VAESEN

SE A SONS OF M YST E RY
 Based on the book Vaesen by
Johan Egerkrans

SEASONS
OF MYSTERY
Writers:
Gabrielle de Bourg (A Dance with Death)
Tomas Härenstam (Fireheart)
Andreas Marklund (The Devil on the Moor)
Kiku Pukk Härenstam (A Winter’s Tale)

GAME DIRECTOR: Illustrations:

Nils Karlén Johan Egerkrans,
Anton Vitus

Additional Writing: Graphic design: Translation:

Matthew Tyler-Jones, Dan Algstrand, Niklas Lundmark
Dave Semark Christian Granath
Proofreading:
Maps: Layout and prepress: Brandon Bowling
Christian Granath Dan Algstrand

PRINT: ISBN:
Standart Impressa UAB 978-91-89143-62-3

Copyright 2022 © Fria Ligan AB and Johan Egerkrans

 CONTENTS
1. A DA NCE W ITH DE ATH ����������������� 4

2. FIREHE A RT ����������������������������������� 24

3. THE DEV IL ON THE MOOR ������ 46

4. A W INTER’S TA LE ������������������������ 68

H A NDOUTS ������������������������������������ 88
 PREFACE
Within these pages you will find four spine-tingling mysteries for Vaesen
– Nordic Horror Roleplaying. These cases follow the turn of the seasons across
one year in the Mythic North and can be played in order, or spread out as
you, the GM, wish.

With A Dance with Death, we begin in spring. When flowers awake and trees
rise from their slumber we go north, to the county of Dalarna and its roll-
ing hills and mighty lakes. In a quaint and remote village, a terrible crime
has been committed and somehow it seems to be connected to an other-
worldly vaesen.

In Fireheart, religious fervor runs high in rural Smolandia as the hottest

summer in living memory triggers massive forest fires, crop failure, wide-
spread poverty, and a mass exodus to America. Will the player characters
uncover what’s behind it all – and live to tell the tale?

In The Devil on the Moor, we journey west to the windswept autumn moors of
Grimsted Lyng on the Danish island of Jylland and investigate a tale of
terror where modernity is pitted against the old ways.

And last, we move some way from the heartlands of the Mythic North. In
A Winter’s Tale the characters travel to the snow-covered forests of Ingria east
of the Baltic Sea, where they are challenged by a mysterious adversary under
the glittering winter stars.

So here they are. Four seasons of mystery for your perusal. It’s time to pack
your bags, dust off your books and light your lanterns. The adventure awaits.
CONTENT WARNING
Violence, Death, Mind Control · CHAPTER 1 ·

A DANCE WITH DEATH

This mystery for the roleplaying game Vaesen brings proceeds to describe the journey to Fudal, a summer
the player characters to the scenic province of Dalarna farm in Mora Parish. The section concludes with a
in springtime, with its green woods, brown cabins, countdown of events which you as the Game­master
and the blue waters of Lake Siljan. There they will will initiate at some appropriate time during the mys-
be introduced to the Swedish dance and folk music tery – and a catastrophe that describes what happens
tradition and see the darkness hiding behind the joy if the player characters do not take action or fail in
of the music. The mystery will test the player charac- their efforts. But first we will look back at the events
ters’ deductive powers, social skills, and – if they are leading up to the mystery.
not careful – their fighting prowess.

BACKGROUND
PRELUDE Fudal is a fäbodvall – a summer farmstead – located in
Nusnäs, a village in Mora Parish. It is composed of a
This first section describes the background of the scattering of cabins, like a little village of its own near
mystery and the conflicts on which it is based. There Fudal Cove in Lake Siljan. Through the village runs
is an invitation to kick off the session, then the text a stream called Fuån. Here the farm girls are tending

·4·
 IN MYTHIC BRITAIN AND IRELAND CHARACTERS IN THE MYSTERY
If you want to run this mystery in Mythic Britain and
Ireland instead of the Mythic North, a good area to
· THE NECK: The vaesen lurking in the depths of Lake
Siljan, luring people to the water with his music.
choose would be the west coast of Lough Corrib near Is in love with Lisbets Boel and has taught Jons
Oughterard, County Galway. Gavelkind – a system Gustav to play his music.
of partible inheritance enforced upon Catholics until
1878 – split farms into smaller and smaller landhold-
· SWÄRDS JENNY: The farm holder who owns the
drowned animal, and the farm girls’ employer. It is
ings. If there were no male heirs, the whole farm the drowning of her cows that kicks off the mystery.
would be held collectively by the widow and daugh-
ters until marriage or death. One such farm might
· LISBETS BOEL: An outgoing and popular farm girl
who is in love with the Neck, who later enchants
be the location for this mystery. her to help him drown the other farm girls.
· MATTIAS FREJA: A farm girl who acts as a leader
for the other girls. Lisbets Boel’s closest friend.

cows and goats that have recently been brought to

· PERS IDA: A young farm girl who is quiet and intro-
verted. She recently involved in a strange incident
Fudal for summer grazing. where she woke up by the water without knowing
In Lake Siljan lurks the Neck (page 144 of the how she got there. Is in love with Jons Gustav.
core rulebook). With his music he has lured unfor-
tunate individuals to drown in the lake, hoping that
· JONS GUSTAV: A local fiddler who learned to play
from the Neck, and who will now provide sacri-
they will keep him company in his underwater realm. fices in return. Brought Pers Ida to the water to
Listening to the humans singing and dancing in the be sacrificed, but could not go through with it. To
villages has made him envy their sense of community. buy some time he drowned Swärds Jenny’s cows.
One sleepless night the farm girl Lisbets Boel
heard him play his fiddle and was so enchanted by
the music that she fell in love with the Neck, and he
with her. Instead of drowning like so many before he did not have it in him. The next morning, she
her, she swore to help the Neck, who has prom- woke up by the edge of the lake with no memory of
ised her a place by his side if she provides him with what happened. Now Jons Gustav fears the fate he
human sacrifices. Now the two of them are plotting has brought on himself, and to avoid that fate he
to drown the farm girls of Fudal. Thus, at last, the plans to steal the Neck’s fiddle. With it he intends
Neck hopes to have a partner with whom to share to enchant Lisbets Boel and escape the Neck and
his realm. An old tapestry depicting the Neck was his fate along with her.
later stolen as well. But now the time has come for him to fulfill his
But the Neck is not the only one who desires promise, and the Neck is expecting Jons Gustav to
Lisbets Boel – so does the fiddler Jons Gustav, who bring company to his underwater realm. He desires
has tried to win her heart. But she has always spoken human sacrifices and wants Jons Gustav to play his
affectionately of another, unknown musician, who fiddle in order to lure the people of Fudal down to
is the man she wants. In a desperate attempt to win the water.
her love he contacted the Neck. He stole the farm girl To stall for time Jons Gustav led some of farm
Mattias Freja’s black cat and brought it to a remote owner Swärds Jenny’s cattle to the water in an attempt
part of the shore along Lake Siljan, where he sacri- to appease the Neck, if only temporarily. But it was
ficed it to the Neck, hoping that he would teach him not enough. Now the Neck is expecting a human sac-
how to play his melodies. Finally, the Neck heard him rifice, and his patience is running out.
and promised to teach him, on the condition that The Neck has told Boel that Gustav has made a
Jons Gustav would provide human sacrifices. bargain with him as well, to become a great musician.
Jons Gustav knows how to enchant people with Now Boel and the Neck are planning to use Gustav
the melancholy tunes he learned from the Neck, and his love for Boel. Jons Gustav, on the other hand,
having lured Pers Ida – one of the hired farm girls has no idea that the other fiddler whom Boel claims
– to the water to be sacrificed, before realizing that to be in love with is in fact the Neck.

