Nine Cities of Niemheim
(NEEM-high-m)
Some creatures of Torar are gentle, loving, and brave. The forestfolk of Niemheim, mistakenly called gnomes (in reference to valleyfolk) by outsiders, are none of these things. They are servants of Hell.
They were not always so. The fairies lived among the people of Morgau and Krakova for many years as friends and allies, teaching humans the arts of fey sorcery, weaving, and gardening. They were a kindly people, eager to discuss the finer points of pottery, alchemy, tanning, and the illumination of manuscripts. Their hats and shoes were sources of mirth, but their wisdom was valued and respected.
Then, 200 years ago, a gnome prince betrayed a promise made to Baba Yaga. A blood oath of loyalty and service was foresworn. The prince died swiftly, but his people’s suffering was slow.
Ever since, it is said, Baba Yaga sought to use their hair for her pillow-stuffing. The fairies suffered attacks by night-haunts, strigoi, the ala hags, and the psoglav demon-dogs—all servants of Baba Yaga. The fairies lived in perpetual pants-wetting terror, knowing their children would be grist for Baba Yaga’s mortar, and their villages kindling for her fire and her hunting drakes. Village by village, the fairies disappeared.
Until one day, a devil of the Hells made the King of the fairies an offer. A very generous offer.
The Devil’s Offer
The devil swore he would hide the fairies deep in the Wormwood Forest in a dozen far-flung villages. Furthermore, the demons and devils of the Hells, the erinyes and barbed and bearded devils in their many varieties, would encircle those villages as wardens against Baba Yaga. The creatures of Hell would protect every fairy—for a small price in blood and souls. It says volumes about the terrors that Baba Yaga brought down upon the fairies that they considered this a bargain worth making. In their defense, their only other choice was gradual extinction in Baba Yaga’s stewpots. And so they swore themselves to Hell, and they have made the best of it ever since.The Infernal Fairies Today
Once a month, the fairies make blood sacrifices. If no strangers come to their tidy little towns, they must offer one of their own. Fairy thugs and illusionists and enchanters ply the roads and taverns, amusing travelers. Some of those travelers might follow a kindly fairy to the forest, or hear rumors of wealth and fame. They become curious about the silent land beneath the pine boughs. Someone always becomes curious, when the fairy bards spin a tale. Visitors to the Wormwood have grown exceedingly rare, and few intrude on the fairies in their deep piney woods these days. The fairies hold a dozen villages or towns southwest of Endhome, all well ordered, with pretty gardens and neat central squares and half-timbered houses. They work hard as tanners of calfskin and growers of herbs. Fairy wives weave clever woolens, and the fairy charcoal burners make the fuel to light the dark nights and the hottest kilns outside of the Ironcrags. Potters fight each other for bright fairy glazes, and housewives prize small kitchen knives of Niemheim steel. The fairies produce suspiciously fine vellum in inordinate quantities, enough to fill the scriptoria of the magocracy of Allain. None question their source or methods. Recently, and with great care, the fairies have devised several ways of leaving the Wormwood without being eaten. Their king hopes to make things right with the great crone, while a cunning warlock has infused acorns and grass seeds from the forest with infernal magic—evil copses of trees are sprouting up across the Plain, each expanding the fairies’ territory. The fairies still have enemies, but Baba Yaga’s eyes are blinded in their lands. In spring, raiding darakhul might ride in with a half-drunk Khazzaki scout and steal some sheep or a traveling tinker. But those undead and others who enter Niemheim without permission vanish into the forest. Not long after, a new shipment of exceptional tallow candles, finely honed knives, and neatly repaired tunics is loaded on a dwarven mule train to Vidim or Morgau, and the fairies grow a little richer. The fairies’ land is defined by their fear of Baba Yaga’s wrath, and its people shelter quietly and modestly among the dark forest boughs of the Wormwood. The forest is one of their defining elements; they cut lumber and export it in many forms to the Blood Kingdom and Vidim, but the trees are more valuable by far for the sense of shelter they give the fairies. Their towns and two cities are half above the earth and half below, easily overlooked when fully covered in fey glamours. It seems as if the fairies wish that everyone would ignore them and their woods. This is the way of things, under the dark branches of the forests of Niemheim.King Redbeard
