plik

IntroductIon

In the frozen wastes of the Winterlands lie the forests of Rimeholm, Nerenel, and Teth-

ilin, the last bastions of a dwindling race. Beset by enemies and reluctant to embrace
the wider world, time is running short for the taiga elves. This supplement expands on
material in the Hellfrost Gazetteer. Much of the material in this work applies to all taiga
elf domains.

SunderIng of the elveS

This section concerns itself with the origins of the taiga elves. The origin of the elf race

as a whole is detailed in Region Guide #43.

Both species of elf widely hold that the split between hearth and taiga elves was a

mutual and amicable decision brought about by elves who held that they should spread
their care of the natural world to all climes. This is a myth, one whose origins lie not in
subterfuge but in the ability of time to erase the longest memories. After the First Fall,
when the rogue celestial spirits became the fey, they divided into two equal but opposite
camps known as the Summer Court and the Winter Court. Those who became enamored
of the mortal world and would later become the elves were members of both courts.

While the elves of the Summer Court preferred the temperate lands and evolved into

the hearth elves, their Winter Court cousins settled in colder climes and became the taiga
elves. It should be noted that while the fey courts are now divided along lines more akin to
good and evil (a crude generalization, but one most mortals accept), the elves’ exile came
before this delineation became entrenched. Hence, while taiga elves are often colder in
demeanor than hearth elves, they are not inherently evil or prone to malicious acts. This is
most evident in their religious beliefs, which focus on the great cycle of the natural world
not the winter—taiga elves may appease Thrym, but they rarely worship him openly.

Indeed, not long after the Second Fall, Thrym came to the taiga elves in secret (possibly

in disguise or acting through agents) and offered them gifts to become his followers. The
elves pondered his offer long and hard, but eventually refused, sensing great mischief in
the god of winter.

Although labeled a winter race by humans, taiga elves are not adapted to deep winters.

They can tolerate lower temperatures than men, but arctic conditions are still hostile to
them. Indeed, most taiga elf forests existed not more than a few hundred miles north of
the line now marked by the Icewall, and many were in the realms now encompassed by
the High Winterlands. Such lands enjoyed cool to cold climates, rather than frigid ones.

31252

PAUL “WIGGY” WADE-WILLIAMS

• R E G I O N G U I D E # 5 1 •

Author & Layout: Paul Wade-Williams
Editing:

Tyler Morrison

taIga elfhomeS

www.tripleacegames.com

Permission is granted to print this ebook. No site licence is given.

THIS gAMe ReFeReNCeS THe SAvAge WoRldS gAMe SySTeM, AvAIlABle FRoM PINNACle eNTeRTAINMeNT gRouP AT WWW.PegINC.CoM.

SAvAge WoRldS & All ASSoCIATed logoS & TRAdeMARkS ARe CoPyRIgHTS oF PINNACle eNTeRTAINMeNT gRouP. uSed WITH PeRMISSIoN.

PINNACle MAkeS No RePReSeNTATIoN oR WARRANTy AS To THe quAlITy, vIABIlITy, oR SuITABIlITy FoR PuRPoSe oF THIS PRoduCT.

Indeed, the presence of the Hellfrost and the formation
of the High Winterlands will prove highly detrimental to
taiga elves.

Within their forests, the magic of the hearthstones has

kept the temperature constant at just below freezing all
year round. When the magic of the hearthstones finally
fails,  which  may  not  be  far  away,  the  forests  they  have
called  home  for  millennia  in  some  cases  will  be  sub-
jected to much harsher winters. Temperatures will drop
an average of 40 degrees F lower by day and 60 degrees
F by night. While it is very probable the elves will adapt
relatively  quickly,  there  is  no  guarantee  the  plants  and
animals vital to the race’s survival will be able to do so.

