Beyond the Fence, Below the Grave  

An investigative role playing game of pre-medieval Scandinavian sorcery 

 
Design, Writing, and Layout by T AKW. 
Special thanks to Ben Armstrong, Lexi Martin, and Sayer for their help as editors. 
Table of Contents  
Introduction…….………………………………………………..………………....2 
Mechanics…………………………………………………………….........…..…...3 
Essences……………………………………………………………………….…..….3-4 
Specialties………………………………………………………………….….….…..4 
Völva…………………………………………………………….……….…....4-5 
Svithur……………………………………………………………….….…....5-6 
Skald………………………………………………………………………..….6-7 
Goði……………………………………………………………...……….…...8 
Denizens of the Otherworld.…………………………………………….…..9 
Signs……………………………………………………………………….…..9 
List of Denizens…………………………………………………….…….9-11 
Denizen/Signs Table…………………………………………….…….12 
Traveling the Otherworld……………………………………………………...12-13 
Crisis Rituals………………………………………………………………………....13 
Time, Society, and Technology………………………………………….......14-15 
Sample Scenario: The Season’s Houses…………………………………..16 
Background………………………………………………………………….16 
Locations……………………………………………………………………..17-18 
Timeline……………………………………………………………………….18-20 
Images: 
Page 1. Erik Werenskiold, Illustration from 1899 edition of Heimskringla 
Page 11. Theodor Kittelsen, Nøkken, 1887-92 
Page 15. Halfdan Egedius, Illustration from 1899 edition of Heimskringla 

 
  

Introduction 
Some of the terms used in this game are Old Norse words. The guide below 
explains some basics of pronouncing modern Icelandic, which is similar to Old 
Norse. 
Consonants:  Á like “ou” in “blouse” 
J like “y” in “your”  É like “e” in “yet” 
Þ soft “th” like in “thorn”  Ú like “oo” in “soon” 
Ð (ð) hard “th” like “either”  Æ like “i” in “life” 
Vowels:  Í and Ý like “ee” in “feet” 
Ö like the French “eu” in “deux”  ei and ey like “ay” in “tray” 
Ó (and å) like the “o” in “wrote” 
 
Hear me now traveller and heed it well. Learn my words, for they will lend you 
strength. Follow them, for they will further thee. It has been almost 800 years since 
Jesus Christ, the son of God, lived and died in a southern land and decades before 
his Church was established on our shores. We people of the north scratch the 
fertile earth of Jutland and let our sheep graze in Småland and Skåne. But all is not 
as it seems. Our world is enchanted. The water, the earth, the forest, the sky is 
alive, full of the denizens of the ​Otherworld​. 
 
The Otherworld, or perhaps Otherworlds, is the realm beyond the fence and below 
the grave. Both worlds are intimately tied together, like twin mirrors reflecting 
each other. Whatever happens in our world is connected to the churning 
dispositions of Otherworldly forces. Our continued existence necessitates that 
good relations be kept with the Otherworld, that the old customs are followed and 
sacred places respected. Sickness, destruction, and death follow when we forget 
our responsibilities to the Otherworld and to each other.  
 
When our communities are threatened by the actions of Otherworldly beings, you 
are called for. You are the practitioners of ​seiðr​, the ancient crafts of magic and 
ritual taught to humanity by Freyja and Óðinn. It is your duty to investigate 
Otherworldly events, determine what sort of entity is responsible for them, and 
perform a ​Crisis Ritual​ to appease the being and bring peace between this world 
and the next. During your investigation, your practitioner will challenge their 
Essences, ​which each represent a part of their fourfold self, and use the skills of 
their ​Specialty.​ You will not have forever to investigate. As time goes by, the 
influence of the Otherworld increases, fraying the self and laying waste to entire 
families and farmsteads.  
 

2 
  

 
Mechanics 
In ​Beyond the Fence, Below the Grave​, p ​ layers take on the role of a team of 
practitioners of magic investigating supernatural disturbances. The Game Master 
(GM) sets up the world the players explore and the situations they investigate, and 
adjudicates the rules of the game. 
 
Player characters have a set of four Essence scores ​(Hamr, Hugr, Fylgja, Hamingja) 
which they generate by rolling 2d6 four times in order. Whenever a character 
attempts to do something which could fail in an interesting way, they make a 
Challenge​ against an appropriate essence. To succeed a challenge, the player must 
roll a number​ lower​ than their essence score on a die determined by the difficulty 
of the challenge. The GM rules whether a challenge is: 
d4 - Trivial (keep a fire lit under a leaking roof) 
d6 - Easy (lead a sheep away from danger) 
d8 - Demanding (break down a wooden door as quickly as possible) 
d10 - Difficult (keep track of a pack of wolves stalking you in the dark) 
d12 - Very Difficult (swim through frigid waters) 
 
Players are encouraged to find ways to lower the difficulty of challenges. For 
instance, fighting a foe better equipped than you might be a very difficult challenge, 
but finding an axe and shield of your own could reduce its difficulty to difficult.  
 
