Pohjola

Alternis ~%~ St.Calenda's Wandering Pageant, Odeum & Lunar Fair ~%~ Avatar: The Godhead ~%~ Vanaheimr

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Seasons & Celebrations

The lands of Pohjola has four seasons: Allbright (Summer), Lightfall (Autumn), Darkover (Winter) and Newlight (Spring).

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Geography

Cold Mountain

The abode of the Queen, Cold Mountain rises out of the Frostfell steppe like a swollen canker. Its summit is lost in the clouds which is wreathed by an unending storm and illuminated by constant lightning. Cold Mountain is one of the active vents of the volcanic activity in the region.

Wood of the Warm Lakes

The Wood is an extensive forest that lies halfway between Cold Mountain and Kyllikki town. It stretches a day in both directions and is thickest at its center where a string of volcanic lakes warms the land and game is abundant. At one end of the forest is the Gate of Karhu and at the other the Trapper's Settlement.

Frostfell Steppe

The Frostfell Steppe is extensive and stretches from the Untamola mountain range in the north to the grasslands of Sariola in the south, and from the Darkling Sea in the west to Cold Mountain in the east. The region is an ever shifting dessert of snow and ice without lasting landmarks and haunted by shades of the past.

In scattered places north of the lakes, there are humps of sandstone and basalt making travel sometimes difficult.

Most of the steppe is a basalt cap, with thin layers of black dirt and scabby moss growing on it. Ice continually scours it, but anywhere the ice isn't covering it, the ground under is hard from being frozen and the sharp shards of volcanic glass that erupt from it.

Tuonella River

The Tuonella river flows from here across and through the ice. Sometimes it plunges under the ice before re-emerging onto the rough basalt plain. The water is drinkable, though it has a strong metallic taste, with strong hints of sulfur. In places beautiful algae and river plants are clearly visible under the water. For the first few miles away from the wood the river steams with heat, as it gets to the edge of the plateau the water has edges of ice on it.

Eye of the Dragon

The only path off the plateau and down onto the fjord below is a narrow lava tube that was widened out to make a path. It opens on a narrow goat trail down the sandstone cliffs nearly 500 vertical feet along the distance of a mile. Nowhere along the path is wider than fifteen feet, with many less than five. The path is often coated in ice from the spew from the river falling below. Spectacularly beautiful in the sunlight, moisture and ice make the already dangerous path treacherous and slick. The roar of the river at the top becomes a soft growl as travelers reach the bottom.

The rocks at the bottom are littered with the bones of those who didn't make it up the path, frozen in a thin layer of ice. The Tuonella river flows serenely to the sea from here, it's depths black and cold in the shadow of the plateau.

Kyllikki: The Town of White-Harbor

Kyllikki or White Harbor lies at the mouth of the Tuonela river as it pours into the Darkling Sea. The town is surrounded by a forty foot tall defensive wall of ice. The town is home to many traders, fishermen, craftsmen and the Temple of Ahto, God of the Sea. On an island in the bay to the west of Kyllikki is a light-house formed entirely from ice.

The Darkling Sea

The Darkling Sea is an arctic ocean that stretches north and south of Pohjola and west to unknown lands.

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Known Gates from Pohjola

Gate of Karhu

The Gate of Karhu, otherwise known as the Gate of the Forefathers is located at one end of the Wood of the Warm Lakes. The gate itself lies unattended above a slowly decaying ice-ruins. The gate is formed from an ice-cave shaped like the head of a bear. Great-Bear cave extends underground deep within the permafrost. The gate originates in one of the galleries of Great-Bear cave, and the gate itself is a vertical pool of golden light that disgorges travelers, although this hasn't happened in centuries.

Originally, the Twelve Tribes of Karhu arrived via this gate and they build a temple to honor the spirit totem of Karhu who created the gate and save them from a terrible and now forgotten fate. A set of ice-stairs rises from the gate-gallery and slowly ascend through several other galleries until reaching the bear's mouth and the surface.

The opening to the outside, the cavern of the Bear's Mouth is carved from ice to look like the interior of a bear's mouth, filled with stalactites and stalagmites of ice that form the bear's teeth. From the creature's lower jaw a set of stairs formed from large flat blocks of ice form a slowly descending cascade of steps to the forest floor. On either side of the stairs are a dozen pairs of bear-shaped ice-sculptures that glow with golden light while the gate is active.

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Gods of Pohjola

• Ahto -- This is the name of the Pohjolan god of the ocean, rivers and fishing.
• Vedava -- This was the name of a Pohjolan goddess of the sea, the wife of Ahti. (To surge and swell)

• Ilmatar -- In Pohjolan mythology Ilmatar is a semi-androgynous goddess of the heavens. She is the mother of Ilmarinen, Väinämöinen and Lemminkäinen.