SocIal hIerarchy

As with their hearth elf cousins, taiga elves have

royalty  and  nobility.  At  the  top  is  the  White  king  (or
queen—taiga elves practice sexual equality), so named
for  his  grand  palace.  By  tradition,  the  monarch  must
always be a druid, an occupation that encompasses the
teachings  of  both  ullr  and  eostre.  The  children  of  the
monarch hold the title prince or princess.

unlike hearth elves, lower levels of nobility are grant-

ed titles based on position, not the size of their domain.
each taiga elf realm outside Rimeholm is ruled by a for-
estlord. Clans, which are bound by familial ties to a com-
mon ancestor, are ruled by boughlords. Tribes, which
are made up of clans voluntarily following a noble, are
governed by greenlords. If a clan is split between two or
more tribes, each branch has a boughlord. The children
of the nobility take the title leaflord, regardless of their
parents’ status.

Noble titles are passed on through family lines, but

not necessarily to the oldest offspring—any blood rela-
tive can be named successor. each noble is responsible
for naming his heir and ensuring they are groomed for
the role. In the event a successor is not named before the
titleholder’s death, his advisory body (see below) has the
authority to elect the new lord.

Although nobles are autocrats in theory, most main-

tain  an  advisory  body  made  up  of  clerics,  druids,  and
elementalists. The largest and most important of these
is the White lords, who serve the king. every noble ap-
points  his  own  councilors.  The  advisors  can  only  offer
opinions  and  suggestions,  having  no  authority  to  veto
their lord or impose new laws.

Ranking beneath the nobility are the clerics of ullr and

eostre, and the druids. Clerics rank higher, for they com-
municate directly with their gods. druids are believed to
understand the secrets of the natural world, using the
magic placed in the world by the ullr and eostre but not
drawing power from them directly.

The next social stratum comprises elementalists and

clerics of the other gods. Again, elementalism is seen as
an alternate form of worship rather than a completely
separate art.

ruleS of the realm

These setting rules apply in all taiga elfhome.
* Constant Temperature: The temperature within
the great taiga elfhomes is held at a constant due
to the magic of the hearthstones. Regardless of the
season  or  in  which  geographical  area  the  realm
lies,  the  temperature  is  always  that  of  a  Hearth-
lands winter, cool but comfortable for the elves.
*  Cool  Houses:  While  taiga  elves  are  comfort-
able in temperatures as low as –7 F (–21 C), they
keep their homes heated not much above freezing
(the  same  temperature  band  as  spring/fall  in  the
Hearthlands). While other races can tolerate these
temperatures  without  suffering  the  effects  of  the
cold, they are far from comfortable over extended
periods.
* Many Spies: It is virtually impossible to walk an
elven  forest  without  the  elves  knowing  one’s  lo-
cation.  The  animals  and  plants  are  quick  to  pass
word of strangers to the nearest elf community.
draw a card from the action deck every day. A red
card means the elves’ forest spies have discovered
the location of the intruders. From now on, they
will be watched wherever they go by seemingly in-
nocuous animals. A party of elves begins tracking
the characters, typically after 1d4+2 days (sooner
if the gM rules the spy was a bird or fast moving
animal).
* Metal Objects: Taiga elves do not generally pro-
duce great quantities of metal armor, weapons, or
goods, though they sometimes trade for them. ex-
cept in Tethilin, the price for metal items in their
realms, when they can be found, is increased five
fold. When trying to sell the spoils of their adven-
tures, the heroes’ roll to find a buyer suffers a –4
penalty. In Tethilin, the prices are three times high-
er and the penalty is only –2.
* Nobility: Taiga elf characters can never rise above
the title leaflord unless they become the head of a
clan or tribe. given leaders are expected to serve
their  community  and  be  present  to  give  advice,
their adventuring time is heavily curtailed.
*  Trade:  Taiga  elves  are  fully  aware  of  coins,  but
they have no use for them within their realms. He-
roes looking to sell war booty or buy equipment
will  need  to  accept  or  offer  trade  goods  if  they
hope  to  strike  any  kind  of  deal.  The  gM  should
not demand the heroes keep a detailed list of their
exact trade goods. A hero who spends 100 gs on
trade  goods  need  only  record  “trade  goods:  100
gs” on his character sheet, leaving the exact nature
of the goods flexible. He may then spend the trade
goods  as  if  it  were  coin  in  any  taiga  elfhome  (as
well  as  other  realms  that  use  barter,  such  as  the
unclaimed lands). For convenience, every 5 gs of
trade goods weighs 2 pounds.

hellfroSt regIon guIde #51

Rangers are permanent soldiers, though because of

taiga elf tactics they are also expert hunters. Not every elf
community maintains rangers. In many, hunters are ex-
pected to donate time to patrolling the borders. Where
rangers exist, they are lead by captains.

