Evingard

[dafelsheim]

So, I was wondering if anyone (Andrew, maybe?) has done anything to further detail Evingard? I'm looking for more NPCs, maps, organizations possibly, buildings/locales of note, etc., beyond the stuff printed already in the books. I own all of the current source books and I know that the majority of information about Evingard is in Fafnir's Treasure. My goal is to make Evingard a proper hub location for a larger campaign arc and I'm looking to give further detail to it.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the population of Evingard? According to the Cornerstone of the World adventure, the Magnus had several hundred slaves alone working for him.

[andrew]

Ahhhh Evingard, the most fleshed out part of the world.... because of convention game demos LOL!!!

I've used the location quite a few times in my weekly games and just the fact that its my go-to adventure an conventions means that it has seen some serious millage. There's a ton of character depth, plot development and local politics. I wouldn't even know where to begin if you need some more contextual info. Perhaps some more precise questions may get the ball rolling?

[dafelsheim]

I'm super happy to hear that you've got a lot of details floating around that haven't been published yet. Now, I just have to figure out the best way to pick your brain! :p Let's see. Some questions to start out...

1. Population? Roughly?

2. Resources? Obviously everything from Magnus's operation (normal and special ores.) I imagine fish and lumber as well. How about other foodstuffs?

3. What's the economy like? Again, I know Magnus is the head hauncho here, acting as the biggest merchant and moneylender. With Knutt being the guy in charge of the black market, including slaves in particular, what kind of a relationship do he and Magnus have?

4. Are there any more details about the group of mystics that set up the settlement in the mountains near the old Evingard, which lead to some kind of catastrophe and the destruction fo the latter?

5. Any more information on craftsmen of note?

6. What kind of a force is Hakon leading? Are we talking about little more than a militia of guards, a small but well-trained group, a large number of somewhat skilled guards, etc.? Any other guardsmen of note?

7. More information on the Red Rat Clan! What exactly are their goals and methods? Are they still after Rolf? How do they interact with Magnus? Is Knutt a member? What is the nature of their relationship with Gunnar?

8. Besides Jadvyg out of Hel's Stone and the... Incognito Godi of Loki, is there any other significant religious presence?

9. Any more information on the Wolf Clan?

10. Any secrets of the Hunters of the Lodge of the Silver Stag?

Whew.

[andrew]

I'm super happy to hear that you've got a lot of details floating around that haven't been published yet. Now, I just have to figure out the best way to pick your brain! :p Let's see. Some questions to start out...

1. Population? Roughly?

I would say that depends when the players show up in Evingard's timeline.
Early years: Magnus and say a 3 dozen mercenaries as bodyguards. Then come over a hundred tradespeople to support the infrastructure (blacksmiths, angels of death, brewers, seamstresses, town guards, taskmasters, etc) as well as maybe 2 to 4 dozen investors who wants a piece of the pie. then you have labourers that hope to help out however they can, say another hundred. All of these people either come with families, or come for a season to make money and return home. Add to that roughly 500 slaves in rotation since they do die off from poor treatment. Oh and let's not forget Ingvar's clan pre-schizm, so maybe 40-60 there.

Post-Schizm and low-season: cut the clan in half, cut slaves by 40% due to shortages in Ath-Cliath, cut infrastrcuture in half as well.

Mine is cursed and closed: Mangus and his goons remain, some basic infrastructure peeps were slow to get on the boat or hold out hope. All investors gone. 80% of slaves dead or corrupted in the mines. Halfdan and his half of the clan live outside the town walls. Magnus has brought in some tough characters into the town to keep martial law in place as well as use them to reopen the mine. Ingvar and his half of the clan have lacked for nothing and have gotten somewhat fat and weak.

Halfdan and his half of the clan feel like the mine was a curse, and seek the destruction of Evingard, even if it means siding with some more nefarious powers.
Zombears keep whittling down outpost defenses until that story arc is resolved.
Throughout it all, Sven is always smiling and his place is the only place that has unshakable merriment.

During the darkest hours, it is very likely Evingard is destroyed. Magnus will flee and survive to return at a later date. Halfdan returns their corner of the world back to how they were before Magnus' arrival.

Mine-reopened: If the town was destroyed a new Evingard is built. Goes back to original numbers, but now it's Ragnarok and more people come to seek fortune and word has spread about the Cornerstone of the World, so many new powers come to unseat Magnus and Ingvar.

Since each answer can be pretty long, and I could go on just on your first question, I will stop here for today. It's super busy and I'll get to the next question tomorrow.