·5·
 CONFLICTS and escape his pact with the Neck. He then hopes to
The primary conflict of this mystery pits the Neck and seduce Lisbets Boel with its wondrous music.
Lisbets Boel against the farm girls of Fudal. The Neck
wants his human sacrifices and Lisbets Boel is deter-
mined to grant his wish. Together they are plotting IN V ITATION
to use Jons Gustav to carry out their plan. This mystery takes place in late spring, when the live-
The secondary conflict is between Jons Gustav and stock have recently been taken to the fäbodvall for
the Neck. Jons Gustav has made a Faustian bargain grazing. It begins with the Society receiving a letter
with the Neck in order to learn his tunes, but does not at their headquarters in Upsala. The letter, which is
have it in him to lure people to their death. Growing also presented as Handout 1A at the end of this book
increasingly desperate, especially once the player char- and available for download on Free League’s website,
acters have arrived, he plans to steal the Neck’s fiddle reads as follows:

·6·
 · A Dance with Death ·

To whom it may concern,

THE CULTURE OF DALARNA
My name is Jenny and I turn to your Society, for I know not what At this point in time Dalarna is mostly inhabited by
else to do. I am but the humble owner of Swärd’s Farm, situated in farmers who have been exempted from the land
Nusnäs in Mora Parish. reform. Instead, their farms are divided according
It all started one morning when Pers Ida, a kulla working at to a system where each child receives an equal share
the fäbodvall of Fudal, woke up on the shore of Lake Siljan with no of the land and the inheritance, although a mas would
recollection of how she got there. She had gone to bed with the other often inherit two shares. A man from Dalarna is called
kullas as usual. The whole thing was very strange and several of the mas and an unmarried woman or girl is called kulla,
kullas have been worried ever since. and people from other parts of the country always add
I write to you now in the wake of two of my cows drowning in the the epithet dal-, which makes it dalmas and dalkulla.
lake, despite the fence that was supposed to contain them. Someone, The farm is often the most important thing for
or something, led them there. I’d like to believe that none of the kullas families in Dalarna, where people’s names normally
would ever do something so callous, but I worry that someone might consist of the farm name (usually the first name of
be hiding something from me. the farm’s owner) followed by the person’s first name;
The police would not listen, and so I turn to you. I am convinced for example, the brothers Tomas and Kosta from
that something unnatural is at work, and that it is coming for us. Per’s Farm would have been called Pers Tomas and
Having no one else to help me, I sincerely hope that this let- Pers Kosta. Farm names can also be feminine if the
ter reaches you and that you will find it in your hearts to offer your owner is a woman or derived from soldier names like
assistance and expertise. Hane (“hammer” as in the firearm component), Blixt
Please reply with haste and I shall meet you in Mora. (“lightning”), Wärre (“worse”), or Spjut (“spear”).
Agriculture in Dalarna is largely based on transhu-
Yours humbly, mance, where livestock is taken to graze in meadows
Swärds Jenny and pastures near forests or mountains during the sum-
mer months, while the cultivated soil on the farm is used
for growing crops or fodder for the winter. The wooden
PREPA R ATIONS cabins in the pastures are called fäbodar. A cluster
As usual, the player characters can prepare for the of fäbodar is called a fäbodvall. The people working
journey at their headquarters and thereby gain an there are usually young farm girls who spend their days
Advantage (see chapter 9 in the core rulebook). milking cows and goats, making cheese and churning
Player characters who go looking for relevant butter, which are then transported to the village.
information in Upsala will only find basic informa- Music is an essential part of the local culture.
tion about Nusnäs being a village and Fudan a fäbod- Herding music is often heard among the fäbodar,
vall, both of them part of Mora Parish. However, the either sung (which is called kulning) or played on cow
characters can learn a thing or two about the tradi- horns. It is a very beautiful and dreamy sort of music
tions and culture of Dalarna, including the naming used by the farm girls to gather cows and goats.
customs and the importance of music. There is also But the most important musical figures are the fid-
information about transhumance and how it works. dlers who play at feasts or other social gatherings
Use the information about the culture of Dalarna like christenings and weddings. Their performances
presented in the text box to the right. are accompanied by partnered dancing such as the
If the player characters want to look up vaesen polska or the schottische. The music of the fiddlers is
linked to water or watercourses, that requires a suc- incredible in its ability to make people want to dance,
cessful LEARNING test. The vaesen that come up are and the best of them are said to have acquired their
Brook Horse, Mermaid, the Kraken, Will o’ the Wisp, skills through magic. Folk costumes are often worn
the Neck, Sea Serpent, and Fairy. during these festivities.

·7·
 · CHAPTER 1 ·

THE JOURNEY
The journey to Mora is a three-­day carriage ride
with overnight stops at inns in Avesta and Leksand,
followed by a final leg to Mora. As usual the player
characters can gain an Advantage during the journey
(page 24 of the core rulebook). Their journey fol-
lows the Österdal River deeper into Dalarna, where
the scenery starts to change from vast open fields to
dense woods of pine and spruce.
On arriving in Leksand the characters reach the
Österdal River’s outlet to Lake Siljan and see the clear
blue water stretching out before them. On the other
side is their final destination in Mora, where they arrive
in the late afternoon after an overnight stay in Leksand.
Getting off the carriage after a long journey, the
SWÄ RDS JENN Y characters’ lungs are filled with air as clear as the water
“I look after my animals as much as I do my kullas.” of Lake Siljan. They can see mountains looming on
the horizon. Although it is springtime with summer
Jenny is a middle-­aged woman from a mil- on the way, the wintry cold still lingers in the night.
itary family. As the only child she inherited In Mora they are greeted by Swärds Jenny, who is
the family farm in Nusnäs and runs it with waiting with a simple horse and wagon, ready to take
pride. In the summer she spends most of her them to Fudal. Here the player characters can take
time at the fäbodvall. She cares deeply about care of any errands they may have.
the girls in her employ and treats them with They can tell that they have traveled north, as the
great respect. sun rises early in the morning and sets late at night,
One can tell that Swärds Jenny comes where the spectacular and colorful sunset is reflected
from a family of soldiers, as she speaks on the water of Lake Siljan. It does not get completely
bluntly and directly and makes demands of dark until midnight.
others. She is always fair, and despite her
somewhat stern appearance she has a heart
of gold and is very protective of people close A RRI VA L
to her. She speaks with authority and com- Fudal is one hour away from Mora, and the journey
mands the respect of the farm girls. runs along the shiny water of Lake Siljan. The woods
Her appearance reflects her personality. grow denser the closer they get. On the way there
She wears her brown hair up and dresses in Swärds Jenny will talk about what has happened and
practical clothing. the player characters are free to ask questions. She
has the following to say:
· Physique 4 Precision 2
Logic 2 Empathy 2
· The kulla who mysteriously woke up on the shore of
Lake Siljan was Pers Ida. She had no memory of what
· FORCE 3 AGILITY 2 RANGED COMBAT 2
OBSERVATION 1
happened and there were shallow cuts on her body.
She is a very well-­behaved girl, albeit a bit quiet.
· Mental Toughness 1 Physical Toughness 2 · The fence around the cow pasture had not been
· EQUIPMENT: Rifle and knife broken, which means that someone must have
let them out. None of the kullas would have done