All other elves fill a single social stratum though there

are sub-levels. Master hunters and craftsmen are accord-
ed more respect than typical hunters and craftsmen, for
instance. Herbalists and healers are higher than potters,
who are higher than firewood collectors, and so on.

educatIon

Taiga elves have no formal schools or academies.

Teaching young children the skills they need to function
as adults falls to the entire community. Although birth-
rates  are  very  low  among  taiga  elves,  children  are  not
mollycoddled.  Accidents  and  injuries  will  occur  as  the
child  learns  how  to  handle  animals,  plants,  and  weap-
ons, but these are learning experiences vital to growth.

very young elves learn how to light fires, erect gers,

and build makeshift shelters, how to set traps and use
every part of an animal, and what plants are edible,
poisonous, or useful in herb lore, first by watching their
elders and then through hands-on experience. As they
reach the equivalent of their teenage years, a young elf is
taught how to use a bow.

Throughout his young life the elf is tutored on the

laws, history, and myths of his people, as well as their
religion. As the community moves through the forest
he learns to identify signs marking the changing of the
seasons, tracking, and where to find the best food.

Regardless of his chosen god, every elf must decide

whether to become a child of ullr (a hunter) or eostre
(a gatherer) before he becomes an adult. elves have mul-
tiple words regarding gender. one set refers to physical
gender, which is determined by the gods. Another refers
to one’s occupation, which is a personal choice.

Thus, a male elf who practices healing is referred to

using  female  pronouns,  but  only  in  the  sense  that  his
work  is  not  aggressive.  likewise,  females  who  become
warriors  have  male  occupations  and  are  referred  to  by
male pronouns. outsiders are often unaware that when
a taiga elf says someone is doing “woman’s work,” he is
merely  stating  a  fact  based  on  occupation,  not  issuing
an insult regarding gender. The nobility and those who
practice druidism are genderless, for leaders and druids
must be wise in the teachings of ullr and eostre.

relIgIon

Although taiga elves pay all the gods lip service as re-

quired and try to avoid offending them, just two deities
are truly important to them as a race.

ullr is the father of the gods and, in taiga elf mythol-

ogy, husband of eostre. As the god of hunting he is the
great provider who taught the elves how to survive in the
harsh environment they chose to call home. As the god
of archery, he is the chief war god of the race, for taiga
elves see little difference between combat and the hunt.

until the Blizzard War, ullr’s cult was roughly equal in

size and power to that of eostre. He was the male part of
nature, though the cult was, and remains, open to elves
of either gender. But times have changed and the world
is a harsher place, with many more enemies battering at
the door. Today, every taiga elf is automatically inducted
into the cult at birth, though whether they fully honor
ullr in adult life is personal choice.

eostre represents the gatherer side of the taiga elf

society. She is the great mother and healer, and repre-
sents the female aspect of the world. She also serves as
goddess of the home and society, ensuring that the elves
live in harmony with nature, rather than imposing their
will on it.

The elves of Nerenel, whose home borders the liche

lands,  give  praise  to  Sigel,  god  of  light  and  defender
against  darkness.  elves  are  long-lived  and  only  change
their minds slowly. Thus, while the younger races wor-
ship  Scaetha  both  as  goddess  of  death  and  defender
against undead, in taiga elf mythology she is seen as a
minor deity, a sub-cult of Sigel.

The four elemental gods—ertha, kenaz, Neorthe,

and Thunor—are the children of ullr and eostre, each
controlling one small but important part of creation.
While they are duly honored at appropriate times of the
year, the cult of kenaz is growing in Rimeholm as the
hearthstones fail. This worship is a blend of desperation
and true piety, for if the stones’ magic fails the realm will
freeze, becoming unbearably cold even to the elves.