• Loviatar -- In Pohjolan mythology Loviatar, also known as Louhi, is a goddess of death and plague.

• Mielikki -- This is the name of a Pohjolan goddess of forests and hunting, she is wife to Tapio and mother to Nyyrikki.
• Tapio -- Tapio was the Pohjolan god of forests, animals, and hunting.
  • Nyyrikki -- This is the name of a Pohjolan god of the hunt, the son of Tapio and Mielikki.
  • Tellervo -- Tellervo is a Pohjolan forest goddess. She is the daughter of Tapio and Mielikki.

• Pekko -- This is the name of the Pohjolan god of fields and crops.

• Tuulikki -- This is the name of a Pohjolan goddess of the wind, the daughter of Tapio.

• Ukko -- In Pohjolan mythology Ukko is the god of the sky and thunder. (Old Man Sky)

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The Four Races of Man

Arvin-Parahj

These tribesmen move across the ice steppe regularly. They believe they came from the Gate of Karhu many generations ago. They use musk ox and mules for pack animals, but are often seen on foot moving in small groups. They are primarily hunters and fishermen, not staying in any one place too long. They will never be seen off the steppe, for they believe leaving it will lead to their eventual death and damnation.

Appearance

Their skin is bronzed, though they are normally covered almost completely in furs when on the Steppe. The men seldom get taller than 5'10", with wide shoulders and heavy chests. The women average around 5' tall, being of stocky build. Their eyes are a very light gold in color, being well adapted to the harsh glare of the ice and snow where they live.

Language

Arvin-Parahj speak a poly-synthetic language, Parahjtu, making learning it very difficult. Some have mastered parts of Mereni ("Sea People speech"), making them effective traders.

Religion

They worship Kahtu, the bear God, protector of the Saving Way. They also call on Inminiharkesh-preshbegock (Sky lord bringer of the warming sun), seen as a friend of Kahtu and helper. The Arvin-Parahi use Ahto as a curse word, and "Leskinatorish-Ahto" as a demeaning term for low landers and sea people. Arvin-Parahi think it is their sacred duty to lead Leskinatorish-Ahto astray and hinder them. Some endurance tortures can be seen as ways to purify and cleanse the Leskinatorish-Ahto.

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Meren Ihmiset

The Meren Ihmiset or People of the Sea are fishermen, merchants, sailors and occasionally pirates. Like the other four human races of Pohjola they share some history in common. Primarily their history intersects with the other three races of man in that they believe they came from another world fleeing an unspeakable terror. Their history is vague on which mystical gate they came through and who their ancestors were in the Old-world. They acknowledge that they came through with the other three races and possibly with other now extinct peoples. None of that truly matters to the Meren Ihmiset because when they arrived they were greeted by a god of the sea called Ahto. This deity saved them from the pursuing horrors of the Old-world and the harsh living conditions of Pohjola. While the Sea-people are great travelers they do return home to their capital city of Kyllikki to marry, have children and to die.

Appearance

The Meren Ihmiset are tall by the standards of Pohjola, the men of the sea regularly stand six-feet tall, while their women usually reach five-and-half feet tall with a few exceptions equaling the men. Usually without deviation they are blond and blue-eyed with a honey-colored skin. The Meren Ihmiset know fishing, hunting and weaving as crafts and their clothing reflects a combination of these skills in its manufacture.

Language

The language of the Sea-people is Mereni bears some resemblance to ancient Celtic but has become a polyglot with many foreign loan words. Mereni has two different derivatives, both spoken and written, the first is Mereni proper which is spoken primarily by the priestly and scholarly castes and pidgin Mereni which has become the de-facto trade tongue of Pohjola. The Sea-people are the only race to develop a written language, with the simple script of tavaramerkki used for basic record keeping, signage and simple legal agreements, Pyhät Merkit on the other hand is used almost exclusively by sages and the priesthood of Ahto.

Religion

The Faith of Ahto

Trade

The Meren Ihmiset are boat builders, but must trade with the Metsän Asukkaat for the wood they need for their ships, this ancient relationship has persisted for centuries has only recently come under uncertain stress.

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Metsän Asukkaat

The Metsän Asukkaat or the Dwellers of the Forest reside primarily in the primeval forests of the south.

Language

Metsäna

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Vuori Ihmisiä

The Vuori Ihmisiä or Mountain peoples live far to the east and have recently been subjugated by the Queen of Cold Mountain.

Language

Vuorihm

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Indigenous Species

Once, before the coming of mankind, Pahjola (the Winterlands) were home a number of sentient species. But the Great Migration brought inter-species conflict and over several human generations the genocide of native sentience. Only two of Pahjola's indigenous and intelligent species remain: the Karhuherrat and the Muinaiset. The Karhuherrat or the Bear-lords as they are sometimes called, are intelligent and warlike bears descended from their larger polar kin. Long before the arrival of humanity, the Karhuherrat developed a distinct spoken language, writing and metalurgy.

