Stavie to Monrovia
Hail traveler, so you’ve made it up the Vindelsalven River and taken your longship across the Sea of Grass! That hold of southern spices, blade blanks, and riches taken by right of arms needs to go somewhere. You can take it to Halfstead and meet some soft southern trader, but why pay to fill his belly? You’ve made it this far by courage and skill, push on friend and sail to Monrovia in the Kingdom of Brounthia. There you’ll fetch a high price for your wares and short cut the long sail through the pirate infested waters of the Sea of Spices.
Along the way you’ll be sailing past the heart of the Northlands. Leaving Seagestreland behind you sail past Smølsünd to the west keeping close to the Hord Peninsula and not stopping on that troll shrouded coast until you put into Halfstead the great trading emporium of the Northlands. After taking on food and water, and maybe doing a little trading for amber and furs as well, you can either cut straight across the mouth of Kulding Bay on your way to Osløn or follow the coast past Galvë, the great city of Trotheim, and Tallsinki. After putting into Osløn for supplies and trading it is an easy cruise south along the coast past Burgenheim and Ceaster Pool until you reach Monrovia. Make sure to fly a yellow banner from your mast and stow your dragon head, the Berrini are suspicious of Northlander ships, a yellow banner says you are there to trade not raid, not that a banner can’t be changed out if needed…
Along the way you’ll be sailing past the heart of the Northlands. Leaving Seagestreland behind you sail past Smølsünd to the west keeping close to the Hord Peninsula and not stopping on that troll shrouded coast until you put into Halfstead the great trading emporium of the Northlands. After taking on food and water, and maybe doing a little trading for amber and furs as well, you can either cut straight across the mouth of Kulding Bay on your way to Osløn or follow the coast past Galvë, the great city of Trotheim, and Tallsinki. After putting into Osløn for supplies and trading it is an easy cruise south along the coast past Burgenheim and Ceaster Pool until you reach Monrovia. Make sure to fly a yellow banner from your mast and stow your dragon head, the Berrini are suspicious of Northlander ships, a yellow banner says you are there to trade not raid, not that a banner can’t be changed out if needed…
Points of Interest
Beside the above mentioned well known points of interest, characters will pass by the following.-
Sitting in the Seagestre Gulf, Barrow Island is a small landmass that is covered by several feet of water during the winter months, only to rise out as the sun peaks further up the sky and warms the land and waters of the Northlands. It is an Andøvan island, home to the barrows of hundreds of dead warriors of that long vanished people. Although they are earthen mounds capped with stones and sometimes studded with tall rings of cut stones like the teeth of a great giant, the winter waves do not wash them away. For generations those sailing to and from Seagestreland have used it as a point of navigation. Upon sighting Barrow Island you either turn west and north towards Vastavikland, west and south towards Stavie, or east and south to Dnipirstead.
What you do not do is land on Barrow Island or get too close. Only a fool would dismiss the tales of it being haunted, or any tales of haunted Andøvan barrows for they all hold the restless dead of centuries past. Worse, the dead of Barrow Island are known to leave their tombs and go for a swim. Many a ship has been attacked at night making the passage through the bay. The dead lords of the Andøvan seem to want to add to their funeral hoards.
What you do not do is land on Barrow Island or get too close. Only a fool would dismiss the tales of it being haunted, or any tales of haunted Andøvan barrows for they all hold the restless dead of centuries past. Worse, the dead of Barrow Island are known to leave their tombs and go for a swim. Many a ship has been attacked at night making the passage through the bay. The dead lords of the Andøvan seem to want to add to their funeral hoards.
-
The Hord Peninsula is rife with trolls from the Troll Fist Hills in the east to the Troll Coast in the west. In between lies the Forest of Woe, home to bandits, cleared areas filled with Andøvan barrows, and fey spirits of all stripes. Most ships shun the Troll Coast – some trolls can swim – and stay well out to sea. Only those seeking battle with the inhabitants of this benighted coast or those driven by necessity or foolishness put in.