Essences 
What are you? The self is not a simple whole, but a composite thing made of four 
parts. Some of these parts are inherited from forebears or owned in common by 
families. Inevitably, contact with the Otherworld will lower player characters’ 
essence scores. If two of a character’s scores are reduced to 0 the character dies.  
1 point of damage to a single score can be recovered by resting for a day. 
 
1. ​Hamr​ - The Skin 
Your shape, your body, the strength of your hands and heart and lungs.  
Your Hamr is challenged when you engage in wrestling matches, fights, or tests of 
endurance.  
 
2. ​Hugr​ - The Mind 
Your wits, your judgment, your memory, the thinking and reflecting self.  
Your Hugr is challenged when you engage in flyting (exchanges of poetic insults 
with an opponent), tests of wits, or try to recall obscure information.  

3 
  

 
 
3. ​Fylgja​ - The Follower 
A familiar spirit that embodies your personality, a defense against sorcery, the force 
of your character. A warrior or elite person may have an bear, eagle or wolf as a 
fylgja. Common people and slaves are likely to have domestic animals as theirs.  
Your Fylgja is challenged when you try to resist magical effects, convince others to 
see your point of view, or when the strength of your character and resolve is tested.   
 
4. ​Hamingja​ - Luck 
Your capacity to succeed no matter the odds, the total shape of your destiny.  
Your Hamingja is challenged when the outcome is in the hands of fate alone. 
 
Specialties  
Who are you? You are a practitioner of the ancient ways, the craft of seiðr. Your 
skills let you control the powers of the Otherworld and manipulate the parts of 
your fourfold self. Each player character has a specialty which grants them their 
abilities. Each specialty has 1 basic ability, which all practitioners of that specialty 
gain access to, and 6 advanced abilities. When you create your character, roll 1d6 to 
gain an advanced ability. Whenever you banish an Otherworldly entity, all the 
practitioners involved in the investigation can choose an extra advanced ability and 
increase one of their maximum essence scores by 1. 
 
Völva (Seeress) 
Many can peek at destiny, but you can see it stretched between your hands like 
thread. You can change it, spin it, master it.  
 
Glimpse Future: ​You see visions of the future in your dreams. Often they are 
allegorical and vague. People may be represented by their fylgja in such visions. You 
can ask for visions about certain places or people or for more detail about the 
visions you have already received by succeeding a Hamingja challenge whose 
difficulty is determined by how certain or uncertain the future is. 
 
1. Reweave Fate:​ You can tip the scales of fate in a person’s favour by performing a 
ritual on them. The ritual takes half a day to prepare and perform and its subject 
must be present for the entire time. Choose a type of challenge (Hamr, Hugr, etc). 
The next time the person makes that type of challenge they roll the die twice and 
take the better result.  
 

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2. Freyja’s Favor: ​With half a day of effort, you can make a magic amulet. The next 
time one of the bearer of the amulet’s essence scores would be reduced, prevent 
that reduction. You may only have one amulet like this active at a time and it loses 
its protective powers after a day has passed.  
 
3. Night Ride:​ In lieu of dreaming, your mind can leave your body and fly through 
the night sky. In this form, you can move incredibly quickly and cause minor 
mischief. You can also hear gossip about Otherworldly happenings from other 
seeresses on the night breeze. Night riding is tiring, after you’ve spent the night 
riding, add 1 to die roll of the next difficult or very difficult challenge you make.  
 
4. Separate Fylgja:​ You can send your Fylgja away from you to do your bidding. If 
you give it a command, it will follow it to the best of your abilities. Your Fylgja will 
probably manifest itself as a small animal, a mouse, dog, cat, or bird. While 
separated from your Fylgja, you automatically fail all Fylgja challenges.  
 
5. Weave Desire:​ You can create a new desire, compulsion, or passion in the mind 
of another person. To do so, you must perform a ritual which takes half a day. When 
the ritual is complete, make a Fylgja challenge whose difficulty is determined by 
how natural the new desire is to the targeted person. (i.e might be easy to make a 
person want to visit a close relative, very difficult to make them visit an enemy)  
 
6. Yet More I See:​ The cause of tragedy becomes much clearer once it is already 
over. When a tragedy occurs (a death, a disaster, etc), you can perform a great 
lament. Make a difficult Hamingja challenge, reduce its difficulty for each personal 
attachment you had to the tragic event. If you succeed, you will see a cause of the 
tragedy, and perhaps a way it could have been prevented, in your dreams.  
 
​Svithur (Wise One) 
Wisdom is power and hunger is destiny. This is what you understand. You are a 
wanderer, a blank space in the hierarchy, always welcome but always dangerous. 
 