Alternatively, the Muinaiset or Ancients are more Fey than humanoid, and are no larger than preadolescent human children, but have extremely long lives and mysterious powers. These last survivors of Pohjola's pre-human past were not originally allies and it took the approach of bloody extinction to craft anything resembling an alliance, but this ancient and continuing truce has aided their collective survival. Each species has its own strengths and weaknesses and each deals with mankind differently. The Karhuherrat who are small in numbers, but are both cunning in battle and incredibly strong compared to mankind, prevent the spread of humanity through guerilla warfare, while the Muinaiset use their mystical abilities to fend off human aggression and apply a centuries old grand stratagem to bring humanity into check.

Karhuherrat

The Karhuherrat or the Bear-lords

Language

Karjuvaa or the Roaring is a very difficult language for humanoids to learn.

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Muinaiset

The Muinaiset

Language

Kieli is the ancient tongue of the Muinaiset and a complex form of communication that combines both vocalization and manual gestures.

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Stranger Things

Pohjola is home to beings far stranger than either its native spawn,
or those restless corpses that refuse to lie down. Some things should
never see the light of day, and some should never even be spoken of
except at noontide. Two such are the Syväkutu and their Koskettu, for
they are of the Eldritch. The Eldritch is no friend to mankind or the native
Pohjolan races, but sometimes the will is weak and the offerings of the
Outer-Dark can be tempting in times of strife and suffering, not to
mention the dark hours of despair.

~ Lasse Korhonen -- 23rd Toivonen of the Viisaiden Akatemia

Syväkutu

Quote

"I think their predominant colour was a greyish-green, though
they had white bellies. They were mostly shiny and slippery,
but the ridges of their backs were scaly. Their forms vaguely
suggested the anthropoid, while their heads were the heads
of fish, with prodigious bulging eyes that never closed. At the
sides of their necks were palpitating gills and their long paws
were webbed. They hopped irregularly, sometimes on hind
legs and sometimes on four... their croaking, baying voices...
held all the dark shades of expression which their staring
faces lacked."

— H.P. Lovecraft, The Shadow over Innsmouth

Appearance

Behavior

The Syväkutu are an amphibious race that primarily serves
the Great-Lord of the Outer-Dark and two beings known as
Father Ahto and Mother Vedava. Locked in the timeless depths
of the sea, their alien, arrogant lives are coldly beautiful,
unbelievably cruel and effectively immortal. They come together
to mate or to worship the Great-Lord, but do not crave
touching or being touched as humans do. They are a marine race,
unknown in freshwater environments, and globally have many cities,
all submerged beneath the waves. One is off the coast of Pohjola,
near cold Kyllikki, whilst other sites are rumored to lie off
the Brythonic Isles. Syväkutu may be worshiped by humans with
whom they regularly interbreed, for deep ones are immortal unless
slain, and so are any Koskettu offspring.

Statistics

Physical: Strength 7, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5
Social: Charisma 0/5, Manipulation 3, Appearance 0
Mental: Perception 5, Intelligence 6, Wits 5

Eldritch Attributes: MIGHT 3, FINESSE 3, ENDURANCE 3, APPREHENSION 2, GENIUS 3, CORUSCATION 2

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Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Brawl 3, Intimidation 3
Skills: Animal Ken 4, Crafts 6, Melee 3, Pilot 4, Stealth 3, Survival 5 (oceans)
Knowledges: Academics 4, Enigmas 5, Investigation 3, Medicine 5, Occult 6, Science 6, Theology 6

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Innate Powers

Breathe under Water -- Dwelling under the sea, Syväkutu

require no exterior help to breathe underwater and are equally

capable of breathing on land.

Momentum: 3

Join Battle: 17

Attacks: 4 (claw / claw / bite / tail lash / spear / trident)

Weapons

Spear (Acc: +1, Dmg: +3L, Def: +0)

Trident (Acc: +0, Dmg: +3L, Def: +2)

Claws (Acc: +1, Dmg: +2L, Def: +0)

Bite (Acc: +1, Dmg: +2L, Def: +0)

Tail (Acc: +1, Dmg: +5B, Def: -2)

Dodge: 7

Soak: 3A / 6L / 6B

Health Levels: Syväkutu being of the Eldritch ascend to a higher
state of being and start with 11 health levels. But through augmentation
individuals can gain an additional 5 health levels that vary from bone growths
to heavy scales or extra appendages. Thus Syväkutu health levels vary significantly.

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Willpower: 7

Virtues: DOMINANCE 3, FECUNDITY 3, HARMONY 2, INTELLECT 3

Dominions: BEASTS 3 / WATER 3 / WILD 3

Divinity: 3

Point Pool: 9

Sorcery: Each of the Syväkutu possesses an average of four of the following spells.