·8·
 · A Dance with Death ·

something as cruel as drown the cows, especially them. On the night of the birthday feast he lures
as they would be drowning their own livelihood. one of them outside using the enchanting music
· It has always been said that Lake Siljan and its
waters are to be respected, and people have been
of the Neck. He leads the player character out
into the forest to kill her, but cannot bring him-
known to drown there. self to do it. Instead, he leaves her there and
runs. In the morning the player character wakes
After one hour the player characters arrive in Fudal up confused, with a number of stinging scrapes
and are met with the sight of the log cabins and the and scratches on her body from having walked
pastures with grazing cows being tended by the kullas. through the woods, but neither she nor the other
Their ears are filled with the magical sound of Pers player characters know what happened. The
Ida’s melodic herding calls. character who experiences this must make a Fear
Several of the farm girls gather around the wagon test against Fear value 1. The enchanted player
and greet the player characters politely on their character does not notice anything but feels as
arrival. Swärds Jenny says that she has prepared a if immersed in a deep sleep. Any other PCs who
cabin where the player characters can stay during are awake and happen to see this will find that it
their investigation. The kullas help carry their lug- is impossible to reach through to the enchanted
gage to the wooden cabin. It is a simple affair, but it character, while at the same time hearing sad but
has beds for all of them, a wood stove, and common beautiful fiddle music being played a bit further
areas where they can work or socialize. away. The enchanted character will do anything
As evening approaches the kullas have prepared to follow the tune and might even resort to vio-
some supper and the player characters are served a lence if that is what it takes. If the player char-
meal of Falun sausage, crispbread, potatoes, raw milk acters make noise, Jons Gustav will stop playing
and freshly made cheese. The girls setting out the and the enchanted character regains control as
food giggle and whisper amongst themselves. They if nothing ever happened. Each player character
explain that it is Lisbets Boel’s birthday and that they present must make a Fear test against Fear value 1.
will celebrate with music and dancing in the evening. 2. Pers Ida sees Lisbets Boel meet with a mysterious
The party will be held in the meadow after supper. man by the lake, and then watches as the Neck
assumes his true form. Ida tries to escape but is
discovered. The Neck plays his music and lures
COUNTDOW N her down into the water, where she drowns. In
A ND CATASTROPHE the morning she is found on the shore by a dev-
The player characters’ involvement will elicit reac- astated Mattias Freja or by the player characters.
tions from Lisbets Boel and Jons Gustav, who will 3. Lisbets Boel asks Jons Gustav to meet her at
become increasingly desperate in their actions as the Fudal Cove, but there the Neck appears and Jons
Neck grows more impatient. Unless the player char- Gustav realizes he has walked into a trap. The
acters steer the story in a different direction, it will Neck enchants Jons Gustav so that he cannot
eventually end in disaster. Use the following events stop playing his fiddle – he is forced to play until
to increase the pace of the game when necessary, and his fingers bleed and to obey the Neck’s every
to push the players toward the final confrontation. command. Then Jons Gustav plays the music
of the Neck, and all who hear it are enchanted,
COUNTDOW N brought to the water, and drowned. If something
1. Lisbets Boel convinces Jons Gustav that the has happened to Jons Gustav, the Neck plays the
player characters are dangerous and that he fiddle himself. You can read more about this
should scare them off by trying to kill one of under Confrontation.

·9·
 · CHAPTER 1 ·

CATA STROPHE they are grazing here. There are several cows as well
If the player characters fail to intervene, Jons Gustav as goats, owned by the farmers of Nusnäs.
will bring victims to the shore of Lake Siljan and
drown them. Jons Gustav is now doomed to play until CH A LLENGES
his knuckles are completely worn down. If something Below are some suggestions on events and challenges
has happened to Jons Gustav, the Neck fetches his vic- that may arise during the feast in the meadow:
tims himself. Lisbets Boel will finally take her place
by the Neck’s side, but sadly she drowns as well. It is
· The player characters are free to join in the
dancing. Lisbets Boel will then ask one of them
said that a plaintive melody can be heard from Lake to dance. The dancing characters can use AGILITY
Siljan at night, as from someone looking for com- to follow along. Success means that people are
pany, and anyone who visits Fudal will find only death. impressed with the player character’s moves,
which can be used later on as the equivalent of a
successful OBSERVATION or MANIPULATION test in con-

LOCATIONS versation with one of the girls. If they push the

roll, a failed test means that they stumble and fall
The following paragraphs summarize the most while everyone laughs at them.
important locations the player characters may visit
in this mystery: the Meadow, the Cabin Village, the
· Jons Gustav is concerned by the player characters’
presence and worries that they will ruin his plans.
Forest, and Fudal Cove. If the player characters want After a few drinks he may decide to challenge one of
to investigate other locations, you are free to impro- them to an arm-­wrestling contest. Defeating him
vise, but it is also perfectly alright to explain that the requires a successful FORCE test against his FORCE.
place in question is not part of the mystery and that If the player character wins, Jons Gustav will leave
there is nothing of interest there. the meadow in anger and consider them an even
greater threat, which means that he will be more
careful around them from now on. On failure the
THE MEA DOW player character suffers a physical condition and
The meadow surrounding the cabins is where the cows Jons Gustav will consider himself superior to them.
graze during the day, before being taken to the fenced
pasture for the night. On the evening of the player
· Pers Ida is there but does not say much and does
not want to talk about what happened with all these
characters’ arrival a party is held to celebrate Lisbets people around. The player characters can get her to
Boel’s birthday. Everyone at the fäbodvall joins in and open up with a successful MANIPULATION test, in which
Jons Gustav will be there to provide music. case she takes them aside and tells them about it. On
The girls have dressed up in folk costumes and failure she asks them to come and see her tomorrow.
invited the fiddler Jons Gustav to perform at the feast.
As the music begins to play, the party soon livens up
· Player characters who approach too close or enter
the pasture at night risk frightening the animals
and all the girls starts to dance, especially once the and may find themselves butted and chased by
aquavit is brought out. It is virtually impossible not goats or cows. The player characters must pass a
get caught up in the music, which is almost magical. STEALTH test not to startle any of them. If they fail
The tunes of the fiddle blend with laughter and joy- or do not even bother sneaking, they must make
ous shouting. For a moment the party makes everyone an AGILITY test to avoid being butted by an animal.
forget about the strange and mysterious incidents. On failure they suffer a physical condition. After
At night the animals are kept in pasture sur- the incident one of the girls will show up and sing
rounded by a roundpole fence, but during the day her herding song to calm the animals down.

· 10 ·
 · CHAPTER 1 ·

PARANOIA
Part of the mystery is about creating paranoia and
making the player characters unsure whom to trust.
· Lisbets Boel has the Neck put his spell on either
Mattias Freja or Swärds Jenny, who comes to the
The mystery contains clues that someone is consort- player characters at night to deliver his message.
ing with the Neck, and some that point to Lisbets The enchanted person speaks in a monotone voice
Boel, but below are some suggestions on events that and says that the player characters must leave,
may occur during different parts of the adventure. or blood will be spilled – blood that will be on
· Someone spies on the player characters from
outside their window. A successful VIGILANCE test
their hands. With a successful OBSERVATION or
MEDICINE test the player characters realize that
allows them to notice this, but the person runs the person has been hypnotized and is speaking
way before they can see who it is. for someone else. They must make a Fear test
· The player characters find a note on one of their against Fear 1 after experiencing this.
beds, with a message telling them to leave. The
note is presented as Handout 1B. It is written by
· The player characters are followed by enchantments
and curses related to water or music. They find tad-
Lisbets Boel. poles in their drinking water or water lilies blooming
· The player characters are being watched at
Fudal Cove, where someone is spying on them
in the beer keg, or choke on a ruby ring that has
somehow ended up inside a fish’s belly. The music
from the woods. When they realize this, the follows them too – perhaps the creak of a wagon
person runs away before they can see who it is. wheel reminds them of the fiddle’s wistful tunes, or
Should they catch the spying person, it turns out maybe people out walking start taking dance steps.
to be Lisbets Boel. This may require a Fear test against Fear value 1.
· If the player characters try to ask any of the girls
(Pers Ida, Mattias Freja, or an unnamed char-
· On the night before step #2 of the countdown,
Pers Ida approaches the player characters and
acter) whether there have been any mysterious asks them to come to her cabin tomorrow. She
incidents, they will be reluctant to talk. A success- thinks she has seen something that could help
ful OBSERVATION test will get them to admit that them but does not want to say anything until she
strange things have occurred, but they will not say knows for sure. She could also deliver this mes-
anything more for fear that someone is listening. sage in the form of a note.

