Secondary or Additional Skills:

Skiing:
Skiing: Specifically nordic or cross-country, skiing provides an efficient and sometimes the only method of traveling on snow.

o You know how to strap them on.
oo You don’t fall down. A lot.
ooo You have no problem traveling on skis.
oooo Your technique is excellent, you win races.
ooooo Those pansy Olympic bi-athletes have nothing on you.

 

Sailing:
The ability to rig, maneuver and handle a sailing vessel. This includes coastal travel and open sea voyages.

o You might not capsize during a recreational sail.
oo You can sail most 1 or 2 person craft.
ooo Capable, you have sailed on the open ocean.
oooo You crewed on an America’s Cup racer.
ooooo You could trade secrets with Lord Admiral Nelson.

Knowledges

Linguistics:

A distinguishing feature of almost all the Scandinavian languages is their relation to each other from the hundreds of years of close cultural contact and joined history. A native speaker of Swedish may understand Danish and Norwegian as if it were simply a variant of her own tongue. Finnish belongs to another language family related to Estonian. Many Finns learn Swedish in school, however, and speak it fluently. Icelandic is the closest modern language to Old Norse, with only a few spelling changes between the two. If a character speaks any of these languages, they will most likely be able to understand one or more of the others.

The chart below is based on fluency. For characters that are not fluent, increase the difficulty to the related language, according to the character’s language ability. Note that Old Norse is not a primary langauge today.

Language:	Swedish	Norwegian	Danish	Icelandic	Norse
Swedish	-	as fluent	as fluent	diff 9	diff 10
Norwegian	as fluent	-	as fluent	diff 9	diff 10
Danish	as fluent	as fluent	-	diff 9	diff 10
Icelandic	diff 8	diff 8	diff 8	-	as fluent
Norse	-	-	-	-	-

 

Lores:

Cold Lore:
Surviving in snow, ice and on the northern seas takes training, not only to protect oneself, but others as well. Cold Lore includes the knowledge of snow shelter building, starting fires in snowy or wet conditions, identification, prevention and first aid treatment of hypothermia as well as provisioning for journeys in the cold. When stranded in the wilderness or at sea, Cold Lore can mean the difference between death and survival

.o You know the very basics about retaining body heat in the cold.
oo You can make a fire in the snow and keep yourself alive when in cold water.
ooo You can keep yourself and your group safe in the snow and give you much better chances in the water.
oooo You can be trusted to capably outfit a wilderness or sea expedition.
ooooo With your knowledge, you could mount an arctic expedition.

Rune Lore:
The Futhark is a tool of both language and magic. The Runes are the original alphabet of the Norse language, but like many early alphabets, the letters themselves carried a greater significance than just the sounds they represented. According to the lore of the North, Odin discovered the runes while he hung on Yggdrasil and are sacred to him. Runes are used as a divination tool, as well as in the casting of spells. Rune magic is a separate type of magic in the world of the Trolls, and rune ceremonies are the only ones deemed suitable for any use of the Naming Art. Rune Lore includes the knowledge of the alphabet’s magical and non-magical uses.

o You can identify all the runes and write them out.
oo You have a basic reading comprehension of the runes and use them for divination
ooo You are competent reading and writing and have gained an advanced insight into the meaning of the Futhark.
oooo You are a master of the runes.
ooooo Odin has bestowed his blessing on you, granting you the greatest insight into his oracle.

Specializations:

Glima -Brawl or Martial Arts Specialization
Glima is Norse wrestling and still practiced today. Popular in Iceland, where it is the national sport, Glima is similar to Judo in its emphasis on throws. Opponents begin by standing close to each other and gripping the loose trousers worn by the athletes (in modern Glima a belt is worn instead). A match is won when one athlete successfully throws his or her opponent on the ground. In order for the point to count, the throw must land the opponent on his or her back. Glima is useful in street fighting for leg sweeps and throws.

 

Drake:
A Drake, or Dragon can come in many shapes, colors and sizes, ranging from small forest dwelling green dragons to large sea dragons covered in white seal-like fur. Unlike Orm, with which they are frequently confused, they are not always aggressive and dangerous. A number are self-serving, yet the stories of dragons helping heroes are spread far and wide. For centuries these stories inspired the people in the North to carve images of dragons on houses and ships to act as guardians and ward off evil spirits. Because of their power and wisdom, dragons are sometimes sought by adventurers looking for aid, however, only the very foolish go without bringing a gift of great value, backed up by heavy weaponry.