~ Animate the Parts

~ Breath of the Dark Sea

~ Compulsion of the Outer-Dark

~ Disassembly of Limbs

~ Enthrallment of the Entombed

~ Graft Flesh and Bone

~ Reordering of Thoughts

~ Re-purposing of Organs

~ Siphoning of Ichor

~ Song of the Navigator

~ Tool of the Elder Gods

Trophy: Syväkutu often have Eldritch trophies that may be taken from them upon death.

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Koskettu

Quote

It was a thin, stoop-shouldered man not
much under six feet tall... His age was
perhaps thirty-five, but the odd, deep
creases in the sides of his neck made
him seem older when one did not
study his dull, expressionless face. He
had a narrow head bulging, watery
blue eyes that seemed never to wink,
a flat nose, a receding forehead and
chin, and singularly underdeveloped
ears. His long, thick lip and coarse
pored, greyish cheeks seemed almost
beardless except for some sparse yellow
hairs that straggled and curled in irregular
patches; and in places the surface seemed
queerly irregular, as if peeling from some
cutaneous disease.

— H.P. Lovecraft, The Shadow over Innsmouth

Appearance

Behavior

Koskettu are the progeny of Syväkutu and human
mating. Although the offspring of such unions are usually
born as normal humans, changes in appearance and physiology
tend to occur in late teens — commonly known as the
‘Kyllikki Look’. By middle age, most Koskettu display
some form of gross deformity and such individuals retire
to the privacy of their close-shuttered homes. Within a few
years, the Koskettu undergoes the final transformation into a
Syväkutu and embarks on a new life in the sea.

The physical changes are accompanied by an awakening
of new senses, strange dreams of undersea cities and
a longing to visit seaside locales—particularly ancestral
homes or the individual’s birth place.

Typically, Koskettu inhabit remote coastal villages, however
they can be found further afield (particularly in the
early stages of their transformation). As the final
transformations take place the Koskettu either learns to
embrace their monstrous heritage or goes mad in the process.

Syväkutu will attempt to lure Koskettu to their lairs or
places of safety, where they can supervise the final
metamorphosis and ensure the Koskettu is appropriately schooled
in their shared heritage. About 10% of Koskettu do not complete
the transformation and are doomed to spend the rest of their life
as a Koskettu, whilst a further 10% do not undergo the metamorphosis
at all, with the Syväkutu genes essentially missing a generation —
only to manifest in a future generation.

Statistics

Physical: Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 3/5, Appearance 3/2/1 (as they age the Koskettu slowly evolve into something...else)
Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 5, Wits 4

Eldritch Attributes: MIGHT 1, FINESSE 1, ENDURANCE 1, GENIUS 1, CORUSCATION 1

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Talents: A rating of 1 to 2 in most talents except Empathy which most Koskettu find difficult to acquire, let alone master.
Skills: A rating of 2 to 3 is common in the skill set of a Koskettu.
Knowledges: Most Koskettu develop in the arena of knowledge very quickly and an average rating of 3 to 4 isn't uncommon.

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Innate Powers

Holding Breath -- Koskettu are unable to breathe

underwater until they have undergone the full change in
to a Syväkutu; however, from early childhood onwards they
can remain underwater for up to twice as long as the average
human.

Momentum: 1

Join Battle: 10

Attacks: 2

Weapons

Clinch (Acc: +0, Dmg: +0B, Def: +0)

Unarmed, Heavy (Acc: -1, Dmg: +3B, Def: -2)

Unarmed, Light (Acc: +1, Dmg: +0B, Def: +1)

Dagger (Acc: +1, Dmg: +2L, Def: +0)

Club (Acc: +1, Dmg: +3B, Def: +0)

Bow (Acc: +1, Dmg: +2L, Rang: 30)

Javelin (Acc: +0, Dmg: +2L, Rang: 10)

Dodge: 5

Armor

Heavy Clothing (Soak: +0L/1B, Mobility: 0, Fatigue: 0)

Hide/Leather (Soak: +1L/3B, Mobility: -1, Fatigue: -1)

Soak: 1A / 5-6L / 5-7B

Health Levels: Koskettu begin with one extra bruised level and as
they change gain an additional two, for a range of 8 to 10 from young to old.

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Willpower: 3-5

Virtues: Low human virtues in some, while others develop low Eldritch virtues.

Dominions: BEASTS 1 / WATER 1 / WILD 1

Divinity: 1-2

Point Pool: 2-4

Sorcery: Young Koskettu know nothing of sorcery, but older Koskettu may
know 1-2 of the following spells. The most commonly known spells for Koskettu are:

~ Compulsion of the Outer-Dark

~ Reordering of Thoughts

Trophy: Koskettu may have worldly goods like jewelry, clothing, weapons or books/scrolls.

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