The Longhouse Sessions is a 4-part series setting the stage for adventures in the Northlands. Discover the world, its characters, and gather the tools you need to begin a saga of your own!
Last time, we scratched the surface of what a campaign in the Northlands can be about. We outlined a few themes that really make the Northlands feel like the Northlands and threw out some ideas on where your characters’ tales might begin and end.
So, who do we want our campaign to be about?
Who’s in the Northlands?
The Northlands is a big, sprawling setting. There’s a rich culture of reaving, proving your worth in battle, and snatching up what others can’t hold on to.
But this campaign is not about five dour warriors sitting in a boat. Because our Northlands is also a world of stout farmers, intrepid explorers, wise elders, and inscrutable seers. It is an impossibly beautiful land governed by the threads of fate. Here, where the machinations of the gods play out in mortal hearths and hillforts, and glory can be found through song and craft as easily as the battlefield, our players deserve more than scurvy, bad weather, and rustling sheep.
To that end, here’s a table:
Northlanders Who Have Never Seen the Inside of a Raiding Ship
| d8 | Character |
| 1 | Tyra Swill-Singer, a skald outlawed from their village for their terrible verses. |
| 2 | Orm Ormssson, the scrubbed and pampered bearfolk emissary to the South. |
| 3 | Karl, a giantkin farmer with a fine recipe for ale and a taste for the comforts of home. |
| 4 | Zia Clawscrabble, famed ratatosk explorer. Scours the Bleak Expanse for a mythic portal to another world. |
| 5 | Dag Gold-Raven, a dwarf notorious for skill at dice and his silver tongue. A raucous devotee of Loki. |
| 6 | Cinder the Wolf-Ward, who drives would-be raiders back into the sea, fighting from an ice-sled pulled by war-reindeer. |
| 7 | Helga, seeress of an unremarkable coastal village. Her mind has followed the threads of fate to one terrible DOOM, which only she forsees! |
| 8 | Hrekkr the Sewer-Cursed, whose verminous enchantment arose from winning a flyting contest against a particularly sensitive god. |
NPCs, PCs, and the Call to Adventure
As a GM, I tend to think of NPCs as folk in the world who serve to reinforce the themes and threads running through the setting. When players bring their PCs to the table, they often create unique or outstanding individuals who, for one reason or another, challenge the norms or buck the trends present in the setting. After all, PCs are adventurers first. Day jobs and the grindset mindset are (mainly) for NPCs.
With that in mind, let’s work up some easy adventure hooks that might rise from everyday life in the Northlands. We’re not talking killing rats (or frost-rats, I guess) here—these adventures are inspired by the themes and customs of the Northlands that we touched on in Part 1, as well as the sagas and eddas that inspired the setting!
Everyday Hooks for Your First Adventures in the North
| d12 | Hook |
| 1 | After one too many toasts at the meadhall, Ketil Bjornsson needs a few extra hands to help him make good on his drunken boast. |
| 2 | The elder of an isolated coastal village seeks a warband capable of defending it from a group of fierce Wolfsheim reavers. |
| 3 | A famed warrior stands accused of cowardice and oathbreaking. But there’s more here than meets the eye. |
| 4 | Two families are on the verge of a bloody feud over an unpaid dowry and a missing groom. |
| 5 | A prominent trader is slandered by one of the greatest skalds of the age. They want you to stop it, but to keep it bloodless. |
| 6 | An aged elf claims one of the PC’s distant ancestors swore an oath to aid them in a time of need. The elf now calls the PC in to pay what’s owed. |
| 7 | A down-and-out merchant needs your help reclaiming their stolen vessel from some enterprising pirates. |
| 8 | A family has been ostracized from the community after the village seer claimed they’ve been cursed. |
| 9 | The blacksmith’s apprentice has absconded with a famed reaver’s sword the smith was repairing. The PCs must find the apprentice before the disgruntled customer does. |
| 10 | An old feud threatens to reignite a terrible cycle of violence. As outsiders, you must hear both parties out and render judgement. |
| 11 | A mysterious traveler offers to share a secret that will upend the world. You just have to beat them in a riddle contest first. |
| 12 | An uninvited guest violates the rules of the local jarl’s hospitality. The problem is, nobody can seem to make them leave. |
Oaths, honor, kin, and reputation are all over most of these hooks. They can drive character-driven adventures that don’t necessarily rely on the blood + guts = glory vibe we often associate with viking tales.
Subclass Sneak Peek: the Nornbound Cleric
If you read the Northlands Preview, you know that threads (as in threads of Fate) play a role in the world of the Northlands. In the Northlands, the threads of fate are spun, woven, and yes, cut short, by the Norns.
The Nornbound subclass for the cleric is in the service of these goddesses, who reward their faithful with abilities that allow them to manipulate and observe these threads. The power to tug at the destinies of mortal creatures is power indeed, and the Nornbound cleric may use their skills for good or ill. Here’s a teaser of what the Nornbound can do:
Level 3, Tailor the Skein: Your fate may be unchanging, but the path there has a little wiggle room.
Level 3, Plucking at Threads: The symbol of your faith is a window into the future. Use it to protect and empower your allies!
Level 6, Intertwined Fate: With a word and a gesture, two creatures are bound together in life and death.
Level 17, Skein Master: The tapestry of fate is yours to trim, alter, and weave anew!
Next Time
Now that we’ve covered the people of the North and the sorts of everyday conflicts that might drive stories and adventure here, let’s talk about that extra something to make the game go. In Part 3, we’ll dive into the major conflicts and potential villains that will drive our campaign in epic saga territory.
Now on Kickstarter!
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