Listen to the Dead:​ You can speak with the unburied dead by going into a trance 
while near a corpse. You can ask the spirit questions which it must answer 
truthfully. Whenever you ask a question, make an easy Hugr challenge and increase 
the difficulty of the challenge for each question beyond the first. When you fail a 
challenge, you can ask no more questions.  
 

5 
  

1. Change Skin:​ You can adopt the form of an animal by succeeding an easy Hamr 
challenge. If you stay in your animal form for more than half a day, your Hamr is 
reduced by 1. You maintain your mental abilities in your animal form. You can adopt 
the form of a (roll 1d6) 1. Wolf 2. Eagle 3. Salmon 4. Horse 5. Bear 6. Snake 
 
2. Strong Minded: ​You can make a difficult Hugr challenge to send a mental 
message to a person who you’ve met previously. Only practitioners of magic can 
respond to the message. You can reduce the difficulty of the challenge by spending 
time in a trance state and/or by destroying a valued object owned by the recipient 
of the message. You can try to send messages like this 3 times a day. 
 
3. Invade Dreams: ​You can observe the dreams of other people to see what 
portents they experience and what troubles them in the night. If your target sleeps 
under the same roof as you, you do not need to make a Hugr challenge to see their 
dreams. The farther away the target is, the harder the challenge.  
 
4. Otherworldly Sense:​ You are attuned to the subtle heartbeat of the Otherworld. 
You can make a difficult Hugr challenge to detect the presence of an Otherworldly 
influence on events. You feel a deep shiver flow through you whenever you enter 
the Otherworld, whether or not you intended to enter it. 
 
5. Sip of the Well:​ You know the way to the well of Urðr, where Óðinn obtained 
much of his wisdom. You can travel to the well by spending a whole day in a trance 
state. At the well, you can have one question answered falsely for free or truthfully 
if you permanently reduce one of your maximum essence scores by 2.  
 
6. Honoured Guest: ​Choose a type of Otherworld denizen (Trolls, Hidden People, 
etc). You are regarded as a friend to that group and will be welcomed into the 
homes of these spirits as a guest. You are required to follow the rules of hospitality 
and bringing extra guests with you is considered a bit suspicious or rude. 
 
Skald (Poet) 
Poetry it is not magic, but they can be close. Other sorcerers may see the past and 
future, but you will make them both with the words of your tongue. 
 
Lineage Lore:​ Your memory is deep, you can trace back the family history of almost 
anyone, slaves and rulers, dead and living, worldly and Otherworldly. You can 
notice inconsistencies in stories people tell about their family history. Generally, 
you know about recent deaths, marriages, and when children come of age to marry.  

6 
  

 
1. Mending Songs:​ Your songs ease a troubled heart and smooth over grudges. By 
entertaining two people for a night under the same roof, you can improve their 
relationship with each other. Make a Fylgja challenge with a difficulty determined 
by the the quality of the entertainment and food at the party.  
 
2. Mead of Poetry:​ A drop of Óðinn’s mead of poetry flows through your veins. You 
can invoke the mead’s power to bring all your poetical skills to bear and deliver a 
speech or other display of rhetorical and oratory skill. The performance can achieve 
anything a speech could, such as sway opinion, compel belief, or provide a 
distraction. The mead is stressful to invoke, after giving your speech you will 
probably faint from exhaustion. You can invoke the mead once per investigation.  
 
3. Inciting Words:​ You have a subtle, destructive tongue. You can plant seeds of 
resentment, awake grudges, and prod old shames between people with a successful 
Fylgja challenge whose difficulty is determined by how much dirt you have on your 
targets. Other people might have to acknowledge shameful evidence or secrets 
publicly to achieve the same effects you can provoke with a few idle observations. If 
you fail this challenge, expect to lose some goodwill.  
 
4. Animal Lore:​ You understand one of the languages of animals. You can overhear 
their gossip but don’t expect them to answer your questions without being given a 
gift. You speak the language of (roll 1d4) 1. Fish 2. Birds 3. Predators 4. Dogs 
 
5. Otherworldly Ballads:​ Your poetry is fine enough to draw the attention of 
Otherworldly beings. By performing near the dwelling of an Otherworld entity, you 
can draw that entity out and speak with it. When entities appear this way, they 
often do so disguised in different forms and are more keen on enjoying a show than 
being grilled by curious mortals. 
 
6. Magnificent Kennings:​ A kenning is a kind of standard metaphor employed in 
skaldic poetry. Your skill with kennings is so great that you can make one thing 
appear like another. As long as you can perform your poetry, one other person can 
switch two of their essence scores. If the target of this ability is attempting a 
challenge, you must sing for the whole duration of the challenge. 
 