Although ullr remains the main god of war, his son,

Tiw, is beginning to receive worship in Rimeholm. The
cult  first  rose  to  prominence  during  the  Blizzard  War,
when  the  elves  adopted  a  more  aggressive  stance.  The
cult  dwindled  but  never  totally  died  in  the  centuries
after. It is now enjoying a slight resurgence due to the
siege of karad Marn, in which the elves are taking part.

Worship of the other gods is a matter of personal

choice, but in the taiga elf pantheon all the gods, even
the evil gods, who are seen a wayward scions, are chil-
dren of ullr and eostre.

funerary cuStomS

Taiga elves believe that everything in the natural world

is connected and that death is vital if new life is to occur.
When a taiga elf dies, its corpse is washed, dressed, and
laid out on a funeral bier deep in the woods. Here it
will decompose naturally or become food for carnivores.
Many other races (except worshippers of Thunor, who
practice similar beliefs) consider this practice strange at
best and abhorrent at worst, but to the elves a corpse is
merely flesh without the spirit.

This is not to say that elves are disrespectful toward

physical remains; far from it, in fact; As they make use

taIga elfhomeS

of every part of an animal to appease its spirit, so they
believe that every part of a corpse is eostre’s to use as
she sees fit. Taiga elves detest undead not because they
are mockeries of life inhabited by fell spirits, but because
their bodies have been stolen from eostre.

It is said the spirits of the departed can be heard in

the wind if one knows how to listen. elves hang wind
chimes in the doorways of their gers. depending on the
noise a chime makes, the elves know whether the spirit
outside the door is friendly or hostile. Taiga elves are
very superstitious about the wind. Thunderstorms are a
particularly bad omen, for it means the ancestral spirits
are angry.

mIlItary

Taiga elves are highly aggressive in the defense of

their homes. Whereas hearth elves may watch intruders
to judge their intention, their colder cousins prefer to
shoot first and ask questions later.

Military structure is very much down to individual

rulers. Some, like Tethilin, use only hunters and druids
working on a rota between other duties to ensure safety,
having no true standing army. others are protected by
professional warriors (rangers) and druids.

The size of military formations also varies by realm.

Nerenel, for example, has a permanent army but deploys
them only in 20 strong units known as hunting parties or
warbands. Most members are rangers, but each contains
at least one druid or elementalist to provide magical sup-
port. When hunting parties must work together, the cap-
tains nominate an overall commander from their num-
ber. Politics plays little part in this, for survival is more
important to the elves than personal honor or glory.

Rimeholm, by comparison has standing companies

of 100 soldiers, though these are sub-divided into war-
bands as above. A captain commands each company, and
a sergeant each warband.

In all realms, it is the duty of every hunter and druid to

muster if the realm is assaulted. Clerics and other spell-
casters are usually quick to sign up as well, though they
are not required to do so. Where there is a permanent
army, the militia are divided into companies or warbands
led by a ranger. elves have little compunction in sending
the militia to the frontline, for as hunters they have all
the skills necessary to fight.

Taiga elf tactics revolve around their strengths—mas-

tery of the bow and stealth. guerilla raids, sniper attacks,
and ambushes are the norm, the elves unleashing a few
volleys of arrows and magic before melding back into
the forest. often they employ just a handful of warriors,
hoping to draw the enemy into following their retreat.
Those foolish or arrogant enough to comply are led into
a pre-planned ambush site.

With mobility and stealth being vital to their tactics,

taiga elves shun metal armor in favor of leather. only
the White king’s elite bodyguards, the Blizzard guard,

who blend steel with hrimwisardry, wear chain shirts as
standard. long bows and long swords are wielded in
battle with equal skill.

Animals are used as messengers, scouts, and soldiers.

like the hearth elves, such assets are highly valued, not
tools to be used and discarded. Harmless squirrels sit in
trees, watching enemy formations go by before scurry-
ing off to alert the nearest elves. Birds that cry out are
not simply reacting to disturbances on the forest floor,
but calling out troop strengths and directions of travel.
Wolves harry cavalry and skirmishers, shieldwalls are
broken by raging bears, and flocks of crows swoop down
to distract spellcasters and archers.