CLUES
Despite the festive atmosphere the player characters THE NOTE ON THE BED
can gain a lot of information, much of it gossip, just Meddlesome people like you would be wise to
by asking the girls working here. They can answer as a leave. Let us handle this ourselves.
group, but if you want a specific individual to answer
their questions, that person could be Mattias Freja.
· Swärds Jenny wants the player characters to feel
welcome and will introduce them to various
non-­player characters. She says that most peo-
· If the player characters get Pers Ida to open up,
she explains that she recently woke up all alone
ple will be careful not to trust them, no matter down by the cove, wearing nothing but her night-
how polite they are. shirt. She tells them where to find the place. She

· 12 ·
 · A Dance with Death ·

THE NECK IN HUMAN GUISE

The Neck can take human form to move among that he also should have taken a few courtesy les-
the people of Fudal. He calls himself Nicklas sons while he was at it.
and looks like a tall man in his late 20s with long
black hair and a beard. He wears a hat that
· When asked about other fiddlers or who might
have taught Jons Gustav, the girls mention that
conceals a third eye in his forehead and does they have been hearing music coming from the
whatever he can to keep it hidden. He is fairly lake late at night. The melodies are sublime, but
quiet but has a certain mysterious charm. He no one knows who is playing them. Lisbets Boel
introduces himself as a drifter without a family, is often awake at night and may know more.
which is why he lacks a surname. · This evening Jons Gustav will secretly leave Lisbets
Boel a love letter describing his plans to her. With
a successful VIGILANCE test the player characters can
notice him handing over the letter. Lisbets Boel
was not hurt, except that she had light scratches will refuse to show it to them, but the player char-
on her feet from walking barefoot. She does not acter can try to steal it with a successful STEALTH test
remember anything strange happening on the against her OBSERVATION . The letter is presented
night she disappeared – she went to bed as usual as Handout 1C.
and is not a drinker, so she could not have been
drunk when it happened. She lives alone in one of
· Player characters investigating the pasture will
see that its fence has not been damaged and that
the cabins, so unfortunately nobody saw or heard there is no lock on the gate, which means any-
anything. She ends by saying that she had a very one could have let out Swärds Jenny’s two cows.
unpleasant feeling in her body after what hap- A successful INVESTIGATION test reveals footprints
pened, as if she had been subjected to something leading into the forest.
unnatural. She also mentions keeping a diary but
has not seen anything else that might be of help
to the player characters.
· If the player characters ask about the drowned
cows, all the girls will say that it was very sad. They
JONS GUSTAV’S LOVE LETTER
My darling Boel,
take good care of the animals and would certainly
not let anything like that happen to them. When Your hair is as beautiful as freshly spun strings,
asked about who saw the cows last, the girls explain and your voice is like the most exquisite music.
that it was Lisbets Boel who closed up that night. You are the fairest woman I know. You make my
But the player characters will probably not get a heart beat like a drum inside my chest. It beats
chance to speak with her during the festivities, as for you, and for you alone.
she is too busy being celebrated. If they do get a But I know that your heart beats for another.
moment with her, Lisbets Boel says she would be I know that he, too, is a fiddler.
happy to talk tomorrow, but right now she wants But I promise, my love, that the time will
to enjoy the feast and suggests that the player char- soon come when I will be the greatest fiddler
acters do the same. Fudal has ever seen, and then you will not be
· Several of the girls are impressed with the fiddler,
Jons Gustav. His playing used to be a bit basic and
able to resist me. Together we shall make very
sweet music indeed.
unemotional, but now he seems to have become
quite the virtuoso. They wonder if he has been Your loving Jons Gustav
taking lessons, and if so, from whom. They add

· 13 ·
 · CHAPTER 1 ·

LISBETS BOEL PERS IDA

“I listen to the sweet music of life!” “Nature should be revered.”

Lisbets Boel is a kind and outgoing girl in her Pers Ida is in her early twenties and one of
twenties. She has flowing dark-­blonde hair the youngest girls in Fudal. She is a dreamer
that goes well with her tanned skin. with blonde hair that is almost white, milky
Her extroverted nature has made her white skin, and big blue eyes – like something
one of the most popular farm girls in Fudal. out of a fairy tale.
Whenever there is a party or dancing occa- Pers Ida has a deep love and respect for
sion, she is usually at the center of attention. nature. She takes good care of the animals in
Nobody knows that she is planning to sacri- Fudal and often sings to them in her silky-­
fice them to the Neck. smooth voice. Unfortunately, she is not as
Her closest friend is Mattias Freja who good at interacting with other people, as she
shares her cabin, and Lisbets Boel knows is often quiet and prefers to watch others
that she can tell her anything. socialize rather than joining in herself.
All the energy bubbling inside often keeps She has also heard quite a few stories
her awake at night. Then she usually walks about various vaesen and is willing to share
down to look out over Lake Siljan. That is her knowledge with the player characters.
how she first met the Neck and was seduced She desires Jon Gustav, though she would
by his tunes. Now she wants to do whatever never admit it. But Lisbets Boel has real-
she can to be at his side, and is prepared to ized this and may use it to her advantage if
let everyone else die to please him. She does necessary.
not realize that she is merely a puppet under
his spell. · Physique 2 Precision 2
Logic 4 Empathy 1
· Physique 2 Precision 2
Logic 3 Empathy 3
· AGILITY 1 MEDICINE 2 LEARNING 2
VIGILANCE 2

· AGILITY 2 MANIPULATION 2 VIGILANCE 1

· Mental Toughness 1 Physical Toughness 1
· Mental Toughness 1 Physical Toughness 1 · EQUIPMENT: Cow horn

· 14 ·
 · A Dance with Death ·

JONS GUSTAV M ATTI AS FREJA

“I will be the best fiddler Dalarna has ever seen, no mat- “It’s important that we all work together”
ter the cost!”
Mattias Freja is in her late twenties. She
Jons Gustav is a short man in his thirties, has dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail,
with curly red hair and a small beard. He has in sharp contrast to her fair skin. She is a
a very cold personality and does not show a highly empathetic and diplomatic person
lot of emotion. who believes harmony is the key to an effi-
Coming from a peasant family with cient work environment. She usually directs
lots of children, he only inherited a small several girls in their work when the farmers
piece of land which his siblings then bought are not around.
from him. In the hope of making a living he At the same time her strong empathy has
started working as a fiddler. Although he is made her sensitive and prone to react emo-
technically gifted, his playing was fairly basic tionally, especially to adversity.
and unemotional. She is very close to Lisbets Boel and would
He has grown obsessed with becoming die for her if it came to that. The truth of
a masterful fiddler and therefore sought the matter is that Freja is in love with Boel,
teaching from the Neck. But he is a cow- but knows that she could never admit it. But
ard and is facing great difficulties now that one can dream…
the time has come to fulfill his end of the She used to have a black cat, Nisse, but he
bargain. disappeared one month ago. She still misses
He knows the Trollcraft spell DANCE him.
(OBSERVATION ) and can use it in combat. See
page 120 of the core rulebook. · Physique 2 Precision 2
Logic 2 Empathy 4
· Physique 4 Precision 3
Logic 2 Empathy 1
· FORCE 1 VIGILANCE 2 OBSERVATION 1
INSPIRATION 2

· FORCE 2 CLOSE COMBAT 1 STEALTH 2

VIGILANCE 1 MANIPULATION 2 MAGIC 2
· Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 1