Which is a shame because there is much wealth to be gathered on those shores. The Troll Coast is rich in amber, it just lies there on the shore waiting to be picked up and it’s not like the trolls have any use for it. Even more, the Troll Coast is the calving ground of Peikko Seal. These blubberous creatures can mate and calve here because their flesh contains a poison that slays trolls. If you are brave enough to risk the Troll Coast and willing to do battle with thousand pound bull seals who have tusks three feet long, you can harvest a fortune in blubber that not only burns as cleanly in lamps as it is rich and tasty, but can be rendered down by cunning folk into a poison that slays trolls.
Which is a shame because there is much wealth to be gathered on those shores. The Troll Coast is rich in amber, it just lies there on the shore waiting to be picked up and it’s not like the trolls have any use for it. Even more, the Troll Coast is the calving ground of Peikko Seal. These blubberous creatures can mate and calve here because their flesh contains a poison that slays trolls. If you are brave enough to risk the Troll Coast and willing to do battle with thousand pound bull seals who have tusks three feet long, you can harvest a fortune in blubber that not only burns as cleanly in lamps as it is rich and tasty, but can be rendered down by cunning folk into a poison that slays trolls.
-
If you have friends or relatives between Galvë and Trotheim you can stop in at their halls to visit and stretch your legs, especially if the seas have been unkind. If not, and you don’t want to sail straight through without a rest along a coast that offers few anchorages and is bordered by the infamous Forest of Woe, you have few choices other than the hall of Jarl Alrich the Blind. Blinded in battle he struck a deal with fey spirits to regain his sight, but the fickle creatures only allowed him to see when there are visitors in his hall. All other times he is blind, and if he leaves his hall his sight dims until all is a cloudy murk.
Because of this Alrich the Blind’s hall is always open and none are turned away. His generosity is legendary, though if this is because of the fey deal he struck or a natural desire to fulfill his obligations as a host none can say. The lands around the hall are rich, but never plundered by even the most jaded of Vikings (even the Jomsvikings are welcome, and thus leave the jarl alone). Expect feasts every night of roast pork and beef, fat geese in season, salmon stuffed with roe, whale meat, mead, hearty breads, honey cakes, and more mead. Which is a shame really, for although the host is generous, his bees gather nectar in the Forest of Woe and his mead has an odd flavor and slight purplish hue.
Because of this Alrich the Blind’s hall is always open and none are turned away. His generosity is legendary, though if this is because of the fey deal he struck or a natural desire to fulfill his obligations as a host none can say. The lands around the hall are rich, but never plundered by even the most jaded of Vikings (even the Jomsvikings are welcome, and thus leave the jarl alone). Expect feasts every night of roast pork and beef, fat geese in season, salmon stuffed with roe, whale meat, mead, hearty breads, honey cakes, and more mead. Which is a shame really, for although the host is generous, his bees gather nectar in the Forest of Woe and his mead has an odd flavor and slight purplish hue.
-
Sitting on the border between the Northlander Hrofland and the Kingdom of Brounthia lies the Last Hall / First Fief (or vice versa if you are a weak southlander). When the border between the two lands shifted in I.R. 3516 the Gudrun Jorviksdøttir quickly jumped past the Hrolf Clan’s claims on the land and set up her own hall, defending her right to do so by force of arms and an intricate network of alliances. Stymied, the Hrolfs let it pass but kept a close eye on her and her nascent hall until Jarl Nafni took over Ceaster Pool. A staunch traditionalist he acclaimed Gudrun’s claim, not that she needed it, and let the matter rest.
At the same time, Kain ap Alad inherited the fiefdom of Cynnigmac on the new border. He was disturbed to find a Northlander hall going up within spitting distance of his ancestral home. Fearing raiders he mounted an armed escort and confronted what he thought would be some hairy barbarian wearing stinking furs. What he found was a smart and clean woman his age with the strength of will to challenge the Hrolf Clan and the might to win through. The two warrior-lords struck up a friendship that day, and some say more than neighborly friendliness lies between them. Sailors traveling the coast are wise to put in at either the Northlander hall or the Berrini hill fort, mind their manners, and enjoy the hospitality of either culture.