Fossegrim:
The Fossegrim are the water spirits who are found inhabiting pools at the base of waterfalls of the Northern Dreaming. Unlike many of the water chimera found in the north, the Fossegrim are kind and very helpful to travelers who approach their homes and ask for help. These chimera appear to be ethereal blond boys who emerge from their pools when called. For all their kindness, the Fossegrim are not particularly powerful chimera and their power fades only a short distance from their home. Because of this they will never stray far from their waterfalls and can only protect those who remain nearby.

Fylgja:
A fylgja is a familiar spirit, sometimes referred to as a “fetch” in English. These chimera usually take the form of animals, although they represent the souls of those living in the Autumn World in the Dreaming. Most fylgja take the form of ghostly horses, goats, dogs, sheep or oxen. It is said that Fylgja freely travel from the Umbra to the Dreaming and even at times into the Autumn World. This is an ominous event; when they appear before their mortal counterpart or near relative they foretell their death.

Gardsvor:
The Gardsvor are born of the same dreams that created the Boggans (who are called Nisse or Tomte by the Trolls). Gardsvor are small dwarf-like creatures who are found around and inside the homes of those few who still believe in them. Gardsvor are guardian spirits, defending their chosen homes and the charges within from dark magic and malignant spirits. The small price for this protection is a bowl of porridge and milk left out on Julekveld, or Christmas Eve. If they do not receive their payment, the Gardsvor will leave the house undefended.

Kraken:
This monster of the deep has been feared by sailors for centuries. A many tentacled creature much like a squid or octopus, a Kraken dwarfs its mundane relative, Architeuthis Dux, or the Giant Squid. Unlike these elusive creatures of the Autumn World, the Kraken is aggressive and extremely dangerous. A full grown adult can reach a mile in length and is easily capable of dragging entire ships and their crews into the depths.

Kyrkogrim:
These boar-like chimera are found near cemeteries and along the Black Trods that lead to Nilfheim, the Land of the Dead. It is not known if these chimera serve the goddess Hel, but they are fierce protectors of the dead. The danger facing the spirits of the departed on their journey are so great that in the past it was common for a boar to be buried in cemeteries to ensure that a Krykogrim would defend its residents.

Landvaettir:
It is only in the modern age that the Land has become something that is considered dormant and mindless. Not only did ancient people know better, they learned ways to communicate with the spirits of the Land. The Landvaettir are the spirits of the very rocks, rivers, lakes and mountains. Not to be confused with Inanimae, the Landvaettir are the spirits who those with Willow Whisper converse, the same ones who the Werewolves and Mages use their ancient teachings to commune with as well. The Landvaettir have minds and ways that are considered very alien to those who have not studied them and it is only with great patience and respect that one receives their aid.

Nicker:
Murderous water demons are found in lakes and streams, Nicker haunt the shores of these waterways looking for victims to drag down to their deaths. The Nicker appear as either gray skinned men with wild hair, gray horses or as men to the waist with a horse’s body. They lure their victims to the shore by the beautiful music they make. The Nicker are especially known for stealing young women, who they make their wives under the waters.

Orm:
An Orm, or Wyrm, is not to be confused with a dragon (or drake). These malevolent serpents are identified by their long sinuous bodies and lack of any fur. They may have between two and six legs and may or may not be winged. A great number of Orm are aquatic, although certain varieties are amphibious. Orm may reach gigantic sizes, rising to attack ships or those on shore while the majority of their body remains coiled on the ocean floor. Some consider Jormungand to be the father of all the Orm, although no one has been particularly eager to ask him to be sure.

Radande:
These tree inhabitants have been confused with Dryads and Ghille Dhu by foreign travelers in the Northern Lands. The Radande appear related to these other Gallain, but are in fact Chimera more closely related to the Landvaettir. Once peaceful and reclusive, the Radande today have become aggressive and violent in response to the heavy logging that continues to destroy the once pristine forests of Scandinavia. These chimera are painfully aware that their southern counterparts have been driven to the edge of extinction by the destruction of the forests in southern Europe. Intent on survival, the Radande are taking their war to their enemies, learning to cross into the Autumn world in order to destroy equipment and injure loggers.

Skogs Fru:
The “forest woman” of Norwegian legend haunts glades and clearings deep in the forests, where she is encountered by adventurers and woodsmen. Although is she commonly identified in the shape of a woman, this forest spirit can take the form of an owl or a whirlwind. Concerned only with the well being of the forest, but without the aggression seen in the Radande, the Skogs Fru can either be a deadly opponent or a trusted ally, depending entirely on the motives of those who enter her forest.

