar, and the Giantdowns, GrettaSeligsdotter delegates some of herpower to local druids in each domain.One of these druids, Vjanik (M Rj; Pr6, E rik ; Re, minor, 20) , oversees

the Emerald Spiral temple inVeikanger. I t was he whomQueen Freila called upon toperform the ceremony ofinvestiture with yourPC before she lefton her visionquest.

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The Oaken Grove of Erik, which generallyappeals more to settled Rjurik, controls justone holding in H ogunmark. O ther templeholdings in the Taelshore domains consumemost of the attention of G nther Brandt, highdruid of the Oaken Grove. M ost ecclesiasticalduties in H ogunmark, therefore, fall to Rudrik(FR j ; P r9 , E r i k ; M a, ta i n t ed , 12 ) , a wise olddruid who maintains a modest temple inVeikanger. Though priests of rival temples, sheand Vjanik enjoy an amicable relationship.

A few temples to other gods, such as Holn(H aelyn) and Narikja (Nesirie) exist in the rel-atively cosmopolitan city of Aaldvika. Thesebodies of worshipers, however, are too small toqualify as holdings.

Thorjak the Green, a powerful druid whohas lived his entire life in H ogunmark, wieldsconsiderable influence on a personal level butcontrols no holdings in the domain. Thorjak isfurther described under People of Hogun-

mark.

guildsguild in H ogunmark is nothing as orga-nized and tangible as the guilds foundin Anuire or Brechtr. Guild ratings in

this frontier state reflect not businesses orconsortiums but rather approximate levels oftrade activity in a given area or clan.

The domainruler and the individual

jarls control most of the trade intheir provinces. The domains primaryexports are fish, timber, furs, and handcraftedweapons and household items. H oguns alsotrade these items, as well as other wares,among each other in the markets of Aaldvikaand Veikanger, bartering excess bounty fromone part of the domain for another type ofgood. Favorite imports are foreign spices, pre-cious metals, dyes, and artwork. H ogunmarkenjoys steady trade with Anuirean, Brecht,and other Rjurik domains; occasionally, even aKhinasi ship might find its way into the port ofAaldvika.

A visitor to the Tradesmens Square inVeikanger or the M erchants Quarter in Aald-vika can expect to see members of the Jarvyll

clan trading woodcarvings and furs. TheH eimdjor clan will be there haggling a goodprice for its glacier ice in the summer and itsfine snowshoes, sleds, and toboggans in lateautumn. The Rolulf clan will bring numerousvarieties of berries, seeds, herbs, and driedflowers gathered from the tundra, and manypounds of dried salmon harvested from theBjark River. The Yngvi are known to producethe finest weapons in the domain and beauti-fully crafted blankets, pillows, and clothing.

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Hogun Mark

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