Growing up in Norn Society – Background Options

The Norn are a strong, proud race of Humans native to the Hammerlands. Created in Thor’s own image, they are tall and muscular, and take great pride in their combat prowess. This means that even those that live a relatively peaceful life have the potential to take up the axe and defend what they believe in.

Norn adventurers come from all walks of life. Whether it be a famous raider, humble farmer or respected hunter. Any Norn, whether old or young, can have the tenacity to change the fate of the realm.

In this blog I’ll detail 3 new backgrounds available to a proud Norn adventurer (or at least someone raised in their community).

Veteran Raider

Lets start with the most likely candidate for becoming an adventurer. Every year the Norn go on ritualistic raids across the lands of the Hammerlands. Their targets vary from fellow Norn settlements, to the Wildmen of the forests, or even the elusive Dwarfs of the underground.

As an old, respected warrior you have partaken in many of these raids. In doing so you have seen much of the realm and done battle with many of its races. You have established a name for yourself both as a hero of your people and a feared enemy of those you raided. Throughout the Hammerlands, people mourn lost loved ones due to your actions.

As a veteran raider, it’s up to you how you feel about your past actions. Are you regretful of the slaughter dealt by your hand? Are you proud to have established your legend? Are you worried about those that may come seeking vengeance? In order to help you decide how your life of raiding has effected you mentally you may roll a D6 on the below table, or simply choose the option you like the most for your character:

1: I am proud of my past.	4. I miss my glory days spent raiding.
2. I regret the deaths caused by my hand.	5. The past means little to me. What happened cannot be changed.
3. I am fearful of those that seek vengeance.	6. I am not regretful of my past, but wish to do better.

Feature: Your name is spoken of in tales of tragedy across much of the realm. When you enter a settlement of which you partook in raiding you can push the common folk around with little threat of retaliation. In addition, you may be recognised and cause people to avoid you.

Skill Proficiencies: Survival, Athletics
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, Vehicles (Aquatic)
Equipment: A piece of treasure from last raid, Set of bone dice, Pouch containing 10gp

Suggested Characteristics:

Veteran raiders are famous warriors and can respond differently to this fame (or infamy). The are aware of their own strength and how imposing that can be for others.

Personality Trait:

Ideal:

1. Strength: I respect those that could beat me in a fight.	4. Comradery: Nothing brings you closer than fighting side-by-side.
2. Glory: My legend means more than my life.	5. Peace: I fight for a future where I no longer need to.
3. Legacy: I want to leave something or someone behind when I die.	6. Respect: I have no ill will for the creature that kills me, provided it’s a fair fight.

Bond:

1. My father died in my first raid. I miss him dearly.	4. I raised a child orphaned by my actions.
2. I remember the location of my final raid fondly and desperately wish to return.	5. I fell in love on the battlefield and now seek their approval through combat.
3. My weapon means more to me than any person.	6. I seek the person who will mean more to me than my story.

Flaw:

1. I get to graphic when telling the tales of my exploits.	4. I sometimes go to far, even in a fight.
2. I don’t realise if I’m scaring someone.	5. I assume anyone important has heard of me.
3. I will risk the lives of those close to me if it mean I’ll grow my legend.	6. I seek a glorious death and assume everyone else does too.

Farmer

While many may discount the humble farmer’s chances of becoming a heroic adventurer, among Norn society it is more common than you might think. Days of toiling in the fields results in a strong, muscular body and having farmland to protect pushes them towards tackling their challenges directly.

Through farming you have become a pillar of the community. You’re highly respected in your local area as a provider for all. People treat you well and will come together to support you when the need arises. People grant you favours with little protest and are happy to lend a hand when they can. People in your community listen to your opinions and hold them in high regard due to your established role as a provider.

The focus of your farming can vary from crops to livestock. Whatever the produce of your farm, you are a provider for your local community and a key part of keeping the settlement running. In order to help you decide what your farm produces you may roll a D6 on the below table, or simply choose the option you like the most for your character:

1. Cattle: I provide meat and milk to the community.	4. Vegetables: I provide food to the community.
2. Sheep: I provide wool and clothing to the community.	5. Stables: I provide mounts and hounds to the community.
3. Wheat: I provide baked goods to the community.	6. Brewery: I provide mead and honey to the community.

Feature: Your opinion holds a lot of sway within the people your race. When talking to people of your same race, they will listen to what you have to say and change their opinions on small matters to align with yours. In addition, you know how to cook local delicacies that can mend hurt feelings between people of your race.

Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Persuasion
Tool Proficiencies: Either Brewer’s supplies or Cook’s utensils or Leatherworker’s tools, Vehicles (Land)
Equipment: A pouch of seeds or fur from your first harvest, A merchant’s scale, Pouch containing 20gp

Suggested Characteristics:

Farmers can be humbly doing their best for their community or be business-minded individuals looking for the best way to make some coin. Whether by wholesome intent or otherwise, they are important to those that rely on them and must deal with this pressure.

