Orlois Fables & Folklore

Runes, Seafarers, Berserkers, and Jotuns

Recurring Theme, Lore, or Symbolism

• Orlois is a Jotun-based culture of runes, seafarers, and berserkers.
• Orlois is integrated fully into the Faith, yet mariners here still hedge their bets by offering prayers to the old gods, too.
• Slavery is legal here, but it is a minor part of the economic landscape and limited to wealthy households.
• Runes and staves are the standards for spell-working here.

Local Creatures

• Ogres sometimes wander in from the northwest mountains to pillage and rustle cattle.
• Singular or pairs of giants have been known to come down from mountains. They do so to steal brides or rustle cattle, but incidents have become rare.
• Small sea serpents called piasts and pods of sea wyverns hunt in Bloodaxe Bay.
• Whales, walrus, and seals also are common in Bloodaxe Bay.
• Trolls sometimes set up shop under bridges, and they are quite hard to root out.
• Reclusive rissi households may be encountered in the eastern reaches of Orlois. They are welcomed by the locals.

Heroes & Monsters of Myth and Folklore

• Jack Twist—He is a gnarled giant with twisted limbs, a hideous face, and a crazy shock of hair. He will break into houses and steal people and food at will. He seems unkillable, but he is all but crippled, and no one is sure if he’s a true giant, a troll, or some ogre variant. Some families have shown him kindness, and Jack respects these households.

Historical Sites

• Vale of Rage—Located somewhere is in the Ulse Hills of Eswall, lies a valley that is rich in magic mushrooms. These are the same mind-altering edibles that turn warriors into raving berserkers. They are not for sale, their location is kept secret, and they have a cultural/religious significance.

Material History

• Orlois is noteworthy for its lapstrake, oak dragon ships (knarrs, drakkars, etc.). This is an old but still amazing technology brought down from Jotunlunde far to the north. Flexible lapstrake ships still handle the northern seas better than the stiff-hulled caravel vessels of the south.
• Sunstones—These are non-magical stones that can detect Saellar’s position under any weather, so they safely can navigate wide oceans far out-of-sight of land.

Odd Competitions or Traditions

• Shield Maidens—Warrior women are not common in Orlois, but they certainly exist. They are treated with the same respect male warriors are given.
• Orloisian Berserkers—Covered in more detail under regional professions.

by Scott A. Story