|
a trawling of wikipedia led me to the entry on trolls, and dredged up some old memories from kindergarden of a woman who came and told us about scandinativan folklore. and, as i ferreted about in the entries, I realized that there's alot of great material here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huldra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_dwarves
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jotun
and then I realized that the guys at paizo love urban legends, pop culture, and folklore inspirations for Pathfinder; just look at the Sandpoint Devil, Black Magga, Ghouls, the Wendigo, and the blood-bathing historical lich. and, just like other settings have an "asialand," Pathfinder has a "Norwayland." then, I thought of Metalocalypse, Tim the Enchanter, Linnorms, Guys in horned helmets on longboats, trolls that turn to stone when the light hits them, and that Ride at Epcot I went on when I was 8, and all in all, a Scandinavian-based Adventure Path sounds really, really cool. and unique, too. asia, ireland, lovecraft, england, and all those places get lots of love in fantasy, but sometimes it seems that no one cares for the swedes.
Come on, who wouldnt love a campaign where everyone b$$##es about how cold it is, eats alot of fish, hang about in boats, and fight old-fashioned TROLLS. and giant snake-dragon things. and there would be dwarves too. dwarves with swedish accents, not scottish.
the only problem is that many of these folkloreic creatures are already pretty heavy in RotRL, so there would need to be a good deal of shaking up. but a bit of fudging could also give you wights. lots of room for aquatic monsters, like Grendels, giant snakes and wolves, and some really badass gods. If only Kenkus were OGL, they would make a great PC race/antagonist
would anyone else be stoked for a Land of the Linnorm Kings AP?
You don't need Kenku. I'm pretty sure they arose from a horrible mispronunciation of Tengu anyway; just change tengu flavor a bit to have 'em fit into Norse culture and you're off!
I would go with the haugtrold (mound troll). They were much closer to the sidhe than most Norse/German trolls and could also be fairly nice to strangers if treated well. Haugtrolds (I think I got that plural right) were also shapechangers who typically mimicked humans.
Despite the name, they tended to dwell in forest communities, from what I remember.
COUNT ME IN!!!!!!!!!!
I have been seriuosly debating if I want to continue w/Golarion (it is great) or refire up the ol' homebrew. I plan on giving 4e a shot, so it is a difficult decision . . . anyways I am meandering from the point.
Land of the Linnorm Kings is a great name . . .I have already transported it to my homebrew in case I don't play Golarion . . . though I probably will . . . I mean how can I resist a Rogue with a croc . . . it might just be the father I never knew.
asia, ireland, lovecraft, england, and all those places get lots of love in fantasy, but sometimes it seems that no one cares for the swedes.
I don't disagree, but I do think Celts and Norse get only the most superficial coverage in RPGs (apart from the Slaine RPG, but that's a bit unwieldily). I want proper Fairies that abduct mortals, Kings that are put to death after seven years so the Druids can read their innards for the future of the kingdom, I want warp spasms and an economy based on cattle and troves, where honor was a matter of life or death and the Otherworld was a shadow away.
What we tend to end up with are generic fantasy fare with a token pointy helmets or tartan. Please give us a bit more meat on the bone please, Paizo- a bit more viscera.Anyway, we Celts gave the Norse the Horned Helmet- so we deserve some love too.
|
|
I would love a land of the linnorm kings campaign. There is a lot to more to draw on from scandinavian folklore and mythology like:
The undead Draug
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draug
The Nix (Nøkken / Näcken), a water spirit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nix
The Kraken
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraken
The sinister spirit Mara
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mara_%28folklore%29
The Gjenganger (litteraly re-walker, not to be confused with "dobbeltgjenger" (doppelganger)), a type of ghost
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gjenganger
And a variety of other creatures like "the will o' the wisp" (they are real btw, I've seen one), trolls, elves, giants (the jotun are some badass giants), changelings, ghosts, wights and many more.
Oh, and don't give the viking helmets horns, vikings did not use horned helmets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Age_arms_and_armour
don't give the viking helmets horns, vikings did not use horned helmets.