At the same time, Kain ap Alad inherited the fiefdom of Cynnigmac on the new border. He was disturbed to find a Northlander hall going up within spitting distance of his ancestral home. Fearing raiders he mounted an armed escort and confronted what he thought would be some hairy barbarian wearing stinking furs. What he found was a smart and clean woman his age with the strength of will to challenge the Hrolf Clan and the might to win through. The two warrior-lords struck up a friendship that day, and some say more than neighborly friendliness lies between them. Sailors traveling the coast are wise to put in at either the Northlander hall or the Berrini hill fort, mind their manners, and enjoy the hospitality of either culture.
People Along the Way
The following NPCs can be encountered along the route.-
When you stop in Halfstead – and you should take on water and food at the very least – make sure to stop by the tent of Jaberg the Pelshtarian. His real name is Jabbār din Halitha, but the Northlanders find it easier to call him Jaberg. Not only is it easier to pronounce but it’s aptly descriptive as he is a rather large man and the -berg suffix denotes an island in Nørsk. Jaberg is a broker. He finds buyers for goods and has contacts across The North Sea, Pelshtaria, and as far away as Libynos. A scrupulous trader, the people of Halfstead’s waterfront use his name as a by-word for honesty and fair dealing.
Jaberg the Pelshtarian serves another role. He is less known as a broker to adventurers than a merchant trading in furs, hides, amber, and other commodities. His contacts are widespread and he receives word from this patron or that potentate or another needing honest work done by loose sell swords. He sometimes knows of recently discovered or verified ruins in need of exploration, and lost items of power or wealth waiting to be recovered. He also bankrolls, via loans of course, adventurers and can serve as a bank to keep all that wealth. Look for his tent outside the city, a large affair of silk, well-guarded, and in its own moat and palisaded camp.
Jaberg the Pelshtarian serves another role. He is less known as a broker to adventurers than a merchant trading in furs, hides, amber, and other commodities. His contacts are widespread and he receives word from this patron or that potentate or another needing honest work done by loose sell swords. He sometimes knows of recently discovered or verified ruins in need of exploration, and lost items of power or wealth waiting to be recovered. He also bankrolls, via loans of course, adventurers and can serve as a bank to keep all that wealth. Look for his tent outside the city, a large affair of silk, well-guarded, and in its own moat and palisaded camp.
-
Riding her chariot pulled by geese, Old Drifa is a potent cunning woman who prefers a roaming life to that of her more cottage bound kin. She crosses The North Sea regularly as her geese prefer to follow the migrations of their own kinfolk and Old Drifa obliges. She is always ready to help a ship in distress, come to the aid of shipwrecked sailors, or bear warnings of dangers to those on the sea. Sometimes, seemingly at her own whim, she swoops in and alights on the deck of some passing ship. These might be sociable visits, part of some cryptic plan (which leads to adventure whether one is seeking it or not), or an attempt to gain a new paramour. The latter is a mixed blessing, for although supernaturally beautiful despite her centuries of life, possessing great power and wisdom, and the flying chariot, to be the lover of a cunning woman is to court death. Like all cunning folk, she has traded a mundane life for mystical powers and those who love cunning folk are cursed to die well before their skein has been measured. Such is the price to pay for a few years of passion, flying, and luxury.
-
The southern parts of The North Sea – namely the coasts you will sail past going from Stavie to Monrovia – are the hunting ground of Valgard the Draugur Jarl. Betrayed by his kinsmen and slain, his body cast into the sea to hide the crime, Valgard rose again as a vengeful draugur, the catch-all term the Northlanders often use to describe vengeful undead. They say he raised a sunken ship and took its moldering crew for his own, but that the ship and crew can only remain for a year and a day before they crumble back into the sea. Mostly, Valgard the Draugur Jarl contents himself with hunting his killers, or more likely given the age of the crime, their descendants. Yet, when the first moons of spring shine he seeks out living ships and living crews for his needs must be replenished. If he finds a suitable vessel he takes it, slaying all onboard. Then the old crew of the Draugur Jarl are released back into the sea and the new ship and crew taken on a yearlong quest for vengeance.