[andrew]

I'm super happy to hear that you've got a lot of details floating around that haven't been published yet. Now, I just have to figure out the best way to pick your brain! :p Let's see. Some questions to start out...

2. Resources? Obviously everything from Magnus's operation (normal and special ores.) I imagine fish and lumber as well. How about other foodstuffs?

Historical Iceland was mostly sustained via animal husbandry (ie sheep, goats, cows, chickens, etc) because the island is very rocky, making farming difficult. Perhaps thousand years ago there was abundant fertile soil due to the volcanic activity. There's at least one druid there, so you can rationalize farming and forests due to their Verwandlung magic.

One of the funny sub-plots revolve around Sven's iconic "raspberry fishcakes"- made with fresh berries during Fimbulwinter. How is that possible? I've had players plagued by the mystery, igniting a burning desire to find out where he's getting them, even knocking them off the main quest lines. I had them go down the rabbit hole since Sven kept it a secret. He's also too nice of a guy for the PCs to rough up. They followed the thread to the black market and then followed it to the source: the druid. So you can have a very amusing quest line despite the dark and tragic elements of Evingard.

Now let's talk about fish... or more specifically Kraken. Out of all of the 100's of Fafnir's Treasure games at conventions, one stands out for going off the rails so fast that I had to adlib the next 4 hours after 60 seconds of play. I have a 60 second intro to set the scene, and then we leap into the adventure. In that 60 seconds I mention "you sail to Islandia, and on the way your ship is attacked by a Kraken. You manage to send it back into the depths, but it killed the crew and damaged the ship badly. You will need to make landfall in the north east of the island instead of the south west." After the intro the players looked and one another and all agreed: they don't run from Krakens! So they decided to forget about Evingard and instead fix their ship and go back and kick the Kraken's ass! My 60 second fluff speech became the game demo's entire story! So we created a whole ecology of Krakens in this region of Midgard. A great mother off shore, but the Bay of Ice being where Kakens lay their eggs. So the players built a prototype ship and started by hunting baby kraken in the Bay of Ice to refine their ship weaponry and defenses. In the end they went out and fought the great beast and obtained their revenge, and their ship has been immortalized in Denizens of the North (look it up lol). So looking back, Evingard is now tied to the Kraken ecology especially during the mating season. This means that fishing and port defense takes the Kraken mating cycle into account. Another group of players even charmed a Kraken (via Possession and Puppet Master) and used it to propel their own longship.

As you can see, even the simplest question will lead to a ton of content. I'll tackle the next one tomorrow, I have to get back to delivering Creatures from Fairy-Tale and Myth.

[Sandra Regina]

I love when stories go off the rails like that. Its a bit panic inducing as the one running the game (wait, I don't have STATS for that) but it makes for some epic storytelling!

[andrew]

3. What's the economy like? Again, I know Magnus is the head hauncho here, acting as the biggest merchant and moneylender. With Knutt being the guy in charge of the black market, including slaves in particular, what kind of a relationship do he and Magnus have?

A lot is covered in Denizens of the North in case you need more details, history and context.

Magnus is the brains and Knutt is his right hand of this operation. Magnus is working the big picture:
- Make sure Ingvar is onboard with the operation
- Ensure that the mine is digging towards the most important minerals
- Keep his mercenaries paid and doing the heavy lifting and dirty deeds
- Get the investors and artisans in Evingard to keep the operation running efficiently
- Dealing with the problematic elements of Ivar and Halfdan
- Keeping everything secret so rivals don't show up
- Managing his relationship with Hidolfr and the Battle Wolves

Magnus' personal entourage are not mercenaries but fully trustworthy huskarls: Modi, Frida & Gunnlaud

Knutt is there as the fence, whatever needs getting, he goes and gets:
- Primarily slaves to keep the operating costs low
- Tools and equipment for the mine
- He also gets what others may need (like Astrid)

Halfdan is a major player in the periphery. He wants to see Evingard fail and all of the foreigners gone. He has gone so far as sabotaging the mining operation using vandalism, but has stopped short of outright violent assault because he simply doesn't have the manpower to take on Magnus' people and the other half of his clan. He will help anyone who comes to destabilize the region. He has an alliance with Ivar since their goals are similar.