Damn straight- no flair at all. Still, we did come up with chainmail, so you're welcome. Our helmets had wings, whistles, flapping birds and all kind of cool doohickeys- helps make up for going into battle naked half the time, wouldn't want to intimidate the enemy, ya know?
|
|
Jeez, I was kidding about the horned helmets, guys, relax. But, you cant deny such a helmet is very badass, in an immature, uninformed sort of way.
Will-o-wisps are norse? Didnt know that. huh.
Anyway, I posted in a fit of creative epiphany, when I realized the wealth of plot and ideas that could be had in such a setting. excuse any innacuracies in my original post.
|
asia, ireland, lovecraft, england, and all those places get lots of love in fantasy, but sometimes it seems that no one cares for the swedes.I don't disagree, but I do think Celts and Norse get only the most superficial coverage in RPGs (apart from the Slaine RPG, but that's a bit unwieldily). I want proper Fairies that abduct mortals, Kings that are put to death after seven years so the Druids can read their innards for the future of the kingdom, I want warp spasms and an economy based on cattle and troves, where honor was a matter of life or death and the Otherworld was a shadow away.
What we tend to end up with are generic fantasy fare with a token pointy helmets or tartan. Please give us a bit more meat on the bone please, Paizo- a bit more viscera.
Anyway, we Celts gave the Norse the Horned Helmet- so we deserve some love too.
i agree. My homebrew that I have been developing on and off for the last 2 years is set in a high magic bronze age. The main cultures I drew on were the Norse (bronze age), the Celts, The caananites,the hittites,the chaldeans, and the greeks.
The celtic region is one of the "cores" in my world, and I tried to balance mythology and culture with playability. Its proven to be a pretty flavorful place for roleplaying. the responses I've gotten tend toward appreciation of how different the celts feel from standard medieval fare.
Jeez, I was kidding about the horned helmets, guys, relax. But, you cant deny such a helmet is very badass, in an immature, uninformed sort of way.
Will-o-wisps are norse? Didnt know that. huh.
Anyway, I posted in a fit of creative epiphany, when I realized the wealth of plot and ideas that could be had in such a setting. excuse any innacuracies in my original post.
LOL- never come between a man and his horned helmet- someone will lose an eye.
If Paizo keeps going back to the wellspring for inspiration rather then the kind of generic copy-of-a movie-I-think-I- remember fare we usually get stuck with, then we'll be well served.I'd love to see Bards or File get to become interesting Classes, empowered to Lampoon an enemy or determine the geas a newborn child will have to contend with.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
|
Here's a sneak peek at my unedited Linnorm Kings entry from the Gazetteer.
Enjoy.
Linnorm Kings, Lands of the
FRIGID VIKING HOMELAND
Alignment: CN
Capital: Kalsgard (72,080)
Notable Settlements: Bildt (6,730), Halgrim (26,340), Jol (9,900), Trollheim (12,120)
Ruler: Sveinn Blood-Eagle, White Estrid, Ingimundr the Unruly, Opir Eightfingers
Government: Loose confederation of barbaric tribal monarchies
Languages: Skald
Religion: Erastil, Torag, Desna, Gorum
In the frigid lands north of Varisia dwell the Viking tribes of the Linnorm Kingdoms, legendary across Avistan for their prowess on the battlefield and upon the open sea. The land takes its name from the four saga heroes who command the loyalties of its warlike, storied people. As has been the custom since the earliest days, only warriors who have bested a linnorm in single combat can claim rulership in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, with the hero-hungry populace flocking to their victorious banners. Roughly speaking, the nation divides itself into four kindgoms loosely based near the regional capitals of Jol, Halgrim, Bildt, and Kalsgard. The latter is the largest city in the territory and home to Sveinn Blood-Eagle, the most powerful of the four Viking lords.
An immense invisible First World Rift spans the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, resulting in a wide variety of near-mythic creatures inhabiting the northland wilds. Foremost among these beasts are the serpentine fey dragons known as the linnorms, but nature spirits, weird trolls, giants, and dwarves are more common here than almost anywhere else in Golarion. In particular, the hooded female spirits known as norns seem to be tied to the region’s fate. Their knowledge of the future makes them able prognosticators to the heroic Linnorm Kings, even in an age when none of the old prophecies seem reliable.