 
 
 

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Goði/Gyðja (Priest/Priestess) 
You are elite, highborn, a leader. You uphold the relationship between worldly and 
Otherworldly as surely as you do that between warrior and ruler. 
 
Literate:​ You have been educated to read runes and can carve them into stone and 
wood with the proper tools. 
 
1. Entreat Dísir:​ You can invoke the dísir, feminine guardian spirits, to protect a 
building or small area (like a hilltop or camp) from Otherworldly threats for a night. 
The dísir cannot be invoked in the same place two nights in a row.  
  
2. Lawspeaker:​ You are a respected authority on the law. People will accept you as 
an adjudicator in their disagreements. You can order fines to be paid if both parties 
consent to your adjudication, force people to follow through on previously sworn 
oaths, or demand that suits be brought before a larger legal assembly called a þing. 
 
3. Good Crops and Peace:​ You can perform a blessing on a person which makes 
them recover twice as many essences points from resting (2 per day) for 3 days. 
When the blessed person recovers essences points, you recover half that amount. 
You can perform this blessing once every 7 days.  
 
4. Bond of Generosity:​ Your position requires you to give before you take. You can 
share a drink with a person to lend them some of your strength. Choose an essence 
and roll 1d4. Your essence score lowers by that many points and the targeted 
person’s respective score increases by the same amount. This can be reversed by 
sharing a drink with the person again and ends if you die. 
 
5. Friend of the Aesir:​ Your close relationship with the gods gives you certain 
protections in the Otherworld. When in the Otherworld, you can return to the real 
world by offering a plea to the Aesir. To take others with you, you must make a 
Hamingja challenge whose difficulty is determined by the number of people you’re 
attempting to take (1 is trivial, 2 is easy, etc). 
 
6. Óðinn’s Fervor:​ When attempting a challenge not related to magic, you can 
choose to be overcome with an inspiring fervor to succeed the challenge 
automatically. Fervor grants you amazing strength and resistance to pain but is 
frightening to behold. It is also taxing, you will probably faint after performing the 
challenge and cannot use your fervor more than once per investigation.  
 

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Denizens of the Otherworld 

All manner of things call the Otherworld home. It might be folly to try to distinguish 
one type of entity from another. They may all be part of one huge clan which 
constantly mingles, fights, and form alliances within itself.  
 
If supernatural events are the crimes you investigate, the denizens of the 
Otherworld are the perpetrators. Each type of entity sows misery which must be 
ended and each can be recognized by the unique combination of 5 ​Signs ​they leave. 
The primary goal of your investigation is to determine which signs are truly 
supernatural in origin and match them with the right type of entity so that it can be 
properly banished or appeased by the crisis ritual.  
 
Signs:  
● Plague: People or livestock fall sick or into comas, mass death of small 
animals  
● Famine: Crop failures, food stores spoiling, water sources turning to poison 
● Natural Disasters: Landslides, windstorms, sinkholes opening, forest fires 
● Disappearances: Abductions of people to the Otherworld 
● Murders: Supernatural killings of humans by denizens of the Otherworld 
● Nightmares: Horrible night terrors, baleful visions, people being ridden by 
specters as they sleep until exhausted or dead 
● Animal Aggression: Increased boldness of predators like wolves and bears, 
large flocks of carrion eating birds gather and attack livestock 
● Infertility: People and animals cannot become pregnant, are very long 
overdue to give birth, or give birth to offspring with horrible deformities  
● Strife Between People: Increased tension, aggression, and misunderstanding 
between humans. Crimes are committed, grudges are formed 
● Ghost Sightings: Reports of supernatural events, people flying in the sky, 
glowing eyes in the dark, strange songs echoing across the trees, apparitions 
● Animal Insubordination: Domesticated animals go haywire. Horses buck their 
riders, sheep break down their enclosures, dogs turn on their masters 
 
Hidden People  
They are our neighbors and live beneath special stones or certain hills. Sometimes, 
when we die we go to live with them. There are no halls more splendid than theirs 
and they can cure all manner of diseases.  
Signs:​ Plague, Natural Disasters, Disappearances, Infertility, Animal Insubordination 
 
 

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Ancestors 
Our forefathers and foremothers live on beneath their mounds and cairns, in the 
Otherworld. They whisper advice from the grave and we honour them at our feasts.  
Signs:​ Plague, Murder, Nightmares, Infertility, Ghost Sightings 
 
Land Spirits  
The guardians of the earth and water. They live in prominent natural features, like 
groves, peaks, rivers, and bogs. They demand respect from those who live on their 
lands and punish invaders with curses.  
Signs: ​Famine, Natural Disasters, Animal Aggression, Infertility, Animal 
Insubordination 
 
Etins 
Forces of chaos and entropy, the arch enemies of the gods. Etin-kind are the foes of 
all civilization and all life that dwells behind fences. Many are deeply wise and love 
to engage in riddling contests almost as much as the gods do. 
Signs: ​Plague, Famine, Natural Disasters, Murders, Animal Aggression 
 