Trollkatt:
The Troll cat is a common companion of the Trolls. Large thickly furred wild cats in the Dreaming, they usually take the form of the “Skogkatt” or Norwegian Forest Cat in the Autumn world. These cats are intelligent and fierce, but are known to be just as fickle as their mundane brethren.

 

Hakon Andersson

In his decade on the bench, Judge Andersson has earned a reputation as one the nation’s best. Rising from a brilliant law student to lawyer and then to judge, lawyers and political analysts have Andersson on the short list of possible candidates to be named to the Haestirettur (Supreme Court) before the end of his career.

None of this comes as any surprise to the Troll community in Iceland. After all, Andersson is not just Lögsögumðr (lawsayer) of all the Trolls, he is the Lögsögumðr, descended from the great Althing judges from the time of settlement. Because of Iceland’s small size and the homogeneity of the population, all the Trolls in Iceland have an incomparable access to the memories of the past lives. In this isolated community of lovers, spouses, siblings and children born again and again among each other, Andersson is the undisputed leader. In his early 40s, the Lögsögumðr is a force unto his own. In the early 1980s four dispossessed Sidhe from Ireland arrived in Iceland in a bid to set up an independent kingdom. Andersson, then still a law student, had them flung into the North Atlantic and invited them to swim home-or if they returned to shore, to give their word never to return again. The Sidhe opted for their lives and since then, no noble has set foot in the country.

It is not just difficult for Sidhe to be accepted in Iceland. All outsiders are viewed with suspicion by the Troll community, who only welcome other Trolls. There is one exception to this however, and anyone besides a Troll who wants access to the community had better know Rashaun Edwards.

 

Rashaun Edwards

Lt. Rashaun Edwards has been at Naval Air Station Keflavik for two years. A P-3 Orion pilot, the 26 year old Eshu never had any experience as an ambassador, nor did he intend to play that role when he arrived in Iceland. A graduate of the Arizona State University ROTC program, he entered the Navy after graduation. After two years of training and work in the US, Edwards was transferred to Keflavik. Finding himself in a foreign environment, Edwards invested a huge effort to learn everything he could about his new home, including the language- albeit with mixed success.

Knowing nothing about the local community and its experience with other Kithain, he nearly caused a heart attack in the Troll walking her children to school when he said good morning to them in Icelandic. Since then, Edwards has slowly earned the trust of this insular community, by being very patient, polite and never over stepping his welcome. Any Kithain aside from a Troll who wants any success in dealing with the community in Iceland needs to contact Edwards first, and many American Trolls do so anyway.

 

 

Jarnsaxa Ingstad

It is considered a bad sign to admit you are afraid of the skald Jarnsaxa, it implies whatever she has to say about you isn’t good. Jarnsaxa is from Norway, but she travels throughout Scandinavia for most of the year. Well into her mid-50s, the imposing skald is not and never has been a woman to cross. Known for her stern demeanor, Jarnsaxa is considered the greatest Troll skald now living and at any given time is accompanied by at least a half dozen students, all of whom she looks after with a fierce love akin to that of a mother bear.

Because of her renown, Jarnsaxa is made welcome at every Hall, where she and her students are treated as honored guests. She not only recites the ancient sagas, but she composes those that will immortalize her subjects. If she finds her subject worthy, her deeds will be praised and recounted for generations. For one she finds foolish or insulting, his failings will be recited in detail for just as long.

 

 

Soren Brøgger & Den Svarte Bølgen (The Black Wave)

Soren Brogger is known as one of the most successful pack Alphas of recent memory in the Kyst av Is Sol Sept (Coast of the Ice Sun). The 43 year old Norwegian Fenrir Philodox comes from a family of fishermen, he himself carrying on the tradition for many years after his Rite of Passage.

In the late 1980s, a subsidiary of the Endron corporation, PoleStar, started to construct oil platforms in the North Sea. When the Norwegian Garou finally traced back the ownership of the rigs, they started to plan offensives against them. ‘Den Svarte Bølgen’ pack was formed in 1993 and has been continually going up against PoleStar ever since. Brøgger was an original pack member who has finally gained the rank of Alpha. His years of experience on the water and time with the pack before reaching his current position has made him an effective leader. Brøgger exploits all of his and his packs' connections to reach his goals. This includes contacts in Russia providing him with military grade weaponry and Glasswalkers in Germany keeping his operations in the black. With such a long reach, Trolls sometimes stumble across the operations of the pack. Brøgger himself is as level headed as any of his auspice, but the pack has Ahrouns to spare and tempers can flare when signals are crossed.