Personality Trait:

1. I am gentle with everything I interact with.	5. I have to help those with less than myself.
2. I am compelled to help when I see someone performing manual labour.	6. I still wake up needlessly early out of habit.
3. I stop to pet every domestic animal I see.	7. I feel the need to share and feel guilty if I can’t.
4. I’m always last to eat or drink, ensuring others are provided for first.	8. I avoid speaking in large groups, wary of influencing others.

Ideal:

1. Hard Work: You must work for what you have in this life.	4. Hospitality: I enjoy providing for others.
2. Fairness: Everyone should be fairly compensated for the things they do.	5. Planning: I won’t do anything that hasn’t been properly thought out.
3. Equality: Everyone deserves an equal share and an equal chance.	6. Foresight: I need to know how my actions will benefit the future.

Bond:

1. I keep a memento of my beloved pet farm dog.	4. The people of my home town are the best I’ve ever known.
2. I have a family waiting for me back at the farm.	5. I hunt the beast that destroyed my crops/livestock.
3. After the tragedy that befell my farm, I can never bring myself to return.	6. I hope to one day leave my farmland to my children, should I be so lucky to have them.

Flaw:

1. I can expect to much of others at times.	4. I am protective of my projects and assume others will mess up.
2. I sometimes assume others agree with me without checking.	5. I have a tendency to overwork myself.
3. I can be slow to jump into action.	6. I miss the simple life and will be satisfied with failure if it makes my life easier.

Seer

Considered by many to be the most significant role in Norn culture, a seer is a spiritual guide that uses divinity and radiant magics to divine the target of the next annual raid. They are highly respected among raiders to the point where insults directed at them are considered an extreme offence.

During your time as seer you were placed under extreme pressure. Holding the fate of an entire raiding party in your hands can be extremely stressful yet some embrace this challenge with eager arms. You have lived a very structured life, with your everyday planned for you by carers and rulers.

For better or worse, you are no longer the seer of your community. This could be by choice or otherwise, but either way, it is likely to have brought shame upon you and your family. In order to help you decide how your time as seer ended you may roll a D6 on the below table, or simply choose the option you like the most for your character:

1. You sent the raiding party to a location lacking in treasure.	4. A new mage outshone you and replaced you as seer.
2. You fled for your duty and ran away from home.	5. Your divinations resulted in the death of your ruler.
3. You foresaw the death of a loved one and lied about your divinations to save them.	6. You lost the magics needed to perform the divinations.

Feature: You regularly have vague visions of the future in the form of dreams. During a long rest, a divination may occur showing you a location that will be significant in your future, however, you won’t know why or when it will be important.

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, Religion
Tool Proficiencies & Languages: Weavers Tools, One language of your choice
Equipment: A memento from the first raid you foresaw, Holy water (flask), Pouch containing 10gp

Suggested Characteristics:

Seer’s undergo immense pressure and suffer from having very little agency over their own lives. When this weight is lifted it can be freeing or terrifying. Some break under the fear of having no guiding hand while some take strides in living their own lives.

Personality Trait:

1. I tend to subconsciously follow orders without thinking.	5. I trust my sense of direction heavily.
2. I perceive all locations as important to the future and look for their meaning.	6. I am unsure if my dreams are prophecies or just simple dreams.
3. I am very hesitant to be placed under someone’s care.	7. I am used to being important and forget myself sometimes.
4. I avoid positions of authority and hate people relying on me.	8. I am in denial about my powers of divination.

Ideal:

1. Freedom: No one else will have control over my time.	4. Leisure: My life means more than just my job.
2. Duty: I failed my past duties, I won’t fail again.	5. Guidance: I must provide council to those around me.
3. Future: If I can see hints of the future, it is my responsibility to protect it.	6. Trust: I must always be trustworthy or my divinations mean nothing.

Bond:

1. I shamed my family and seek to regain their approval.	4. I feel great pity for those I sent to die in the raids.
2. My visions are clearer when surrounded by those I love.	5. I regret sending the raid a certain location and seek to make amends.
3. I foresaw my death and seek to change my fate.	6. My best friend hates me for leaving my roll as seer.

Flaw:

1. I enjoy my new found freedom a little too much.	4. I always assume there’s someone willing to protect me.
2. I don’t know my limits when enjoying leisure activities.	5. I am submissive and scared to fight for myself.
3. I’m rude and reckless, assuming others will fight my battles for me.	6. Since losing my role as seer, I’m scared of failure and struggle to commit to a plan.

Final Notes

Thanks for reading this far! I hope you found these backgrounds a fun read and will consider using them in your future games! When designing these I really wanted to get across the diversity in where a Norn adventurer can come from. Even the humblest farmer or most dutiful seer can begin a life of excitement and adventure with the right encouragement, and all walks of life will have aspects they can bring forward to be of use in their new story.

Of course, you can modify these slightly to suit any race or community. A Dwarven farmer or orc raider might suit your game better than a pure viking faction so feel free to modify the flavour around these backgrounds as needed.

Once again, thanks for your time! See you in the next blog (Race Breakdown – Norn).