Óðinn’s Men 
Berserk warriors who take after the Alfather, the head of the gods, Óðinn. Part of 
their training involves living in the shape of a wolf for years, dwelling in the 
Otherworld, and often terrorizing civilization.   
Signs:​ Murders, Animal Aggression, Strife Between People, Ghost Sightings, Animal 
Insubordination  
 
Wyrms 
Great serpentine creatures full of greed, malice, and poison. Some were once 
human but gave in to their own ambition and were transfigured. Others were born 
when the world was young.  
Signs:​ Famine, Natural Disasters, Disappearances, Strife Between People, Animal 
Insubordination   
 
Draugr 
Death is never the end. A person who dies with a grudge on their shoulders, a 
disappointment in their heart, or a legacy of evil deeds may rise as a Draugr. Such 
creatures tend to haunt the people and places they were familiar with when alive. 
Signs:​ Murders, Nightmares, Infertility, Strife Between People, Ghost Sightings  
 
 

10 
  

Trolls 
Entities which dwell in the dark places of the natural world. When we first settled 
the land we drove them off. For this they hold a grudge against us. Most troll 
families are docile, asleep, but they are easily awoken. Many know sorcery.  
Signs:​ Natural Disasters, Disappearances, Nightmares, Famine, Animal Aggression 
 
Sorcerers 
Not all wielders of magic are as charitable as you. Some of your kindred enjoy 
harming humans or use their gifts to pursue vengeance. Sometimes they awaken, 
draw the attention of, or upset other denizens of the Otherworld.  
Signs: ​Plague, Nightmares, Disappearances, Strife Between People, Ghost Sightings  
 
The Aesir  
The most mighty of spirits, the tribe that holds the world together against the 
attacks of Etinkind. The Aesir are usually humanity's defenders, but that is not 
always the case. Their favor can be lost, they may scheme among us to their own 
unpredictable ends, and many will suffer in their wake.  
Signs:​ Famine, Natural Disasters, Murder, Disappearances, Strife Between People 
 

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Denizen/Signs Table 
Abbreviated Signs Key:  Nightmares = Night 
Plague = Plag  Animal Aggression = AAgr 
Famine = Fami  Infertility = Infer 
Natural Disasters = Nat  Strife Between People = Strife 
Disappearances = Dis  Ghost Sightings = Ghos 
Murders = Mur  Animal Insubordination = AIns 
 
  Plag  Fami  Nat  Dis  Mur  Night  AAgr   Infer  Strife  Ghos  AIns 

Hidden People  X    X  X        X      X 

Ancestors  X        X  X    X    X   

Land Spirits    X  X        X  X      X 

Etins  X  X  X    X    X         

Óðinn’s Men          X    X    X  X  X 

Wyrms    X  X  X          X    X 

Draugr          X  X    X  X  X   

Trolls    X  X  X    X  X         

Sorcerers  X      X    X      X  X   

Aesir    X  X  X  X        X     
 
 
Traveling the Otherworld 
There are many entrances to the Otherworld. A great tree, a grave field, a barrow 
hill, a bog, a door frame set up for a funeral, a lake, a river, an island, a grove, the 
house where the gods are worshiped, a rainbow, and a fence between the estate 
and the woods can all function as the border between this world and the next. 
Sometimes you’ll step in or over the barrier by choice and sometimes the 
Otherworld will come to you, encircling you in its grip before you can notice.  
 
When you wish to enter the Otherworld, go to a border place and tell the GM what 
you intend to accomplish in the Otherworld. You may want to interview the realm’s 
supernatural residents, see visions of important events in the past or future, free 
abducted humans, or fight with Otherworldly forces on their own turf. 

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To accomplish your task (or escape the Otherworld once caught in it), you will have 
to overcome some sort of trial, such as: 
-A challenge, such as a wrestling match with a troll or draugr, a flyting competition 
with one of the hidden people, or a drinking contest with an ancestor.  
-Other trials might consist of a test of moral fortitude, a riddling contest (GMs, feel 
free to give a time limit for the players to solve each riddle), or a test of hospitality.  
 
