By Kobold Staff Dec 10, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
South of the Reaching Mountains and east of cyclopean Jotunheim, a fertile forest teeming with vibrant flora and fauna is sheltered from the worst excesses of cold and wind. Trollheim’s inhabitants are cunning hunters, fearless explorers, and fearsome raiders. Whether human, dwarf, or troll, few embrace the culture of the North as fiercely. They farm, brawl, raid each other, toast the gods, and consider themselves the best of all peoples. Most...
By Kobold Staff Dec 3, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
Five reptilian heads upon long necks rise from the murky surface of the water. Sizzling venom drips from each gaping maw. The venom maw hydra lurks in sulfurous swamps and near areas of high geothermal activity, poisoning the hot springs and lakes where it dwells. Voracious Appetite. The venom maw hydra takes advantage of the sanctuary its warm water home promises to nearby fauna, devouring any creature that comes for warmth or a drink and...
By Kobold Staff Nov 26, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
All seek some form of justice when they have been wronged, and many live under the promise of its protection, whether or not the promise is kept, but few take on the holy burden of delivering the justice of the gods. The mercy of the gods, when in evidence at all, is not the mercy of mortals, and meting it out makes for a lonely life. Yet most agree on the urgent need for justice in the world, with all of its dark places and rulers who give it...
By Kobold Staff Nov 19, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
Dwarves think of their canton first, their race or clan second. The canton is home and hearth, family and wealth, and safety from an uncaring world. These traits do not guarantee greater harmony or joy among cantonal dwarves than among other races. Indeed, cantonal dwarves are notoriously dour, fractious, and opinionated about everything. Cantonal dwarves unify only in the presence of some external threat, which gives their elders and the...
By Kobold Staff Nov 12, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
The creature resembles a great blackened asp with smoldering skin and white-hot serpentine eyes. It slithers as confidently through the air as across the ground. Serpent of Suffering. Alnaar demons appear most commonly when a people, race, or species is experiencing suffering. There to hasten the process, the alnaar erupts from the Abyss, leaving massive holes in the firmament of the afflicted cities and towns. The alnaar’s only wish is to...
By Kobold Staff Nov 5, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
The Greenleaf College was founded by elfmarked who sought to record their varied heritage. Drawing from elven lore and power, Greenleaf bards strengthen their connection to nature. Through their magic and their tales, they convey the rejuvenating strength of the forests and rivers to their allies. [From the Midgard Heroes Handbook…] GREENLEAF COLLEGE (BARD) When you join the Greenleaf College at 3rd level, you gain access to an expanded list of...
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...