The overworked, frigid landscape north of the Grungir Forest cannot support the land’s Ulfen natives, and threat of starvation remains a real problem, especially in the depths of winter. Many able-bodied adults avoid this fate by joining naval crews or trading caravans bound for distant lands. These expeditions always pack plenty of their homeland’s salted fish, animal pelts, and woolen clothing for trading, but they also bring sharpened axes and metal-rimmed round wooden shields, for the Vikings prefer warfare and pillage to trade.
Some of the land’s monarchs even personally attend their questing warships, such as when White Astrid of Bildt famously led fifteen longships in a daring raid against the Nidalese port at Nisroch before triumphantly breaking the Chelaxian blockade at the Arch of Aroden to put in triumphantly at Absalom. Foreign victories bring great prestige at home, but Linnorm Kings who leave their contentious homeland often face political struggles upon their return.
Dragon-prowed longships of the Linnorm Kings emerged in force from the Steaming Sea to raid southern settlements late in the second millennium of the Age of Enthronement, but landborn Ulfen humans from the region had traded as far east as Brevoy in the previous age. The Viking raiders spread the seed and culture of the northmen throughout the ports of the Inner Sea, where folk of pale skin and tawny hair still thrive to this day.
When an aged Linnorm King is ready to pass into the afterlife, he initiates a risky island-hopping naval adventure into unknown territory at the top of the world. Such journeys over centuries have resulted in the Arcadian community of Vallenhall, whose inhabitants believe themselves to be living in another world.
Frosty...I likes it! :D
Squee! Seriously, I've already been chomping at the bit to play in Pathfinder anyway, but I am a huge fan of all things Norse and esp. the Viking Age. Even if some of the details of this change, the opportunity to have a PC with a more authentic-feeling Nordic flavor will be greatly appreciated.
Here's a sneak peek at my unedited Linnorm Kings entry from the Gazetteer.
Enjoy....
Casting one more vote for a land of the Linnorm Kings AP sooner rather than later...
Here's a sneak peek at my unedited Linnorm Kings entry from the Gazetteer.
Enjoy.
Is good.
The Troll has long had a Viking fetish.The Troll
oooooohhhh...
I drool. At this time, I have only just purchased the first two Pathfinder issues as PDF's (been really busy with the rest of life , ya know), and haven't even read through those yet. This stirs up a visceral response and it isn't gas like what I get when I read about what WotC says they are doing.
Yeah, an AP in Land of the Linnorm Kings would definately be fun. Good inspirational material for that one would be the Icelandic Raven-triology, Hrafninn flýgur (The Raven Flies), Í skugga hrafnsins (In the Shadow of the Raven), and Hvíti víkingurinn (The White Viking). The first one is the best and a real classic.
Too bad Netflix doesn't seem to carry it. :(
Well, it is available on DVD from the European online store cdon.com, at least in the Nordic areas. The problem with that though is that it only have swedish subtitles, so you would have to know how to read swedish or speak icelandic.
|
Mr. Mona, I am an extremely happy customer right now. The Nordic style you have shown us is a great and powerful inspiration. I have never seen a d20 product do what I felt was proper justice to the Norsemen, but if this little taste is any indication then this will be really impressive. I look forward to reading more about it when the book is released. I would also like to add my vote for an AP centered in this land.
An immense invisible First World Rift spans the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, resulting in a wide variety of near-mythic creatures inhabiting the northland wilds.
Very interesting... I look forward to learning more the First World and these Rifts you speak of...
I am definately liking the background for The Land of the Linnorm Kings. I cannot wait to see the creatures too.
would anyone else be stoked for a Land of the Linnorm Kings AP?
I sure would. While Golarion leaves me cold, Vikings always rock, and it'd probably be easy to slide such an AP into the northern Moonshaes of FR, what with all the "Northmen" (Vikings) there.
|
|
As someone who is running a pbp called Vikings and Vampires I would definitely go for a viking linnorm king AP (or at the very least a gamemastery module). The gazetteer text certainly piques the interest in hearing more about this region. As someone who lives in the Canadian north, surprisingly I still have an appetite for arctic/northern settings or adventures. pirates? sure. ninjas? in small doses. vikings? hell yeah!