 

 

Niel Stender

If there is any Troll who the majority of the Scandinavian community would rather disown, the Dane Niel Stender is it. Unfortunately, he is not likely to go away any time soon. Stender had a hard time with school, much of it due to his impending Chrysalis, which caused him to be placed in a level below his ability. Unchallenged and bored, he became a bully at school and discovered the slick sweetness of Glamour brought on by fear.

Now out of school, Stender has joined up with a number of far right wing skinheads who exploit the quiet worries of a number of average Danes who see the large number of immigrants moving to this once very homogenous state. By feeding the small but growing movement against immigration and leading attacks and threats against “foreigners” (many of them Danish citizens), Stender satiates his need for fear-laced Glamour.

There is a counter movement among many of the people of Denmark, refusing to allow their nation to be shamed by the actions of a small group. However, Stender’s most effective opposition comes not from inside Denmark but from within the Troll community. For some time now, a young Swedish Kinain has been isolating Stender from the community and cutting off his support. It appears to be working, as he has been barred entrance to almost all Halls within his own county. The short term result has been that he has increased his personal ravaging attacks in order to keep his hunger for Glamour fed.

 

Berit Ekholm

Growing up the daughter of two Trolls, Ekholm always felt pressure to achieve, even though her parents always gave her unconditional support. Excelling in both school and sports as a child, Berit could almost feel her parents’ disappointment when the years passed and she never emerged as a Troll herself. Although her parents loved her and supported her regardless, she wanted so desperately to make them proud she drove herself in the one field she could compete with the Trolls; academics.

Berit excelled beyond everyone’s expectations, amazing her parents who were unaware of the self doubt that had pushed her. She graduated from the University of Stockholm in 1991 and found herself drawn to the world of politics. Recognized as a young energetic woman with strong ideals, Ekholm became an advocate for human rights and social programs. In 1999, she was elected to the European Parliament as a member of the ELDR (European Liberal Democratic and Reform) party for Sweden. With this election, Ekholm became the first member of the Troll community to be elected to the European Union. Ekholm is a member of the Human Rights and Foreign Affairs committees. Despite her many duties as an MEP, Ekholm is still active in the Troll community. Using her Europe-wide connections, Ekholm has all but declared war on Niel Stender and his terror tactics in Denmark.

 

Teppo Vääri

For over two centuries there have been stories of a powerful Shaman walking the Dreaming in the far north. Almost never seen in the Mundane World, Trolls and northern Sluagh have encountered this ancient man more frequently in the past few years. The man is Teppo Vääri, a Davvi Sami and one of the few Master Magi to ever escape the Umbra and return to the Mundane world after the Avatar Winds were unleashed. Using centuries of knowledge, the ancient Dreamspeaker located a passage at a point of union between the Horizon Realms and the Deep Dreaming and passed through.

Although he has returned from the Horizon Realms, Vääri is well aware of his vulnerability here and is an elusive individual. On those occasions when he emerges fully into the Mundane World, the Dreamspeaker remains in the remote territory of the Sami. The forces that hunt the Mages have not penetrated these lands, dismissing them, like many others have, as frozen wastes. So far this ignorance has protected the ancient Shaman and he does what he can to aid his people and those who come to him in genuine need of help.

Runemasters and Spawives have begun to seek out Vääri, or send others to seek him. He has a wealth of information as well as powers beyond what many Trolls could ever hope to attain. He pays a heavy price for this, however, and only leaves the relative safety of the Dreaming when he can no longer tolerate it. The Shaman operates through proxies, using animals, specifically reindeer, to communicate with others.

 

 

Nadenka Bogdanova

For centuries a black troika has carried messages and items across the Dreaming of northern Europe. A black sleigh pulled by three Nightmares, the troika requires a well trained driver. Not many would ever imagine the black cloaked figure driving the wild horses is Nadenka Bogdanova, a slight and quiet Sluagh in her late teens. Trained and mentored by her predecessor, Sergei Vikulich, Nadenka travels between the Atlantic and the Bering Sea. Traveling within the Dreaming, no individual or creature has ever been able to catch the Nightmares and the valuable cargo they pull.

Very little is known about Nadenka herself, only that she lives in Novgorod in the rare cases she is not traveling and that she is the only one who can control the Nightmares. Although she trades in secrets like many Sluagh, she has never betrayed the trust of anyone who has hired her, as long as they make good on their payment for her services.

 

 

© 1999 White Wolf Publishing, Inc.
No challenge to their copyright is intended with this page. See Author's Note for details.