The king of the fairies wants nothing more than to make peace with Baba Yaga, break the devils' shackles, and free his people from infernal salvation. He is intensely pragmatic, and though the years of diabolical influence have changed him and his subjects, the king's heart desires freedom. The arrangement keeps the fairies safe from Baba Yaga's ire, but the price is high and unwavering. He has watched his people's cleverness turn to wickedness, wisdom to malice, and ingenuity to bloodlust. While many in his court share his feelings toward Hell's agents, others do not. His people are divided between those who wish to live as if the bargain did not exist, and those who relish its evil consequences. Redbeard does what he must to maintain the ancient pact but works in secret to break it. He tries to keep the influence of the Hells at bay, but he rarely escapes the company of the cruel and sophisticated bone devil, Ambassador Xingat. The devil is a constant reminder of the sacrifices and deeds demanded by the Hells to thwart the great witch's gaze. Redbeard is tall and imposing for a fairy. His long beard curls into five flaming finger-like points. A deep cinder-colored light emanates from his beard, and motes of ash follow him wherever he goes. His face is deeply lined and rarely does his brow unfurrow. He wears the Wormwood Robe, a magical garment made from living mosses and fungi. It is said the robe grants the king the power to travel through his forest home at tremendous speed. He carries a scepter made from a deer's antlers; each points of the scepter grant the king access to a powerful spell, and upon each point burns a different colored flame. The Offering Bowl King Redbeard has not left his people's fate to chance. He has devised and already begun work on a strategy to make peace with Baba Yaga. Deep in the heart of the Wormwood, hidden from the eyes of the people and the devilish wanderers who frolic there, the king is building salvation. In a giant underground cave guarded by loyal fairies who reject the diabolical influence, a massive wooden bowl is being constructed. Carved from the oldest trees in the forest, the offering bowl represents the fairies’ best chance at escaping their hellish masters. With the help of one of Baba Yaga's daughters, a beautiful vila named Unera, the fairy's work is hidden from the eyes of the devils. This twice‑hidden construction has only just begun, and when completed, is to be filled with the blood of innocent mortals. Redbeard is convinced this final despicable act will appease the great witch and end the ancient wrong. The king has placed oversight of the project in the hands of Lord Dragonfetch, a spymaster and long-time friend to Redbeard. Dragonfetch keeps a close eye on the offering bowl, and a closer eye on the gnomes entrusted to build it. Redbeard’s Hidden Palace The palace is both an administrative center for justice and courtier’s pleas and a military fortress, well guarded and warded with arcane powers against shadow magic, divination, and scrying. Redbeard’s personal guard numbers more than 200 veteran wands and blades, all of whom have petitioned the throne and sworn a blood oath to serve His Majesty as the Gentleman Irregulars. The presence of devils and hellish ambassadors in the Hidden Palace is a matter of annoyance to visitors (they speak only Infernal, and occasionally take offense at some imagined insult). Roads to the planes are common in the Hidden Palace, and the conjunction of arcane forces here is very strong.Assets
Red Caps and Sproutings
While King Redbeard plots his way to an audience with Grandmother, a cunning assembly of fairies has invented several clever ways to safely travel beyond the Wormwood. The first strategy includes a strange hat made from bits of the forest floor. The Red Caps of Niemheim are created by growing mushrooms, small plants, and lichen native to the Wormwood on top of simple linen scarves. Once the flora is established, the cap is firmly tied under its bearer’s chin. A fairy who wears one these living hats has a chance to leave the forest without drawing the attention of Grandmother’s ever-watching gaze. Keeping the hat alive is the principal challenge, and the slow rate of production has meant only a handful of fairies have successfully left the forest. The fate of the gnomes caught by Grandmother’s minions is not known, but horrifying theories prevent all but the bravest from donning the Red Caps and risking travel across the Plain. The second method, far more insidious than the first, brings a new threat to the surrounding lands. Halivimar the Charred, a blind warlock who dwells in a hut made from skulls outside Hexen, communed with his infernal patron during a lunar eclipse. In his meditative trip through the Hells, he had