Too bad Netflix doesn't seem to carry it. :(Well, it is available on DVD from the European online store cdon.com, at least in the Nordic areas. The problem with that though is that it only have swedish subtitles, so you would have to know how to read swedish or speak icelandic.
I just found what I think might be an English version of the first installment on used VHS through Amazon, sadly retitled "Revenge of the Barbarians." For nine bucks, I thought I would roll the dice.
Thanks for the tip. I hope it works out. Good Viking movies are hard to come by.
I just found what I think might be an English version of the first installment on used VHS through Amazon, sadly retitled "Revenge of the Barbarians." For nine bucks, I thought I would roll the dice.
Thanks for the tip. I hope it works out. Good Viking movies are hard to come by.
You're welcome, always glad to help. :)
This particular brand of viking film was called cod western by some, due to some plot similarities to Sergio Leone's classic A Fistful of Dollars. You can actually find a plot summary at Wikipedia.
I am reading my Gazetteer and loving the Lands of the Linnorm Kings and their neightbours in Irrisen. Has there been any mention of an adventure path for this region?
|
I am reading my Gazetteer and loving the Lands of the Linnorm Kings and their neightbours in Irrisen. Has there been any mention of an adventure path for this region?Not yet.
Lessee... 1-3 is Varisia, 4 is deserty southern continent (Kalphisomething, Nex, and Orision), 5 is Cheliax...
6 is the polar crossing, right? That'll have some Linnorms in it!
|
Contributor
|
I am reading my Gazetteer and loving the Lands of the Linnorm Kings and their neightbours in Irrisen. Has there been any mention of an adventure path for this region?Not yet.Lessee... 1-3 is Varisia, 4 is deserty southern continent (Kalphisomething, Nex, and Orision), 5 is Cheliax...
6 is the polar crossing, right? That'll have some Linnorms in it!
"Passing through" is different than "set in," but you have a point. :)
Wait I thought four was desicively set in Cheliax?
|
|
would anyone else be stoked for a Land of the Linnorm Kings AP?
I'll raise a sharp, deadly weapon to that. When I wasn't sketching sharks or superheroes or my friends and I as Ghostbusters, it was pirates fighting vikings. Who needs ninja, eh? (Not a Minnesota Vikings fan; we go Green Bay.)
Yes, I read again in a recent post by a Paizo staff member that AP4 will be in Cheliax. I believe it was James, in reference to the Hellknights of that land.
James Jacobs mentioned in the chat that they're delaying the Cheliax AP until August of 2009, as that's when the Pathfinder RPG is coming out, and could benefit from a more "traditional" D&D series of adventures.
This particular brand of viking film was called cod western by some, due to some plot similarities to Sergio Leone's classic A Fistful of Dollars.
minor threadjack
Known to some as remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo
Somewhat back to the topic:
I'm working my way through an English version of "The Sagas of the Icelanders," and have noticed that vengeance and banditry, as well as the legal proceedings which followed and preceded them, figure fairly prominently in Icelandic tradition (which I take to be at least related to Norse Mythology and Folklore). I personally would really like seeing some Pathfinder fluff to support this (but would probably introduce it on my own anyway) in any treatment of the Land of the Linnorm Kings.
James Jacobs mentioned in the chat that they're delaying the Cheliax AP until August of 2009, as that's when the Pathfinder RPG is coming out, and could benefit from a more "traditional" D&D series of adventures.
In that case,a Land of Linnorm King's AP would be pretty cool. It certainly isn't a venue I see a lot of in the mainstream.
Mammoth Lords are cooler than Linnorm Kings.
I respectfully disagree, but I'd like to build you up and encourage you. :)
Why not start a Mammoth Lords AP thread?
Mammoth Lords are cooler than Linnorm Kings.
In that case,a Land of Linnorm Kings AP would be pretty cool.
Odin's Bones! The trickster's honeyed tongue tries to poison our thoughts... a hairy pachyderm over a mighty wyrm of northlore... I say to thee nae!