If you fail the Otherworldly trial, the GM may impose one of these consequences: 
● Have an essences score reduced by 1d4 
● Lose time, stumble out of the Otherworld days later 
● Temporarily lose one of your Specialty abilities 
● Permanently have one of your Specialty abilities replaced by another 
● Incur a debt to an Otherworld denizen for saving you 
 
Crisis Rituals 
Most regions have developed their own unique crisis rituals, because the people 
living on the land know their neighbors best. These rituals require a large amount 
of time and resources (e.g. animals to slaughter, metal goods to destroy, special 
plants to ingest) to complete, which limits the number of times they can be 
attempted.  
To perform a crisis ritual:  
1. Name the entity you’re attempting to banish or placate 
2. Roll 2d6 
3. Add 1 to the total for each action you’ve taken to appease the entity in 
question, add an additional 1 if you’re invoking the entity’s real name instead 
of a generic one 
4. Subtract 1 from the total for each action you’ve taken to offend the entity and 
subtract an additional 1 if you’re performing an incorrect version of the ritual 
5. If the incorrect entity was named, the ritual does nothing. If not, compare 
the result of the roll with the table below  
● (10+): The ritual succeeds perfectly and the damage done begins to heal. 
Sickness is cured, abductees return unharmed, etc 
● (7-9): A mixed success: the entity is banished, but the damage remains  
● (6-2): Abject failure: The ritual must be attempted again 
 
Whether a ritual has succeeded or not is never immediately apparent, you must 
wait to see if the signs of Otherworldly activity cease or continue 
 

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Time, Society, and Technology 
Beyond the Fence, Below the Grave ​is set from before the start of the Viking age to 
the emergence of Christianity as a major power in Scandinavia. Unfortunately, this 
period of history is poorly recorded and much of what we know about it comes 
from later written sources corroborated with archaeological evidence. Still, 
historians have a rough idea of what the Scandinavian world was like at this time. 
The following section provides an outline of what life was like in this period. 
Inevitably, I will overgeneralize and make errors. Many of the issues in the study of 
pre-medieval Scandinavia are still uncertain and controversial, but I hope to 
provide a basic blueprint for play rather than an ironclad picture of a broad and 
varied time.   
 
Time:​ The days of the week are similar to the ones we have in English today.  
Mánadagr - Monday, the moon’s day  Frjádagr - Friday, Freyja’s day 
Tysdagr - Tuesday, Tyr’s day   Laugardagur - Saturday, Washing day 
Óðinsdagr - Wednesday, Óðinn’s day  Sunnudagr - Sunday, the Sun’s day 
Þórsdagr - Thursday, Þór’s day 
 
There are also several months in the year, but they are not useful enough to 
running the game to list here. It should also be noted that days can get very long in 
summer and very short in winter. Each season has several festivals or feasts called 
blóts. Which feasts are celebrated will probably vary a lot by region, but at each 
different deities and spirits are worshipped. In the spring and summer, the regional 
legal assemblies called þings gather.  
 
Society:​ Most people make their livelihood as farmers and herders. Diets are 
composed of cereals (barley, wheat), dairy products, animals products (goats, pigs, 
sheeps, cows, poultry), and vegetables (peas, cabbage, beans). Dogs are also 
common. Most clothing is made of wool. The entire population lives in rural 
communities, though more urban trading towns emerge in the Viking age. 
 
There are three main social classes. Þralls (slaves), karls (free people), and jarls 
(earls, rulers). Þralls are property, they mostly do agricultural labour for their 
masters and can be killed at any time. Karls are a diverse group, some were 
landowners, some tenant farmers, and others were the trusted servants of jarls. 
Jarls and their followers, huscarls, formed a kind of warrior elite that sustained 
itself by ritual gift giving and claimed descent from mythological figures. Jarls lived 
in central places with large halls, cult centers, and skilled craftsmen.  

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Each þing is presided over by a Lawspeaker, usually from a family of Lawspeakers. 
The usual punishment for a crime is a fine. The þing helps prevent feuds and keep 
the peace. Though, violence is still common and most people are ready and willing 
to defend themselves and their families violently if need be.  
 
Those who practice magic, the protagonists of this game, are sometimes regarded 
as pillars of their community or as transgressive subjects of fear and respect. The 
Skald and Goði are more likely to fit into the first group, while the Völva and Svithur 
are more likely to be seen as part of the second. Many wander from place to place. 
 
Technology: ​Most dwellings consist of longhouses and cottages built into the earth 
or with wooden walls and finished with turf roofs. Wealthier people can afford to 
raise large halls made completely from wood. 
 
Most households, especially those of land owners, will have weapons available. 
Karls will mostly use spears, axes, and bows. Only rich men and jarls have swords. 
For protection, most only have a shield and maybe a helmet. Chain armor is very 
rare. 
 

 
 
 

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Sample Scenario 
The Season’s Houses 
Region, Season, and Reason:  
In a place that would be located in southern Sweden today, it is spring. The ewes 
are beginning to give birth, the preparations are being made for the spring feast. 
But all is not well, Arnas Flókison, the richest landowner in the district, is worried 
that an Otherworldly presence is harming his farmstead. He has invited the party of 
sorcerers to investigate. Arnas would like the investigators to be discrete though, 
he doesn’t want bad gossip floating around.  
 