The elves have brokered many deals with the fey over

the millennia, performing and asking favors in a con-
tinual cycle of favors. As a result, they have fewer qualms
about calling on the fey than the hearth elves.

trade & trIbute

Taiga elves are an insular race and rarely voluntarily

mix with outsiders. As a nomadic culture making use
of whatever goods are available season-by-season, scant
resources can be spared for regular trade.

Rimeholm is too far from any trade route to engage

in  wide-ranging  mercantile  activities.  until  karad  Marn
fell  there  was  sporadic  trade  with  the  dwarves,  small
quantities  of  metal  imported  in  return  for  food.  These
days  the  elves  willingly  donate  what  they  can  spare  to
the war effort, knowing the dwarves will repay the debt
in due course. Finnar nomads sometimes shelter within
the outer forest, trading small items with the elves, but
such trading is very small scale, involving families rather
than entire communities.

The elves of Nerenel have made tentative steps to open

trade but do so infrequently. They import ingots of gold
and silver, but rarely wear jewelry and certainly do not
export it. exactly what they need with the precious metal
is of interest to the cult of var, who suspect some devious
plan to hoard the metal and so raise prices throughout
the land. Most of Nerenel’s trade is conducted with the
Saxa families inhabiting the plains claimed by the elves.
In return for wool, which is woven into clothes, the taiga
elves export furs.

Tethilin also sells fur. It imports gemstones (again, for

no obvious reason) and iron. The latter is a vital import,
as the small realm is surrounded by a hostile nation and
has other enemies nearby. Although the elves intensely
dislike mining, they are pragmatic enough to know the
value of metal weapons.

Where trade occurs, it is almost always conducted at

the borders of the forest. A notable exception is Aelfmeet
in Shattered Moor (see Region Guide #7). When a cara-
van arrives, it announces its presence by calling out to
the elves and placing the goods it has to sell in a pile.
It then withdraws several hundred yards away. once
satisfied no ambush is planned, the elves appraise the

hellfroSt regIon guIde #51

goods and leave trade goods in a second pile. After the
elves have withdrawn, the merchants return and either
remove some of the goods they have offered (not be-
ing satisfied with the trade) or take the elves’ goods and
depart. This process can last for many days before sides
are satisfied and depart with their goods.

little cheating occurs. If the elves cheat, the merchants

will simply take their wares elsewhere. If the merchants
cheat, they had best not return if they value their lives.

Communities share resources freely among their

members, and no form of taxation is imposed. However,
elves are expected to contribute their fair share. There is
little concept of personal property, though no one would
think of borrowing items vital to another elf ’s trade or
profession without first asking.

archItecture

For the most part the nomadic taiga elves live in

round tents known as gers. Made of felt coated in water-
proof animal skin laid over a light wooden frame, they
are well-insulated, quick to construct, and can be broken
down into various component parts for easy transport.
The walls are thick enough to provide protection against
arrows and spears.

There are no internal partitions, elves being extreme-

ly communal, distrustful of those who seek privacy, and
fully at ease with all natural body functions. The floor is
lined in furs except in the center, where a stone hearth
is constructed. Although the elves prefer cool tempera-
tures, gers are heated just enough to prevent water from
freezing. Taiga elves also cook their food. Wood is burnt,
but only dead wood is collected—elves do fell timber,
but never for firewood. dried animal dung is also used
for heating.

despite the hearthstones’ magic keeping the temper-

ature constant, taiga elfhomes have seasons. The elves
migrate once or twice a year, usually in spring and fall, so
as not to overly deplete any one area of the forest. every
tribe knows its territory, these ancient hunting areas hav-
ing been laid down many centuries ago. If a tribe finds
its lands are depleted through no fault of its own, it must
ask the ruling noble for permission to live elsewhere un-
til its territory recovers. This is not uncommon, and large
areas of the forest are set aside purely for this purpose. A
tribe that has over-hunted or gathered its territory must
survive as best it can and learn from its mistakes.