Ivar is someone who's not afraid of using violence to destroy ingvar and his clan. Halfdan he tolerates, but he distrusts even those who sided with Halfdan in the clan's great schism. He kidnaps and "domesticates" anyone who visits his "hovel on the hill". This is quite the horror if any players succumb to his hospitality! This has given him a sizable force that are ready to do his bidding. He is infamous for shapechanging into a bear and hunting down those who venture alone beyond Evingard's walls. You could consider this cannibalism.

The Vaettir story arc is also one that could easily place someone else in a position of power should he choose to choose a new stewart of the land.

Now post Fafnir's Treasure, in my weekly game, many new notable powers have come to Evingard. Which ones show up in your game is up to you. You may also have jarls and kings in exile show up if Aethelstan's war against the heathens of the great isles is successful. You could also have King Erik Bloodaxe show up while pursuing Egil to Islandia. So there are many big names that can easily find their way to this part of the world. Also treasure hunters like Vargeisa the Fire Wolf could be coming for both Fafnir's Treasure as well as the Cornerstone of the World. In one story arc we had Sons of Muspel flood into Midgard from the Cornerstone, making Evingard a bastion of Muspeli Jotun power.

[andrew]

4. Are there any more details about the group of mystics that set up the settlement in the mountains near the old Evingard, which lead to some kind of catastrophe and the destruction fo the latter?

Absolutely, there was a commune of mystics (either heathen or missionary, no one knows for sure) that had an outpost up in the mountains. It was established in the valley along the river Hreidmar's Tears and was also called Evingard. Upstream was the waterfall the led to Skrydnir, and downstream was the waterfall that led to the Wolf Clan's plateau (ie. Ingvar's clan). These mystics chose this remote region because they sought very dangerous and taboo magic/mysticism, and wanted the isolation and privacy to do so.

Their rituals and experiments created a gateway to Nidavellir; a portal that appeared in the mountainside. This led to Hreidmar's kingdom, and we know what transpired there. There were interactions between the mages and the Dvergar, and the bridge built downstream was dwarven craftsmanship, a tech mortals could not mimic. There was a falling out between both sides, or some wild magic caused so much chaos and destruction that many died, both humans and dvergar. They were buried in barrows in the valley and the survivors left the region. Some contemplate that Hel was involved, since there are some bas-relief carvings of her image in the mountainside. The gateway to Nidavellir is sealed shut and no one has been able to track down survivors of the cataclysm. Only some haugbui remain, holding clues to the commune's past.

I could fill in more details, but I think it's even more interesting where you could take the story with the intro I've proivided.

[andrew]

5. Any more information on craftsmen of note?

For Evingard not so much. Magnus is good at keeping the ore he's extracted from other realms under the radar. He has a select group bring that back to Evingard's port, bypassing the outpost. The gold, silver and mundane minerals are brought to Evingard to be refined and crafted into ingots and/or weapons/armour/jewelry.

These blacksmiths are your typical fare, no one has stood out besides Gunnar in one of the scenarios when Evingard's gates fell to the zombears. He actually rises to the occasion and is the one who organizes the militia to defend the town. He had to step up because Hakon was killed by the bears and Magnus and Ingvar recalled their guards to their halls due to the Son of Muspel and Einherjar threat. Gunnar was left to fill the shoes of the hero who rallies everyone to the zombear threat.

As for the realm ores, they are exported to Ath-Cliath and kept in the Battle Wolves network of talent. Magnus moves it to Ath-Cliath via Draugstagg and he brings it to Svalms the dvergar blacksmith. It is there that magnificent items are forged. More info in Denizens of the North.

6. What kind of a force is Hakon leading? Are we talking about little more than a militia of guards, a small but well-trained group, a large number of somewhat skilled guards, etc.? Any other guardsmen of note?

Hakon has been tasked to keep the peace. Unfortunately, he's often stirring the pot himself. He has a few dozen men to guard the gates and patrol the town. He isn't the only force in town, Magnus has his own mercs and Ingvar has his fierce clansmen. With 3 primed fighting units in town, directed by 2.5 head honchos (0.5 because Hakon reports to Magnus), you can expect there to be fireworks now and again as someone steps on another's toes.

The Red Rat clan can also be considered a "fighting force" but they despise open conflict, everything is done in the shadows. They are a criminal network of talent that know where all of the levels of power lie, and they know how to manipulate them in order to get their own piece of the pie.

EDIT: I can also add that many of the new powers that arrive to take control of the Cornerstone will come with more sizable armies and we've had more outposts created as rival factions dig in for a protracted war.

I hope this helps!

[dafelsheim]

Whew, that's a ton of information. Thank you SO MUCH!