· Mental Toughness 1 Physical Toughness 2

· EQUIPMENT: Fiddle and knife

· 15 ·
 · CHAPTER 1 ·

CH A LLENGES
FA RM GIRLS Below are some suggestions on events and chal-
“Did you taste this cheese? I made it myself!” lenges the player characters may encounter in the
cabin village:
The farm girls are relatively young, most of
them in their twenties, some in their early thir-
· If the player characters have not yet gained the
farm girls’ trust, they will have to pass MANIPULATION
ties. They are paid by farmers to look after their tests in order to question them, particularly
livestock in Fudal. Hired girls are almost exclu- Lisbets Boel and Mattias Freja.
sively unmarried kullas – the married ones are
usually at home taking care of the farm, but will
· If the player characters view any of the girls as sus-
pects and want to enter their cabins without being
occasionally spend some time tending their seen, that will require successful STEALTH tests.
animals at the fäbodvall. Most of the farm girls
are kind and cheerful, and everyone loves hav-
· Once phase 2 of the countdown has occurred, the
Neck (in human guise) will visit the fäbodvall and
ing a good time partying and dancing. play sad and somber music in honor of the late Pers
Ida. If he thinks the player characters suspect him,
· Physique 2 Precision 2
Logic 3 Empathy 3
he will make tables and stools dance mysteriously
and escape in the commotion that follows. The
· FORCE 2 STEALTH 2 VIGILANCE 1 furniture stops moving when he has left. Those
· Mental Toughness 1 Physical Toughness 1 who witness this must make a Fear test against Fear 1.
· EQUIPMENT: Cow horn and tools, such as a
knife or an axe CLUES
The player characters can gain a lot of information
at the cabin village, mainly from the farm girls. If
they are stuck and unable to get a hold of any of the
THE CA BIN V ILL AGE non-­player characters they want to talk to, Swärds
Most of Fudal is made up of the cabin village, which Jenny can offer to help them and come with them
consists of several log cabins of different sizes. Some to whoever they wish to see, where they can get the
are larger with room for entire families (the player information they need. If the player characters failed
characters are staying in one of them), while many of to speak with any farm girls in the Meadow, they can
the farm girls live in smaller and simpler cabins for talk to them in their cabins and uncover the infor-
one to four people. The large cabins have their own mation presented under Clues on page 12. Here
kitchens and outhouses, while the small ones share are the clues in the cabin village:
a larger kitchen and outhouse.
Swärds Jenny lives alone in one of the larger cab-
· If the player characters ask Lisbets Boel about the
night when the cows were drowned, she replies
ins as her family is currently at home on the farm, that she herded them into the pasture and made
and she is happy to offer the player characters a cup sure the gate was closed and locked. She did not
of coffee if they want to talk. Lisbets Boel and Mattias see anyone else when she left and went back to the
Freja share a smaller cabin. When the player charac- cabin, where she and Mattias Freja slept soundly
ters visit them, Lisbets Boel is brushing her hair with until morning. None of them would ever harm
Mattias Freja crocheting beside her, both of them the animals, as Mattias Freja will also tell them.
chatting cheerfully about the recent festivities. Pers
Ida lives alone in one of the smaller cabins and is
· Lisbets Boel often has trouble sleeping at night,
and everyone in Fudal knows it. If the player char-
resting when the player characters come to see her. acters ask whether she has seen or heard anything

· 16 ·
 · A Dance with Death ·

strange at night, she only talks about the sounds admit that his name is Nicklas – the other fiddler
of the forest and the lake and never mentions who visits Fudal from time to time.
the music. However, she was asleep when the
cows disappeared, which Mattias Freja can verify.
· When asked about the footprints, Swärds Jenny
says that everybody stays clear of the forest, espe-
They can try to see through her lie with a success- cially at night, and that no one ventures beneath
ful OBSERVATION test against her MANIPULATION . In its shadowy boughs alone.
that case she admits to having heard music being
played by Lake Siljan at night, but does not know
· After phase 2 of the countdown, the player char-
acters can find what Pers Ida has written in her
who, or what, is responsible for it. diary, which is resting on her bedside table. The
· If the player characters ask any farm girl whether
other animals have gone missing, she sadly
entry was written the night before she died and
is presented as Handout 1D. The old tapestry might
informs them that Mattias Freja’s black cat Nisse be here as well, where Pers Ida found it before
disappeared about a month ago. she died. Mattias Freja can reveal that Pers Ida
· Mattias Freja can also tell them that she thinks Jons
Gustav is in love with Lisbets Boel, but when she
appeared to have seen something on the night
of her death, if the player characters need to be
asked about it Boel seemed completely uninterested. nudged toward her cabin.
Perhaps her heart belongs to someone else? She also
suspects that Pers Ida in turn is in love with him.
· If the player characters ask where Jons Gustav lives,
the farm girls tell them that he has a small cottage
· The player characters could look for the love letter in the woods where he spends the nights.
Jons Gustav handed to Lisbets Boel. She keeps it
hidden under her mattress and they must pass a
· If the Neck is visiting the cabin village in human
guise, the player characters can expose his unholy
Challenging INVESTIGATION test to find it. If they form by yanking the hat off his head and revealing
have gained her trust, Mattias Freja can help them the third eye in his forehead. The player charac-
look for it, which lowers the difficulty to Normal. ters can also attempt a Challenging OBSERVATION
The letter is presented as Handout 1C. Lisbets Boel test; on success the Neck will try to escape.
may also have hidden the old tapestry here. · In the large dining cabin, there used to be an old
· If the player characters have read the love letter
and ask her who the other man is, Lisbets Boel says
tapestry of the Neck, which went missing a while
back. One of the farm girls can provide a basic
that it does not matter since it was only a one-­time description of its motif: a strange figure being ban-
thing. A successful MANIPULATION test can make her ished by a priest. See separate text box on next page.

EXCERPT FROM PERS IDA’S DIARY

Since the cow disappeared, I’ve tried to keep a
lookout at night. Yesterday I saw something by
the cove. I thought I saw someone in the water.
But the thing that surprised me most was a
woman speaking to the strange figure. I could
not see who it was before she ran away. She
must have seen me. I have to find out who this
was. Perhaps that is the key to what is going on?

· 17 ·
 · CHAPTER 1 ·

THE FOREST
THE TAPESTRY The forest surrounding the cabin village mainly
An old tapestry, no more than 40 × 30 cm, ear- consists of tall pine and spruce trees. It is thick
lier hung in the dining cabin. It was made in and tangled and people ought to be careful walk-
the late 17th century and its style is simple. It ing through it, as there are bears in the area. All the
depicts a horrifying humanoid figure fleeing farm girls avoid the forest at night. In late summer
towards a lake, pursued by a priest with a cru- and fall, they usually go there to pick berries or
cifix in hand. The creature has three eyes and mushrooms.
a black cat perched on its shoulder. The motif Deep into the thickets of the forest is a small
depicts the Neck being banished by a priest. wooden cottage where Jons Gustav spends the nights
The tapestry was stolen a while ago, either during his visits. It is a very humble cottage, with a
by Lisbets Boel or by Jons Gustav, depend- bed and a nightstand, a simple kitchen, and a din-
ing on where the player characters find it, ner table.
so that no one will figure out how to banish
the Neck. The mystery contains many sugges- CH A LLENGES
tions on places where it might be hidden, but Below are some suggestions on challenges the player
the thieves may also be carrying it on their characters may face in the forest:
persons. If they are caught with the tapestry,
they will claim to have found it and that they
· If the player characters follow the footprints
they found by the pasture it will take a successful
were just about to return it. Lisbets Boel is an VIGILANCE test to track them through the thick-
excellent liar, and the characters must pass a ets. If it succeeds the footprints lead them to Jons
Challenging OBSERVATION test to see through Gustav’s cottage. But on failure they get lost and
her deception. risk running into a bear. For the bear’s stats, see
The tapestry’s motif is not unique – there page 168 of the core rulebook.
are plenty of similar tapestries depicting dark
forces being banished by Christian symbols or
· Player characters exploring the forests can see a
figure by the lake walking deeper into the woods.
portraying the dangers of succumbing to temp- This is Jons Gustav. They can follow him unde-
tation. Consequently, none of the farm girls can tected with successful STEALTH tests. On failure
describe the tapestry in detail, but simply as Jons Gustav starts running and the player char-
“another devil being banished”. Most of them acters will need to make a successful AGILITY test
can even talk about it in a humorous way. to catch up to him. If that fails Jons Gustav gets
A player character who finds and studies away; if it succeeds they catch up to him when he
the tapestry can make a LEARNING test to real- reaches his cottage, without him noticing. After
ize that the figure represents the Neck, who is a while he will leave the cottage, which allows the
being driven back into the deep by Christian characters to enter undetected.
symbols. · Jons Gustav has placed a steel trap near his cot-
tage to protect it from bears, and the player
characters must pass a VIGILANCE test not to step
into it. A character who fails (chosen at random)
suffers a physical condition as well as physi-
cal critical injury Foot injury (the core rulebook,
page 65).