a vision of the Wormwood growing vigorously—its boundary expanding into the Wandering Realm. A devilish plan was hatched. Halivimar demanded the capture of a dozen goodhearted fey. Once the poor creatures were caged, he ground them alive in a torturous mortar and pestle. The resulting mess was dried and then used in dark rituals to quicken the growth of a few trees and shrubs. The process worked perfectly. Now, enabled by brave Red Cap‑wearing scouts called Zharadnik, the fairies create infernal copses of trees across the Rothenian Plain. These small outposts of forested growth are referred to as “sproutings.” The Zharadnik carry the quickened seeds as far as they can. Once planted, the seeds transform into a fully grown sprouting in less than a day. The average size of a sprouting is limited to around 5,000 square feet. Halivimar is working on ways to increase the size of his infernal groves, but he is limited by time and the number of available fey victims to fuel his work. Established sproutings consist of 20 or so fairies living in crudely built huts. They are avoided by the other races of the Plain, though the Khazzaki sometimes trade plunder for herbal poultices. Tree of Sulf To the delight (and horror) of the fairies, the dreadful Tree of Sulf has grown a few miles south of the Wormwood forest. Its surrounding copse of trees and mushrooms is bristling with spree demons and glower stones. The fairies have protected this particular sprouting, for at its heart, the Tree of Sulf is a corrupted World Tree: a tall and thick oak tree with sickly yellow bark, whose roots draw sustenance from the Hells. Its branches twist and spiral, its leaves grow black and crimson, and its sulfurous stench can detected for miles. Diabolical ambassadors use it as a quick shortcut to and from their home in the hells. The fairies collect the smoldering acorns of the tree and extract their magic to enchant their knives and hide armor. The acorns are extremely dangerous to touch, and the fairies must wear thick leather gloves when handling them. Some fairy alchemists have discovered that the acorns can be cooled and fermented into a brimstone‑infused liquor, which they sell for tremendous prices at the markets in Holmgard. The long-term effects of drinking these spirits is not known. Most menacing, however, is the occasional infernal traveler who steps into Torar from the boughs of the tree. Welcomed and worshipped, the monster either stays in the company of the fairies or journeys to the distant Demon Mountain. The irregularity of these appearances indicates that the gateways growing in the Tree of Sulf are inconstant. Sablehorns, a high-ranking fairy cleric of Chernobog, leads the effort to stabilize the fiery portals and often travels to the tree to oversee dread rituals.Glower Stones
Though the Wormwood offers excellent protection from their adversaries, the fairies of Niemheim continue to invent new defenses for their forest-bound cities. Chief among these protections are the grim and malevolent glower stones. These grisly assemblages of stone, wood, bone, and viscera are set throughout the forest, but most often at the edges of their territory. One part alarm and one part deterrent, these magical unmoving constructs are the gnomes’ first line of defense against invaders. A typical glower stone consists of a ring of sharpened sticks, upon which is skewered the rotting viscera of Niemheim’s enemies. The sticks surround a crude and hunching fairy form made from stone and bone. The statue’s face has the ability to magically change its expression: neutral and welcoming to those with permission to enter the forest, or glowering and menacing for trespassers. The glower stones relay information back to their creators, informing the nearby communities that someone or something has entered the Wormwood. The devilish interloper Ambassador Xingat takes great pleasure in assisting in the creation of the glower stones. He considers them great works of art and takes personal interest in their preservation. While most glower stones are merely witnesses set to intimidate interlopers, some are much more powerful. Infused with hellfire, these potent sentries unleash burning rays from their eyes and screech foul utterances in the tongue of devils. These dangerous constructs are most easily identified by the presence of animated heads atop the stakes that surround them. In place of innards and sinew, the heads of tortured victims gape and howl when the glower stone is activated. The combination of infernal fire and pleas of the gibbering damned are enough to repel even the most stalwart hero.Infrastructure
Great City of Holmgard