The Truth: A slave boy named Oddr, owned by Arnas Flókison, had his neck broken 
by Þorstein Flókison, Arnas’ brother, last winter. The boy was a descendant of a 
powerful ​ancestor​ named Ingólfr who is now punishing the whole region for 
Þorstein‘s transgression. Ingólfr can be appeased by giving Oddr’s remains a proper 
burial, bringing Þorstein to trial for murder instead of destruction of property, or by 
killing either (or both) of the brothers.  
 
The Crisis Ritual: The ritual requires 2 cows to be slaughtered and burnt in Þórr’s 
Grove by 2 practitioners of magic and takes half a day to prepare and perform. 
The ritual is known by the old seeress, Þóra, and by the hidden people of the deep 
pool. Collectively, the whole region has enough cows to perform the ritual 5 times. 
 
General Knowledge (things the party may know beforehand): 
-The founders of the farmsteads in this region were originally good friends and 
decided to name their estates after the four seasons.  
-This region is old, the original settlers (now forgotten) buried caches of gold at 
important places to keep good relations with the hidden people 
-An old seeress, who was once much respected, lives at Winter Houses. 
 
Common Knowledge (things most people in the region know): 
-There is bad blood between Þorstein and Arnas. Þorstein feels cheated out of his 
father’s land (i.e the Fall Houses estate) because he would have inherited the farm 
when he and Arnas’ eldest brother died had he not married of Inga of Spring 
Houses. Þorstein owes Arnas money for killing a slave of Arnas’, but they can’t agree 
on the exact amount owed.   
-Strula Sturluson and Arnas compete fiercely to breed a perfect sheep 
-Against good sense, Ólaf Reynarson has taken up residence near the old mound 

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Locations:  
 
1. Summer Houses: A small farmstead, it was destroyed and rebuilt recently. Has a 
cottage and a few sheep.  
-Ólaf Reynarson: A man with an fierce will, he was once a tenant farmer for Arnas 
-Ynghildr Arnasdóttir: Timid but clever, bears a grudge against her husband for 
killing her favorite cow last winter so that his sheep could survive 
The couple have 1 young child and hire a seasonal worker 
 
2. Winter Houses: The 2nd largest farm in the region. Has a long hall that functions 
as a stable for sheep and horses as well as a pigsty 
-Guðríðr Helgadóttir: A widow who owns the estate. An independent spirit.  
-Strula Sturluson: Guðríðr’s son, represents her in legal matters. A bit dull. 
-Þóra: An old seeress in poor health. A bit out of it nowadays. Knows the crisis ritual 
and remembers a slave with a wolf for a Fylgja (Oddr), this is very odd for a slave  
Winters Houses has 4 seasonal workers 
 
3. Fall Houses: The richest farmstead in the region, has a longhouse, a small cottage 
for the tenant farmers, and 2 stables for horses, sheep, and cows 
-Arnas Flókison: Hospitable and charitable when it suits him, but cruel otherwise. 
-Nanna Hákondóttir: A community minded woman. Refuses to sleep in Arnas’ bed 
until he makes things right with his brother. Takes great pride in her children. 
-Þór Arnasson: An aspiring poet with a shallow memory. Frumpy disposition. 
-Sigyn Arnasdóttir: A dour young woman. Loves horseback riding, claims to hear 
the voices of the hidden people. Visits her sister, Ynghildr, often.  
Fall Houses has 4 tenant farmers and 4 slaves  
Oddr’s remains (half decomposed) are buried near the farm’s refuse pit.  
 
4. Spring Houses: A medium sized farmstead, consists of two cottages and a barn 
for sheep, a horse, and a cow 
-Þorstein Flókison: Hot tempered and full of resentment. Loves ballad poetry. 
-Inga Vörðurdóttir: The most talented tapestry weaver for miles, very courteous.  
-Vörður Þorsteinson: Flighty and passionate, eager to leave home. Is secretly 
courting one of tenant farmers at Fall Houses.  
Þorstein and Inga have 1 child. Spring Houses and 2 seasonal workers 
 

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5. Þórr’s Grove: A stand of trees sacred to Þórr, there is a huge oak that is always 
struck by lightning when storms roll in.  
 
6. Communal Grave Field: Kept in good repair by all members of the community. 
Most people are cremated and buried with a stone to mark their place. Libations 
are poured here when people seek help from their ancestors.   
 
7. The Deep Pool: A home of the hidden people. A few years back, several people 
drowned in the pool and it has developed a bad reputation. The pool is connected 
to the rivers which flow through the region. 
 
8. Ingólfr’s Mound: A large hill overgrown with bushes under which a ship is buried. 
People think either a troll, draugr, or a tribe of the hidden people live in the mound. 
The rune covered grave poll can be read to reveal Ingólfr’s name and that he was an 
accomplished warrior who cared immensely for his family. The most striking line is 
this: “If you would touch a hair of my son’s head, you have made me bleed.” 
 