While the elves do not construct palisades and walls,

they prefer to settle in naturally defensible areas, such as
atop hills. Many of these have a ditch excavated around
the perimeter for defense. A small number of hunters are
left to watch over these regular camp sites while the tribe
is elsewhere in the forest.

The only true permanent settlement is Rimeholm, the

seat of the White king. Surrounding the majestic White
Palace are the wooden homes of courtiers, craftsmen,
and warriors who make up the royal court. The White

king owns other lands, which are used to provide for the
inhabitants of the capital.

major localeS

each of the locales below is marked (N) Nerenel, (R)

Rimeholm, or (T) Tethilin, representing in which of the
major elfhomes it can be found. gMs can transfer the
sites between realms with little effort.

alfwodeton (n)

Population: 577
Ruler: Hauld Iduna engersdohtor
of the many Saxa steads and villages that border Nere-

nel, Alfwodeton (“The enclosure by the elf wood”) is the
largest. The village has stood behind its strong palisade
for a mere twenty years, the first settlers being refugees
from Seithrby. The current ruler is the daughter of the
original founder.

The Saxa are subjects of Forestlord elethenel, though

they see taiga elves only once a year when the taxes are
due.  In  return  for  the  elves’  protection,  the  Saxa  pay
a  tithe  of  livestock,  fish,  and  pottery.  The  elves  allow
the  Saxa  to  fell  a  small  number  of  trees  each  year  for
construction purposes, and stick pickers are allowed to
gather dead branches for firewood.

Alfwodeton is 15 miles southwest of the forest, close

to the border with Seithrby. Its palisade and ditch circles
only half the settlement, for its other flank is protected
by the river, on whose high banks it stands. The inhabit-
ants raise sheep and goats, craft pots from local clay, fish
the river’s cold water, and plant hardy root vegetable
crops, all the while keeping a wary eye to the south and
east, where lie the liche-lands of old. It also serves as
the main market for the outlying steads and villages,
boasting a shrine to var and a small temple to eostre’s
dual aspects.

Hauld Iduna’s father raised her to despise the con-

querors  of  Seithrby,  a  sentiment  now  little  felt  by  her
kinsfolk.  As  far  as  they  are  concerned,  Nerenel  is  their
home.  even  her  three  daughters  ignore  her  frequent
public  rants.  Heroes  opposed  to  the  rulers  of  Seithrby
will find a warm welcome in her hall, while those who
serve the usurpers are denied hospitality.

Alfwodeton boasts a permanent guard of ten huscarls,

most  of  whom  are  middle-aged  men  more  suited  to
farming  than  fighting,  and  20  permanent  militia.  Most
of Nerenel’s enemies assault her northern and western
borders,  and  until  recently  the  citizens  of  Alfwodeton
had no major problems.

A number of steads have been destroyed in recent

months, the livestock stolen, the occupants slaughtered,
and the inhabitants put to the sword. unwilling to use
his own troops to investigate, elethenel has given Iduna
free reign to handle the matter as she sees fit. unfor-
tunately, despite any evidence to correlate her beliefs,

taIga elfhomeS

Iduna points the finger of blame firmly against Seithrby.
But there are many hostile forces on Nerenel’s border,
any of whom might be behind the raids.

the dead grove (n)

large swathes of Nerenel were destroyed during the

reign of the liche-Priest, but the elves held strong, be-
coming a perpetual thorn in the side of the dark lord.

Thirty years ago, an elf tribe whose migrations took

them to a little visited section of the forest bordering the
liche lands discovered a section of forest had died. The
ground was like ash, the trees withered and twisted, and
the animal life fled. Scouts who penetrated the area said
it smelled of death and decay.

Prayers were said and rebirth ceremonies conducted

to no avail. Though the loss of the forest was mourned
bitterly, worse was to come. each year, the canker spread
outward, laying wasting to the surrounding vegetation.