· 18 ·
 · A Dance with Death ·

· Jons Gustav’s cottage is locked. The player char-

acters must pass a STEALTH test to pick the door
through his lies, in which case he admits that he
tried to hurt one of them, but did not have it in
lock, an INVESTIGATION test to find the key hidden him. Jons Gustav does not want to direct suspi-
inside a crack in the wall, or a FORCE test to break cion towards Lisbets Boel, and if desperate he
the door open. might try to convince them that Mattias Freja is
· If Jons Gustav feels threatened by the player
characters he may decide to attack, especially if
responsible, or blame it all on the Neck if the
player characters have figured out that he is the
he can ambush them. In that case he will warn vaesen they are dealing with.
them and ask them to leave, but claim that he
does not wish them any harm. He attacks by
· If the player characters get into combat with Jons
Gustav and manage to overpower him, or if he
playing his fiddle and runs away if the situation escapes, he will drop his knife. It has been used
turns dire. to cut fiddle strings and can therefore be useful
· The player character who wakes up in the forest against the Neck.
after Phase 1 of the countdown may be unlucky
enough to encounter a bear. The character can try
· If asked about the other fiddler, Jons Gustav says
that he does not know his name, but provides a
to hide from the bear with a STEALTH test or escape description that matches Nicklas.
with AGILITY . On failure the bear may attack. · The old tapestry can be found here. It might be
hidden under a floorboard in Jons Gustav’s cot-
CLUES tage or buried in a grove of trees. In both cases
The player characters can gain a great deal of infor- it takes a successful INVESTIGATION test to find it.
mation in the forest, mainly from Jons Gustav’s For more information, see the boxed text on the
cottage: previous page.
· The cottage is small and spartan, which makes it
easy to search. By looking on the nightstand or
passing an INVESTIGATION test the characters can
find a letter, unfinished and crumpled, penned JONS GUSTAV’S UNFINISHED LETTER
by Jons Gustav (see Handout 1E). It tells them that My beloved,
a knife that has cut the strings of a fiddle can stop
the Neck from using his magic. Run away with me and be mine. With his fiddle
· If the player characters did not see Jons Gustav
give the letter to Lisbets Boel, the letter can be
I shall be free from the pact that keeps me here,
and you will hear the sweetest of music. But if
found here in the cottage, folded on the kitchen he comes after you, use this knife, for it has cut
table, ready to be handed to her. See Handout 1C the strings of fiddles. Stick it in the ground and
for the letter. it will protect you.
· Player characters who overpower or make contact
with Jons Gustav can try to question him and see
I’m sorry about the poor cat and the fate
it suffered. I hope you will forg…
where his loyalties lie (for instance if they suspect
that it was he who lured the player character into
the forest). Initially he will deny it, but if con-
fronted with evidence he will take all the blame,
saying that he only did it to prove the power of
his music. But a successful OBSERVATION test sees

· 19 ·
 · CHAPTER 1 ·

FUDA L COV E Judging by the size of the feet it must have been a
Fudal Cove is a cove in Lake Siljan and its beautiful woman, but it is impossible to establish an exact
blue water. It is a rocky beach that starts shallow but identity. Lisbets Boel left these footprints as she
deepens quickly, as Lake Siljan is 120 meters deep. walked back and forth to the lake.
The Neck has his dwelling a bit further out, deep
down on the bottom of the lake, but moves closer to
· At night the player characters can pass a
VIGILANCE test to notice the shape of a fiddler
the shore to lure people into the water. walking along the shoreline a short distance
The glassy surface of the lake is strewn with water away. This is the Neck in human guise. He will
lilies, and at night the place is swarming with mos- not say much if they try to talk to him. The
quitoes. Although it is springtime the water is still player characters can reveal his inhuman third
quite cold. eye by snatching the hat that conceals it or by
passing an OBSERVATION test.
CH A LLENGES
Below are some challenges the player characters may
· If the player characters have not yet found Jon
Gustav’s love letter, they can find it floating in
face at Fudal Cove: the water, under a bunch of water lilies, by pass-
· Player characters who walk in the water at night
risk slipping on a slippery rock unless they exer-
ing an INVESTIGATION test. Lisbets Boel tried to get
rid of it by throwing it into the lake. The letter is
cise VIGILANCE . Such an accident results in a phys- presented as Handout 1C.
ical condition. · The old tapestry of the Neck may have been thrown
· The neck could be lying in wait for the player
characters. His primary intention is not to
into the water, in which case the player characters

drown them, and if he is worried about being

discovered or exposed he will have taken human
form. But he can use his magic and play music PERS IDA’S BODY
to lead a player character into the water, so that As they discover Pers Ida’s body, the player
the others must help her. The Neck will soon characters are met by a tragic sight. Read the
escape deep into the water where the characters following text aloud or paraphrase it to create
cannot see him. atmosphere.
· After Pers Ida is found drowned, Mattias Freja
is utterly devastated and sobs uncontrollably. A Floating face down among the water lilies
player character can comfort her with a success- is the body of young woman. Her arms are
ful INSPIRATION test. She will then trust the player stretched out and her large white nightshirt
characters and do everything she can to help them, and blonde hair almost makes her look like a
particularly during the Confrontation. macabre painting of an angel in the water.
Her pale skin has assumed the same color as
CLUES the nightshirt. Turning the body over you see
The player characters can uncover a great deal of that it is Pers Ida. Her eyes are closed, and
information at Fudal Cove: her face would look almost peaceful, had it
· A character watching the lake will note that there
are lots of water lilies in Fudal Cove.
not been all blue and bloated. She is freezing
to the touch. This innocent girl now lies dead
· A successful INVESTIGATION test reveals footprints
leading to the water. They were left by a barefoot
before you. Who would do something so cruel
as to take her young life?
human who walked here and back more than once.

· 20 ·
 · A Dance with Death ·

can find it with a successful INVESTIGATION test. Pers If the player characters harm, capture, or
Ida may also have it on her if phase 2 of the count- threaten Lisbets Boel, the Neck will summon Jons
down has occurred. For more information, see Gustav and force him to play music in order to
the separate boxed text on page 18. lure Swärds Jenny there. Lisbets Boel could try to
· If phase 2 of the countdown has been triggered,
Pers Ida’s lifeless body can be found by Fudal Cove.
escape when the showdown begins but may also
laugh with joy as her plan is about to succeed. The
Player characters who have explicitly stated that showdown can unfold largely as written, albeit
they will investigate Fudal Cove early in the morn- without her participation. Alternatively, Lisbets
ing after Phase 2 has occurred will find her corpse; Boel can escape and serve as a threat when the
otherwise Mattias Freja will come and get them. A player characters return to Fudal, if they try to
player character who is awake at night could also lead the Neck there, for example by taking Mattias
hear sounds coming from the lake with a success- Freja or some other girl prisoner and threatening
ful VIGILANCE test, but will not get there in time to to slit her throat.
save Pers Ida from drowning.

