By Kobold Staff Oct 29, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
Eons ago, a group of aboleth left the Material Plane to wander through distant planes—seeing them through magical scrying was not enough, so these aboleth used astral magic and bodily travel to see far beyond normal realms. A Forgotten Tribe. As ages passed, memories of those who departed slowly faded from the minds of those aboleth who remained behind. Those few aboleth who did remember that long ago some of their kin had gone plane-wandering...
By Kobold Staff Oct 22, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
Stannasgard is the most open and cosmopolitan of the dwarven reaver kingdoms, a major trading enclave and a gateway to the Nieder Straits. For many merchants, it’s the farthest into Northern territory they care to venture. Mines are the backbone of Stannasgard’s prosperity, since the land is rich in veins of iron and adamant. Working from these superlative raw materials, the dwarves of Stannasgard have forged a reputation as master artisans,...
By Kobold Staff Oct 14, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
Hidden in the dappled shadows of the tree’s leaves, the elf ’s leather bandolier jingles softly. Leather armor dyed to match its surroundings, the nearly invisible archer removes a vial from the bandolier, quickly attaching it to an arrow. The well-kept bow does not creak as the bowstring is drawn. Mixing their knowledge of dangerous chemicals with their extensive weapon skills, these elves are devastating from afar. A Sharp Smell. Try as they...
By Kobold Staff Oct 8, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
You study the angelic seals that bind the power of celestial messengers through their names, and you shape that power into magical effects. Beyond the seals and wardings themselves, you learn esoteric spells to call down the essence of the angelic host. Most angelic scribes take up their craft out of reverence and a desire to protect the righteous; a few tempt angelic wrath with their lust for power that’s otherwise beyond their grasp....
By Kobold Staff Oct 1, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
In the North, life is harder than south of the Nieder Straits. In the fjordlands, running out of firewood doesn’t mean a chill night, but exposure to bone‑wracking cold or a trip into the dark and dangerous forest for kindling. Everyone from king to lowly thrall must work hard daily to survive. A life of indolence is unheard of—and impossible without help from powerful magic. Work-shy characters aren’t just lazy; they’re ostracized as threats...
By Kobold Staff Sep 24, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
One hears a doom golem long before one sees it; a wailing of despair, a whisper of fate, like a lesser incarnation of death itself. Doom Golem Winter Bound. Made of antlers, bone, and steel infused with winter spirits of death and destruction, doom golems are the creations of evil wizards and doomsday cults. They invariably include a hangman’s rope, bones of an animal sacrificed to a dark god, and the captured final breath of a man sent to die...
By Kobold Staff Sep 17, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
You can speak with machines and magical or mechanical constructs, and control constructs. Ultimately, you will become metal-graced by your deity. Welcome, friend, to the world of Midgard. Maybe you’re brand new to this world. Or maybe you’ve been around since the beginning. Either way, stay—all are welcome! Please, sit and listen to the tales. You see, the world has been changing, and oh, the sights to see. It’s a living, evolving realm where...
By Kobold Staff Sep 10, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
Despite the fact, or perhaps because of the fact, that their land has been ruled by a singular leader for 400 years, the major families of Dornig are always looking for new blood. A hero who has a reputation for valor and is willing to swear fealty has a good shot of getting his or her own piece of land, a deed to a castle or country house, and a baronial title. This is a situation tailor-made for adventurers. Welcome, friend, to the world of...
By Kobold Staff Sep 3, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
The terrible outline of something noxiously thin and bat-winged descends silently from above—a faceless black being with smooth, whale-like skin and horns that curve toward each other. Its barbed tail lashes needlessly as it clutches the air with ugly prehensile paws. Nightgaunt Silent Malevolence. Nightgaunts never speak or smile, having only a suggestive blankness where a face ought to be. The beating of a nightgaunt’s membranous wings makes...
By Kobold Staff Aug 27, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
Bemmea perches on an isolated granite base connected to the mainland at low tide by a long sliver of land. The mages of Bemmea don’t reveal when the tide changes, since their mastery of the elements is complete and entry into the city by land controlled by their whims. By the standards of most Midgard cities, Bemmea is tiny in circumference but towers from ancient foundations to rise to nearimpossible heights. The peninsula is all that remains...
By Kobold Staff Aug 20, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
The peerless Edjet is the backbone of the mighty Dragon Empire’s military. These brutal warriors are trained to fight in deadly formations. Hardy and resolute, the Edjet are most commonly dragonkin, but lesser races sometimes surprise their scaled masters by aspiring to draconic perfection. Welcome, friend, to the world of Midgard. Maybe you’re brand new to this world. Or maybe you’ve been around since the beginning. Either way, stay—all are...
By Kobold Staff Aug 13, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
While other barbarians lose themselves to their fury, the Path of the Ancestors channels the power of the ancient spirits of a tribe through rage. When the rage takes you, the spirits of the ancients flow through your body, granting you their strength and wisdom. Barbarians on the Path of the Ancestors are often leaders, or respected advisors, with the strength to bring greater tempers to heel. Welcome, friend, to the world of Midgard. Maybe...
By Kobold Staff Aug 6, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
Until the Great Mage Wars, goblins mostly lived in the dark places of the world. Midgard’s populations dwelt below the Pytonne Mountains and the contested western range of the Ironcrags. The darkness and ruin brought by that great conflict gave the goblins some respite from the light of day. Fleeing the dwarves’ relentless westward push, the goblins finally emerged onto the face of the world. They have adapted well to their new lives in the...
By Kobold Staff Jul 30, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
Welcome, friend, to the world of Midgard. Maybe you’re brand new to this world. Or maybe you’ve been around since the beginning. Either way, stay—all are welcome! Please, sit and listen to the tales. You see, the world has been changing, and oh, the sights to see. It’s a living, evolving realm where things happen after all. So why shouldn’t it have a life all it’s own? Where to start… [From the Midgard Worldbook] The Wasted West Perhaps no...