After much heated debate, a decision was made to hack

down a circle of trees a hundred yards wide surrounding
the blight. Where possible plants were replanted else-
where and animals moved to similar surroundings, but
the loss of life was terrible to the elves. In a year long
ritual in which several fey lords were called upon to lend
power, the cleared area was utterly laid barren. eons
might pass, but nothing would ever grow there again.

The tactic seems to have worked, for the death of the

forest has been halted. But the dead vegetation remains,
the black leaves and needles refusing to drop, the once
withered bushes seeming to rejuvenate into twisted
forms. That some fell magic of the liche-Priest is behind
the blight is clearly evident, but the elves refuse to enter
the area, though they watch it from afar, ever vigilant in
case the blight leaps the clearing.

Several theories as to the exact cause are given cre-

dence, but none are proven. The most popular one
claims that before the end came, a powerful servant of
the liche-Priest hid away in the elf forest, perhaps bury-
ing himself deep beneath the soil to escape his pursuers.
As the wards on the liche-Priest’s tomb weaken, so the
lieutenant grows steadily stronger, his evil spirit warping
the landscape.

the ger on raven’S legS (r)

It is said the White king bows to but one mortal. The

elves do not know her name, but she is politely referred
to as enminawen, which loosely translates into Trader as
“gentle grandmother.” Records dating back thousands
of years make passing reference to her.

These same records speak of her as a seer and sorcer-

ess, an oracle whose words are to be heeded no matter
how strange or fanciful they might seem. Some elves
claim it was she who warned the old White king of the
coming destruction to Morenelion.

Her movements are her own, and until recently she

visited the court but once or twice a generation. In the
past century she has made a dozen visits to the White

king, inviting him into her hut (without his guards) to
talk. What transpires is never revealed, but each time the
White king emerges he is visibly shaken. Her last visit
coincided with the discovery of the fading wards on the
liche-Priest’s tomb, but scouts have reported seeing the
hut bounding through the forest once more.

Some stories say she is an ancient taiga elf whose life

has lasted millennia, others that she is actually a member
of a line of strange hags. A few suggest that she is actu-
ally a fey lord. Similarly, descriptions of her vary from a
young maiden of unearthly beauty to a hideous crone
with teeth and nails of iron.

hIll of the necromancer (t)

on the lower slopes of the giant’s Steps, which ex-

tend into Tethilin, stands a desolate hill atop which are
the crumbling ruins of an ancient fortress. legend has it
that the fortress was raised during the liche-Priest’s brief
foray east toward Aspiria and served as the headquarters
of one of his generals.

For nigh on a millennium the elves have shunned the

site, for nothing grows on its black rock and it radiates
palpable evil strong enough to quail the stoutest heart.
even orcs and giants give it a wide berth, and so the elves
rarely bother to patrol here.

But a dark presence has taken control of the ruins and

undead, creatures not seen since the liche-Priest’s armies
were defeated, are abroad in the woods. The elves refer
to the master of the hill only as the Necromancer, for that
he wields power over the undead is the only known fact.
If he is not stopped soon, his growing legions may prove
too much for the elves to handle.

jotunvalk mountaInS (r)

until recently the southern Jotunvalk Mountains

was largely clear of giants, orcs, and goblins. But with a
quarter of their army now at karad Marn, the elves have
been unable to prevent their return. Caves and castles
long abandoned have new lords as the fell races slowly
reclaim their former holdings.

The Giants’ Tomb: High in the mountains stands the

broken remains of a statue. Its arms are crumbled to dust
and its severed head lies to one side, gazing vacantly into
space, but it still commands awe for its sheer size. Rising
a full 50 feet above the landscape, the statue depicts a
majestic frost giant jarl clad in chain mail.

The statue stands at the entrance to an immense stone

cairn built of colossal boulders. Within lie the bones of a
dozen frost giant jarls, laid to rest here after the Blizzard
War. The elves visited the site long ago, clearing out a
small orc tribe and removing all the treasures. They have
never bothered returning.

Since their last visit things have changed. A decade ago

an earthquake cracked the stone floor, revealing worked
chambers far below. only a full exploration will reveal
whether these are an older part of the burial complex or
part of another structure.

hellfroSt regIon guIde #51