9. The Bog: A swampy area where a collection of land spirits are supposed to dwell, 
they have not been venerated in a long time. A old rune stones set up here tell of 
how Þórr saved the region by defeating a giant called “Twin” in the past. 
 
A rough map. Generally, this area is hillier to the north, more forested to the south. 
|-------------------------|
| 5 |
| 2 |
| 4 |
| 3 6 |
| 7 |
| 9 1 |
| 8 |
|-------------------------| 
 
Timeline 
(All of this could change by the intervention of the investigators) 
 
Day 0-óðinsdagr:  
-The party arrives at Fall Houses in the morning. Arnas shows the party that the 
first lamb born this season was born with a broken neck (infertility), a bad omen 
indeed. No other supernatural activity occurs this day. 

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Day 1-þórsdagr: Investigators feel sick, decrease 2 random essense scores by 1. 
-More lambs are born with broken necks at Fall Houses and at Spring houses. 
Þorstein visits Fall Houses in the evening to speak to his brother about the omen. 
-Sigyn Arnasdóttir is knocked unconscious while riding her horse. The horse was 
terrified by a vision it saw in the woods (ghost sightings) and bucked her off.  
 
Day 2-frjádagr: 
-Lambs with broken necks are born in all farmsteads. A calf with the same 
deformity is born in Fall Houses. Strula Sturluson begins his own investigation, 
believes the land spirits are angry that they have not been worshiped in years. 
-Strula lets some of Arnas’ sheep free in the night, he runs them toward the bog 
where they drown.  
-The hidden people of the deep pool prepare for their own festival, the pool is full 
of light tonight 
-Sigyn remains unconscious.  
-The sleep of people in Summer Houses is disturbed by terrible dreams 
(Nightmares). They tell nobody about it.  
 
Day 3-laugardagur: Investigators feel sick, decrease 2 random essense scores by 1 
-Sigyn wakes up and can attest to the sights she saw.  
-More lambs are stillborn 
-People and ewes begin to fall ill (Plague), Þóra is one of the first. They develop 
swellings around their necks.  
-Vörður Þorsteinson leaves in the night, taking his lover from Fall Houses with him. 
There is a poorly made love charm under his bed.  
-Þorstein and Arnas both start having identical dreams about having their necks 
broken (nightmares), neither can sleep properly for the following nights.  
 
Day 4-sunnudagr: Investigators feel sick, decrease 2 random essense score by 1 
-Þóra dies from plague. All of Winter Houses is sick. Many animals in the other 
farms are ill as well. 
-Arnas panics and drives his flock (cows included) out of the region, he leaves.  
-The festival of the hidden people begins, all the rivers shimmer and murmur 
-At night, ghostly wolves and hunters manifest on the barrow (Ghost Sightings) 
-Þorstein tries to contact his own ancestors at the grave field. He receives no 
answer and digs up his own father’s grave in a fit of rage. He feels great shame.  

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Day 5-mánadagr: All investigators feel sick, decrease 1 random essense score by 1 
-The whole of Summer Houses is too sick to work 
- Sigyn goes to speak with the hidden people at the deep pool. She leaves her horse 
behind her. 
-Sickly Ólaf Reynarson begins digging up the gold caches around the region, 
preparing to leave forever 
-Arnas returns from driving his flock. He is exhausted. He catches the plague. 
-Anybody in the forest or bog can see ghostly figures at night (ghost sightings) 
-Þór Arnasson is killed on his way back home from visiting Summer Houses 
(murder). His body is stuffed in the refuse pit of Spring Houses.  
 
Day 6-tysdagr: All investigators have their highest essense score decreased by 2 
-All of Summer Houses dies from the plague. The pigs of Winter Houses all die. 
-All of Fall Houses is too sick to work.  
-Vörður Þorsteinson and his lover come back home in the morning, he has decided 
not to marry her.  
-Strula attempts some kind of bastardized version of the crisis ritual, causing a 
minor forest fire in the grove. He burns himself badly. 
-In the night, Vörður Þorsteinson is killed (murder) and his body is stuffed in the 
refuse pit of Fall Houses 
-Anybody in the forest or bog can see ghostly figures at night (ghost sightings) 
 
Day 7- óðinsdagr 
-Most of the sheep have succumb to the plague, everyone but Þorstein and Sigyn 
has the plague. 
-Sigyn returns, dripping wet, from the deep pool. She confirms that the hidden 
people are not behind this, she has a bowl of medicine from them that can cure one 
person of the plague (or restore 1d4 of a lost essence score) and she has learnt the 
crisis ritual. 
 
On the following days, 1 person with the plague dies. The nightmares spread to all 
other characters, the ghostly visions appear even in the day until the crisis ritual 
succeeds or until all human habitation in the region ends. 

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