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The vast, icy Northlands of Midgard are equal parts deadly and beautiful. The dwarves, trollkin, and humans who call these lands home are hardy folk who are reliant on customs that seem foreign to those in warmer lands. Northlander society is built not only on the custom and bonds of kin, but also the felag—the fellowship and partnership between those who understand the daily struggle to survive.
Nowhere is the felag more evident than in the many longhouses and meadhalls of the Northlands. Frequently, longhouses serve as the focal points for Northland chieftains, jarls, and kings to reward their subjects and assure their ongoing oaths. Meadhalls permeate all levels of society, where even the most common folk can revel during the long winter nights.—provided they have the coin.
This article presents Hemmelig Feasthall, the preeminent longhouse in the heart of Skaldholm.
Skaldholm
Skaldholm is a small island in the northeast edge of the Nieder Straits. Known for the healing nature of its hot springs, its folk are known for either being peaceful or cowardly. The island is named for its many skalds, who practice the dwarven bardic traditions. It seems as though every street corner holds a master bard, professing their style as greater and more genuine than the last.
Skaldholm is ruled by the greatest skald on Midgard, known only by their title: Master of Thyles. Every nine years, a new Master is coronated following a lengthy contest of singing, tale-telling, and insulting—the last of which is a bardic tradition unique to the Northlands known as flyting. The Master controls a vast network of spies and informants. They’ve been known to topple foes with the tales spun and songs sung by the many skalds who owe their allegiance.
The Master’s Problems
The current Master of Thyles ascended to his role seven and a half years ago. During his tenure, the Master has manipulated his assets, serving as a bulwark against the werewolves of Vargrike and lending support against the conquering vampires of Krakovar. Continuing the policy of his predecessors, the current Master has engaged in a cold war with agents of Boreas, the North Wind.
Due to its many connections within Northlands courts and cults, Skaldholm was among the first to learn that Ragnarok may be coming to Midgard. The current Master stumbled upon the truth of the matter (such rumblings are merely rumors), but Loki claimed this knowledge from the Master as payment for a past bargain. The Master now only knows that he has forgotten something. He has devoted innumerable resources to solving the Riddle of the Forgotten Matter before the end of his term.
Hemmelig Feasthall
Situated near the Skaldholm harbor, the Hemmelig Feasthall is a modest wooden structure nearly 100 feet long. Believed to be warded against fire and wind by skalds of the faraway College of the Desert Blast, this is one of the few places where docking reavers are trusted to carouse. The Feasthall is lined with wooden tables that show signs of regular repair, and one can eat roasted fish and vegetables and quaff mead and other harder spirits. On holidays, the Feasthall serves smoked meat and other festive dishes.
For the last decade, the Hemmelig Feasthall is currently run by Klemens Birchstine. Once a reaver, he was grievously wounded in an attempt to collect reavgelt from a resistant village in the Wild Ozku Hills. Unable to run, much less walk, the dwarf then retired first to the relative comfort of Skaldholm. Like many former adventurers, he invested his remaining wealth in opening an establishment dedicated to food and drink.
While there is hardly a longhouse in Skaldholm that the Master of Thyles hasn’t visited, the Master of Thyles is thought to regularly visit Hemmelig. He enjoys his shadowsingers who haunt the dark corners of this longhouse, and skalds with their tongues loosened by mead insinuate that the current Master first learned of the coming of Ragnarok at one of the oaken tables.
Out of respect for the current Master, Klemens devotes much of his profits to solving the Riddle of the Forgotten Matter. Secrets flock to drink like a moth to flames, and Klemens keeps that fire well stoked, often forgiving a patron’s debts in exchange for favors and the most valuable currency in Skaldholm: secrets.
Drinking Buddies
At any given time, a dozen persons of interest drink in the Hemmelig Feasthall. Such individuals may include:
- Aapo Aimoborne is a human sorcerer who grew up in Skaldholm. Although she tries to keep it a secret, Klemens knows that she is a member of the Cult of Ragnarok—non-practicing as she may insist. The dwarf uses Aapo as a double agent, although much knowledge she gleans from the Feasthall makes its way back to Aapo’s fellow cultists.
- Otso Headripper is a trollkin druid who guides travelers along Raven’s Road, the deceptively treacherous ley line between Skaldholm and the Trollheim capital of Noatun. His constant companions are mated alpine spaniels named Ulvice and Neiber, for whom Klemens has waived his rule against pets. For enough coin, Otso will take travelers further down the ley line, going as far as Bjornrike before stopping for reasons he refuses to discuss. (If the trollkin is deep enough in his cups, he might brag that he can take travelers to Valhalla.)
- Jalo “Popstring” Stonehelm is a recent transplant to the island, having come from neighboring Wolfheim. The dwarf is desperate to find a skaldic sponsor so he can learn the tradition—any tradition at this point—but Jalo is too rough on his instruments, his nickname derived from his propensity to break lute strings during auditions.
Adventure Hooks
Use the following threads as adventure hooks involving Klemens and the Hemmelig Feasthall or even as part of your character’s background.
- A ship called Yaros’s Testament sailed too close to the Swive, wrecking along the Huldramosean Peninsula. The current Master has asked Klemens to arrange for adventurers to rescue the crew and return them to Skaldholm—especially the three secretive passengers who were being ferried.
- Klemens has learned that several high ranking members of the Cult of Ragnarok (who happen to moonlight as dignitaries of Northlands nations) plan to meet in Skaldholm and have selected Hemmelig’s Feasthall as the location. Because of his connection with the current Master, the dwarf can’t be present if the cult leaders are going to “spill the tea,” as the younger reavers are wont to quip. He hires the PCs to pose as waitstaff who will disclose what they hear during the meeting—but who knows what lies they will sprinkle into their meeting or what magical countermeasures exist to prevent prying ears and loose lips.
- Twenty bearfolk merchants from Bjornrike swarmed upon the Hemmelig Feasthall and have not left for three whole days. Under Northlands custom, Klemens can’t eject them as they continue to pay for their food and drink. However, he is turning to anyone who can find a creative way to convince the bears to depart his establishment so his exhausted staff can finally rest.
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