SHOW DOW N
CONFRONTATION When the player characters arrive at Fudal Cove,
the Neck in his true form is sitting on a rock out
Lisbets Boel worries that the player characters are in the water, playing his fiddle to lure his next vic-
on to her. It is time for her and the Neck to carry tim. Swärds Jenny is completely entranced and
out their plan. After nightfall she meets with Jons controlled by the Neck. Jons Gustav takes over the
Gustav at Fudal Cove, where she hints that she loves playing and moves according to the Neck’s will. His
him in return. Soon the Neck rises from the water, eyes glitter with tears. Lisbets Boel is standing on
and Jons Gustav realizes he has walked into a trap. In the beach screaming for help, but is actually plan-
desperation he tries to steal the Neck’s fiddle, and as ning to drown whoever comes near, starting with
punishment the Neck curses him to play enchant- Mattias Freja.
ing music until he no longer has any fingers left. If The Neck has deliberately waited for the player
something has happened to Jons Gustav, the Neck characters to arrive so that they will witness his power.
plays the fiddle himself. If this is the first time they see the Neck in his true
The music reaches Fudal and the first person form, the player characters must make a Fear test
to hear it is Swärds Jenny, who follows the music against Fear 1.
along the stream to be drowned in the lake. The The Neck will order Jons Gustav to drown
player characters can see this if they are present Swärds Jenny within D6 turns. If the Game­master
and awake; otherwise, a panicked Mattias Freja will wants the Neck to seem particularly cruel, he could
come to the player characters for help. Anyone also have Jons Gustav drown himself if the situa-
enchanted by the tune walks the same way as a tion goes sideways. Meanwhile, Lisbets Boel will
player character who was enchanted during phase do everything in her power for the plan to suc-
1 of the countdown. ceed and will personally bring more people to be
Time is of the essence if they are to save Swärds drowned and stop anyone who attacks the Neck
Jenny from being drowned. The player characters can or Jons Gustav. The Neck will mainly use his spell
hear music coming from Fudal Cove, where the Neck MAGIC INSTRUMENT on the player characters (works
awaits. Mattias Freja is also worried about Lisbets as the Trollcraft spell DANCE , see page 120 in the
Boel, as she was not in their cabin tonight. core rulebook) to stop them from interfering. If a

· 21 ·
 · CHAPTER 1 ·

player character becomes Broken, the Neck will do whatever she can to help the character stop him
lure her into the water as well. Player characters and call out any information they may need. If they
in possession of a knife that has cut the string of a fail to get through to Lisbets Boel, the Neck may try
fiddle (for example by cutting those of Jons Gustav’s to drown her instead.
fiddle) can stick it into the ground and speak with
the Neck, which prevents him from using his magic
as long as the knife remains in the ground. This BA NISHING THE NECK
information is found in an unfinished letter Jons In order to banish the Neck, the player characters
Gustav was carrying (see Handout 1E). If the player must break his spell over Jons Gustav and Lisbets
characters have not found the note, Jons Gustav Boel, either by passing the skill tests described in the
will drop it during the showdown, for instance if section above or by convincing the Neck to release
he is hit or if someone steals it from him. those under his spell, by sticking a knife that has cut
the strings of a fiddle into the ground. To convince
the Neck they must make him see that the person he
BRE A KING THE SPELL has fallen in love with, Lisbets Boel, will not sur-
Jons Gustav is the person whose music has enchanted vive in his realm. The Neck’s loneliness is great, but
Swärds Jenny, and the moment he stops playing she his love for Lisbets Boel is greater still, and he will
(and everyone else who has been lured there) will be lift the enchantment if the player characters can get
free. The player characters can accomplish this by him to listen.
overpowering him with a successful CLOSE COMBAT test Once the spell has been broken, either by the Neck
against his AGILITY . On success they manage to hold himself or by rescuing both Jons Gustav and Lisbets
him while another player character is free to act (or Boel, the Neck dives into Lake Siljan and vanishes
act on the next round, but then Jons Gustav will try into the deep, never to be seen again.
to break free). They can either cut the fiddle’s strings It is possible to attack the Neck, for example by
(which succeeds automatically) or tear it from his shooting him. If the Neck takes 2 points of damage
hands by passing a Difficult FORCE test. Player char- he will enchant the person who attacked him. He
acters who do not have a knife can grab Jons Gustav’s mainly uses Dance (see page 120 of the core rule-
knife with a successful STEALTH test and then cut the book) against all player characters. While the player
strings during the same round. characters are bewitched, one of the NPCs lured to
As soon as Jons Gustav stops playing, the spell is the lake can be drowned.
lifted. Those enchanted by his music are no longer The Neck will also be banished if he is surrounded
at risk of being drowned and rush out of the water. with Christian symbols or steel, for example if the
They may also be willing to help the player charac- player characters form a circle around him while
ters stop the Neck. holding crucifixes. In that case the Neck will turn
Once he is freed from the spell, Jons Gustav will into a toad, disappear into the water, and leave Lake
feel tremendous guilt over what happened and may Siljan forever.
sacrifice himself to distract the Neck if necessary. Player characters who go looking for Christian
They can also try to break the spell that puts Lisbets symbols or steel to banish the Neck can find it in
Boel under the Neck’s control. By passing a Difficult the cabin village with a successful INVESTIGATION test,
INSPIRATION test they can get through to her and make where each success means that they find one Christian
her see that the Neck enchanted her. The assistance symbol (such as a crucifix in a cabin) or piece of steel
of Mattias Freja adds +1 to their roll. She will then (for example among the tools).

· 22 ·
 · A Dance with Death ·

AFTERMATH girls – but no one plays the fiddle that day. The player
characters will also leave with gifts from the girls of
If the player characters succeed in banishing the Fudal: milk and cheese from the cows, as well as a
Neck and saving Fudal from drowning, everyone at carved cow horn. If the Neck lives but was banished
the fäbodvall will be forever grateful. If Lisbets Boel from Lake Siljan, it will be many years before anyone
and Jons Gustav survived they are both free from the hears his music again, but eventually he will find a
Neck’s spell and will show deep remorse over every- new waters somewhere far away, where he plays his
thing that happened, even though they had no con- melancholy tunes, knowing that he will be alone for
trol over it. The next day they will all celebrate with the rest of his days.
a great feast in the player characters’ honor and offer At this point the player characters can do little but
them plenty of food and drink. Dancing ensues and return to their headquarters in Upsala, where they
the air is filled with the lovely singing of the farm are awarded experience points.

· 23 ·
CONTENT WARNING
Violence, Death, Torture, Mind Control · CHAPTER 2 ·
Also note that though some of the
characters and locations in this mystery
are historical, the story told here is of
course completely fictional.

FIREHEART

This mystery brings the player characters to the Häryd in Smolandia. The section concludes with a
deep southern woods of Smolandia. These lands are countdown of events which you as the Game­master
ravaged by heatwaves and wildfires, triggering pov- will initiate at some appropriate time during the mys-
erty, hunger, and mass emigration to America. The tery – and a catastrophe that describes what happens
player characters are drawn into the situation by two if the player characters do not take action or fail in
brothers who run an ironworks by the shore of Lake their efforts. But first we will look back at the events
Hären. Can they uncover the cause of the fires and leading up to the mystery.
save the area from ruin?

BACKGROUND
PRELUDE A thousand years ago, a mighty dragon plagued the
pagan woods of what is today known as Smolandia.
This first section describes the background of the After many years of torment, the local clans assem-
mystery and the conflicts on which it is based. There bled a great warband to slay the beast, whom they
is an invitation to kick off the action, then the text called Fireheart. They marched on the dragon’s lair,
proceeds to describe the journey to the parish of located in a deep valley in the darkest heart of the