The city of Holmgard is the most human and approachable settlement of Niemheim. It was founded by Northern adventurers from among the dwarfholds long ago, and it fell into human hands for centuries before the elves came. Those days are long past, though, and the fairies have converted its temples to the worship of their dark and fearsome gods. Over the centuries, the city has grown large enough to throw off attacks by anything less than a whole army of Northlanders. As a trading center for goods to and from the far North and even the far West, Holmgard sees travelers from distant lands as well as elves and centaurs from the Rothenian Plain. Expeditions to distant realms set out from Holmgard and Volvyagrad over the Plain and past rowdy bands of Khazzaki and centaurs in search of riches on the Grass Road or in the shining desert cities of the far South. Enclaves of merchants give the city an exotic feel. Despite this outward openness, Holmgard is the fairy capital and its Hidden Palace is, well, hidden. Fairies who are invited to the palace receive an invitation at dawn and are expected to wander the streets until they are (somehow) conjured along a magical path to the palace. Non-fairies who are invited require a fairy guide to find the place and are escorted out blindfolded on owlback.Metropolis of Volvyagrad
This shabby river town is defended by the marshy land around it and by a tremendous grod, an earthen rampart topped with a wall of timber with extensive hoardings. Attackers have learned that the swamp conceals dangers all around and that fairy night raiders are worthy foes, and their devilish allies even more so. Humans and dwarves are relatively common on its streets, others a little less so (and they leave before nightfall in all but the worst weather). Many of the humans in Volvyagrad are Kariv of the Kalder clan, which sometimes serves the fairies as scouts, diviners, and kidnappers. The town is a trade outpost, taking silks, furs, and horses from the east in exchange for salt, fine wools, iron ingots, and salt cod and herring from the West. It is ruled by the Metropolitan of Mammon, and trade and taxation are its function. Without Volvyagrad, there would be insufficient gold to please the fairy king.Lesser Towns of Niemheim
The towns within the Wormwood are poorly known and some are never visited by outsiders. Dorograd and Überlauten are the most outwardly focused.- Dorograd: A center of information gathering, Dorograd stands on a small hill overlooking the Rothenian Bay to the west. Visitors run a high risk of being kidnapped for use as sacrifices. It is filled with veteran scouts, bards, and snatch-and-grab artists. Stolen children, it is said, are taken to Dorograd for sacrifice to the dark fairy gods in its large temple district.
- Hexen: Deep in the forest heart of Niemheim, the rumored city of Hexen is off-limits to all but fairies. It is said to be home to a college of hundreds of fairy wizards and witches who create new spells and summon new servants for the king, but no one is sure what truly goes on there. The last traveler to visit and return with a report was 150 years ago.
- Hellersbad: Host to the king’s summer palace, this small town is home to scholars, fairies who fish the Rothenian Bay, hot springs, and not much else. The town is sleepy even by fairy standards.
- Janosgrod: A lumbering town near a significant mithral deposit, Janosgrod is a working forge town with a strong defense. Most magical fairy blades bear its mark, a triangle within a circle.
- Königsheim: Located at the mouth of the River Brocken, Königsheim is a significant center of fairy trade, finance, and worship. It is famous for its cherry brandies and for the Black Spire, the city’s enormous black temple to Chernobog. The Spire is built entirely of black bricks and continuously echoes with prayers. Königsheim is home to a significant order of dark cavaliers and (some say) anti-paladins. The fairy cavaliers call themselves the Hellspurs.
- Ostzig: This small trading port is the fairy naval center and home to few fast ships. The fairies trade little with others, but their expeditions can sometimes bring a fortune to the Northlands, Vidim, or the Naledi Empire. They never leave the Rothenian Bay.
- Überlauten: A city of soldiers, trained wolves, and permanent suspicion, this is the gateway to Krakova, Morgau, and the east beyond the forest. The fairies obviously expect an invasion, because the city is well fortified and its walls enchanted.
Founding Date
20210 A.E.
Type
Political, Confederation
Alternative Names
The Nine Cities, Wormwood
Demonym
Niemheimian
Leader
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Traditional
Major Exports
Mithral, pine, oak, beech, rosewood, woven wool, fine calfskin and leathers, amber, pear and cherry brandy, wormwood liquors.
Official State Religion
Location
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