Adventure Hooks
The following seeds can be expanded and even linked together.-
It was five generations ago that Valgard was murdered and cast into the sea, yet he has not resolved his quest for vengeance. As each year passes the bloodlines of those who betrayed them seem to grow, and thus the number of his prey. Atli Biorsson fears he is next and the Draugur Jarl has been spotted stalking the eastern coast of Hordaland. While some may simply flee inland to escape the undying jarl and his crew of the dead, Atli is made of wise stuff. He has learned it has been 360 days since Valgard has taken a new ship, and if our heroes can help him locate the Draugur Jarl in time they can end the curse, at least for a time. No need to fight the undead, no; just lead Valgard on a long sea chase out into The North Sea and let his rotting ship and crew sink beneath him, spilling the Draugur Jarl into the depths, perhaps for centuries.
-
While stopping in Halfstead, the characters either visit Jaberg the Pelshtarian’s tent on business or are contacted by one of his servants. The great merchant has a small favor to ask, nothing too out of the ordinary or dangerous. A small jade idol needs to be taken far out into The North Sea and tossed overboard. The exact instructions are specific and demanding, so many hundred miles from any shore, tossed overboard under a new moon while the wind is in the east and the first star has crossed half-way from horizon to zenith. Why is not a thing that Jaberg knows, only what; and he has been hired by another who no doubt was used by a third party.
In recompense he offers friendship, and the pick of any single thing from his collection of trade goods, exotic wonders, and household. Yes, one of the characters could even claim one of the merchant’s ships if they so desire. Jaberg is honest to a fault (and knows exactly what his wording means). However, there are many things in the Pelshtarian’s possession that are not what they seem; be they cursed, fall under some obscure Northlander feud, or otherwise lead to more trouble than they are worth.
In recompense he offers friendship, and the pick of any single thing from his collection of trade goods, exotic wonders, and household. Yes, one of the characters could even claim one of the merchant’s ships if they so desire. Jaberg is honest to a fault (and knows exactly what his wording means). However, there are many things in the Pelshtarian’s possession that are not what they seem; be they cursed, fall under some obscure Northlander feud, or otherwise lead to more trouble than they are worth.
-
While plying the route from Stavie to Monrovia, the characters spot a lone figure out on the Seagestre Gulf. Fishing the person clinging to a scrap of wreckage out of the water, the nearly dead sailor tells a harrowing story. His ship, the Swift-Wolf was caught in a storm and wrecked on the Troll Coast. For three days and four nights the survivors have been fighting a desperate battle against trolls and worse that have wandered out of the Forest of Woe. There are only five left, all wounded, out of water, and low on food. The survivor was thrown out to sea during a fight and managed to latch onto some wreckage. Despite their state, they are certain they can guide the characters back to the beach where the rest of the crew of the Swift-Wolf battle for their lives.
There are a few ways this can be played out. First, play it straight, a rescue from a deadly coast with trolls and trollkin wading out to meet the incoming ship, desperate fighting, and plucking the survivors off before they are cut down before our heroes’ very eyes. Then again, it could be a trap, the trolls of the Northlands can sometimes be smart enough to set up a bait and lure to bring in manflesh to eat, and a ship to carry them off on a rampage. Finally, the survivor might not be what they seem, the trap is bringing them on board and the deaths begin within hours.
There are a few ways this can be played out. First, play it straight, a rescue from a deadly coast with trolls and trollkin wading out to meet the incoming ship, desperate fighting, and plucking the survivors off before they are cut down before our heroes’ very eyes. Then again, it could be a trap, the trolls of the Northlands can sometimes be smart enough to set up a bait and lure to bring in manflesh to eat, and a ship to carry them off on a rampage. Finally, the survivor might not be what they seem, the trap is bringing them on board and the deaths begin within hours.
Comments