· 24 ·
 · Fireheart ·

forest. The creature faced them in combat, and the Ten years later, the brothers had grown up. They
battle was terrible. still worked on the farm, but years of drought and
The army was slaughtered to the last man, but crop failure had left the family on the brink of ruin.
the dragon was badly wounded and retreated into its Johan was ill and Karolina devastated with sorrow.
lair. Then, a powerful shaman called down a fierce At this time there were several ironworks in the area,
storm. The rain fell in torrents so great the entire which used ore from the bottom of lakes to produce
valley was flooded and turned into a large lake, which the iron and steel that the growing industrialization
was named Hären (meaning “The Army” in the local demanded. The brothers August and Alfred dreamed
tongue) in memory of the warriors who fell there. of opening an ironworks on the shore of Lake Hären
Centuries passed, and the story was eventually for- but lacked the capital to do so.
gotten. Only the name remained. August, the elder brother, felt a great responsibility
A millennium later, in the mid-19th century, a to save the family from destitution. One dark night
yeoman farmer named Johan Andersson and his wife he left without a word, to once again seek the cave and
Karolina lived with their sons Alfred and August in its treasure. And after many hours, he found it. He
Häryd parish by the shore of Lake Hären. Life as a forest climbed down and sneaked into the dragon’s lair. It was
farmer was meager and hard. Alfred and August helped now unbearably hot in there. The beast still seemed to
out on the farm, but they also had a thirst for adven- be slumbering, but moved uneasily in its sleep. Sweat
ture and often went on long hikes in the deep woods. pouring and heart pounding, August gathered as many
One day, they got lost and wandered deeper into coins as he could and filled his satchel to the brim.
the forest than they had ever gone before. Suddenly, Just as he was leaving, he noticed that with each
August fell into a deep crevice in the rock face and breath of the beast, a hot flame spurted from its nos-
injured his foot. Alfred climbed down to help his trils. Filled with courage or madness, August crept up
brother, and at the bottom they realized it was a large to the dragon and lit his lantern with its fire, which
cave. Strangely, it was hotter down in the cave than it burned bright and strong, before leaving the cave.
was outside. They carved their names into the rock The quiet August never told Alfred what he had done.
wall to mark their find. With August’s newfound gold, the brothers were
Despite August’s sprained ankle, the brothers able to realize their dream, and the Häryd Ironworks
sneaked deeper into the mountain, lighting their became a reality. The blast furnace was lit with dragon
way with a lantern. The farther they went, the hotter fire from August’s lantern, and it burned with a heat
it became. In a hollow deep in the mountain, they that no other ironworks could match. The brothers
saw something gleaming. It looked like glittering gold changed their surname to Härenstam – meaning “stem-
coins – not just a few, but large heaps of them, a trea- ming from Lake Hären” – as they felt it had a more dis-
sure beyond imagining! The brothers could hardly tinguished ring to it, but also so that the dragon would
believe their own eyes. not find them if it woke up. After all, they had carved
The next moment they saw a large shadow – a huge, their names into the cave wall. Their enterprise took off
monstrous reptile resting on the gold, greedily guard- and the brothers became familiar names in the parish.
ing its riches. It seemed to be sleeping, but started Another decade passed, and business was boom-
to stir. The brothers ran for their lives and fled the ing for the Härenstam brothers and their ironworks.
cave, their hearts racing in terror. When they made Others in the area were not so lucky. The constant
it home and told their story, Johan and Karolina did scraping of ore from the bottom of the lake disturbed
not believe them, and scolded their sons for being the dragon in his slumber, and he started to wake up.
gone so long. Despite many attempts over the years The waking of the fiery beast unleashed immense heat
that followed, the brothers never found the cave again. waves that triggered crop failure and poverty unlike

· 25 ·
anything Smolandia had ever seen. Begging, thiev- and harder, with the help of his brutal foreman – a man
ery and famine followed, and the poorhouses were known only as “Swine” – and a fire-­and-­brimstone
overcrowded, even though the brothers hired many evangelist named Beata Gideonsdotter who threatened
local boys for their prospecting rafts. Many families the workers with the holy fire of God. Faced with the
saw no other option than to leave Smolandia and prospect of poverty and starvation, the staff stayed on
seek their fortune in America. at the ironworks, yet many worked themselves to death.
Despite their success, the Härenstam brothers fell Not realizing that August was under the spell of
out with one another. August, who had hidden the sto- the dragon’s gold, Alfred objected to his brutal meth-
len treasure in a strongbox in his bedroom, was slowly ods. The conflict escalated and ended with August
enchanted by the dragon’s greed and came to value kicking his brother out and threatening to kill him if
wealth above all else. He pushed his employees harder he ever showed his face at the ironworks again. Alfred

· 26 ·
 IN MYTHIC BRITAIN AND IRELAND
If you want to run this mystery in Mythic Britain and
Ireland instead of the Mythic North, a good site to
choose would be the falls of Pistyll Rhaeadr on the
river Rhaeadr, near the border between Wales and
England where the dragon Gwyby of Llanrhaeadr is
long reputed to have lived. Despite the success of the IN V ITATION
iron industry in South Wales and across the border This mystery begins at Castle Gyllencreutz, the
in Shropshire, ironworks in this part of North Wales Society’s headquarters in Upsala. It is late summer
struggled. Perhaps it was the dragon? To run the and the deep velvet nights are hot. The kingdom is
mystery in Wales you’ll need to change the names in crisis. Severe heat waves, especially in the south,
of the NPCs, but apart from that the mystery will have triggered droughts and crop failures, followed
work as written. by misery and hunger. Begging and thievery is on
the rise, and thousands upon thousands emigrate
to America hoping for a better life there.
Suddenly, someone knocks heavily on the door. A
returned to the family farm, only to find his parents bearded postman in a strict uniform hands over an
dead, victims of drought and famine. envelope sealed by wax before he turns on his heel
Alfred decided to leave Smolandia for good and and leaves. In the light of kerosene lamps, the player
emigrate to America – but first he wanted to make one characters can read the letter (Handout 2A, also down-
last attempt to reconcile with his brother and make him loadable and found at the end of this book):
see reason. Besides, Alfred needs his brother’s money
to make the journey to America and settle down there. To whom it may concern,
Alfred needs the Society’s help, as he thinks it is
the idolatry of Beata Gideonsdotter that has clouded My name is Alfred Härenstam, from Häryd parish in Smolandia. I turn
August’s mind. Little does he realize that he is drag- to your esteemed Society as I see no other solution to my current predica-
ging the player characters into something much bigger ment. It concerns my dear brother and best friend, August. All my life he
– something that may decide the fate of all Smolandia. has been very close to me, and together we founded the Häryd Ironworks
Fireheart is about to wake up, and when he does he will by the shore of Lake Hären. Our workers scraped up the iron ore from
seek revenge for the theft of his treasure. If the player the bottom of the lake, and in the blast furnace we smelted it into ingots.
characters fail to unravel the mystery and stop the As you have no doubt heard, Smolandia is these days ravaged by
dragon, all of Smolandia risks being reduced to ashes. drought, crop failure, and poverty. Our beloved parents could not
cope with this ordeal and they both expired a week ago. I buried them
yesterday and I write these lines in the light of a single candle on our
CONFLICTS family farm. My dear late mother was interested in the supernatural,
The primary conflict of this mystery is between August and she is the one from whom I learned of your Society.
Härenstam and the dragon Fireheart. August is I see no alternative but to leave these godforsaken lands and seek
enchanted by gold and riches and refuses to part with my fortune in America, like so many before me. But I cannot do so
a single coin, blind to the risk of the dragon burn- without my brother August, who still runs the ironworks. He has cast
ing down all of Smolandia. The dragon, on the other me out and threatened to kill me if I ever return.
hand, is enraged by the theft of his treasure and will August is in the grip of madness. A she-­devil in the guise of a
take revenge on the people in the area, guilty or not. preacher has twisted his mind. This woman, Beata Gideonsdotter,
The secondary conflict is between the brothers presents herself as a proclaimer of God’s word, but I suspect that she
August and Alfred Härenstam. Alfred wants August is in fact a servant of Lucifer himself.
to come to his senses, leave the ironworks, take the I ask that you come to our family farm in Häryd at the earliest
money, and join him in seeking their fortune in opportunity, to smoke out this Evil and save my brother’s soul.
America. August refuses to listen and sees Alfred as
a threat to his power and wealth. Most respectfully,
Alfred Härenstam

· 27 ·
 · CHAPTER 2 ·

PREPA R ATIONS and show it to the players. As usual, the characters

As usual, the player characters can prepare for the can gain an Advantage during the journey.
journey at their headquarters and thereby gain an The farther south they get, the hotter it becomes.
Advantage. Player characters who go looking for As they leave the cool air of Lake Vättern behind and
information about the situation in Smolandia can continue into the depths of Smolandia, the tem-
find plenty of news articles about the drought, crop perature rises to unbearable levels. The effects of the
failure, and emigration to America. If they search in heat wave are evident along the road – the trees are
the castle library or some other collection of books brown and shriveled, the fields are burnt to a crisp,
and pass a LEARNING test, the characters find a short flies are buzzing around carcasses on the fields, farms
passage on Lake Hären in an old book titled Myths and are empty and abandoned since their owners left for
Folk Tales of Smolandia (Handout 2B): the hope of a better life in America. The exhausted
As for the Häryd Ironworks, the player characters stagecoach horses are panting and snorting their way
can pass a LEARNING test to find out that it was founded up the hill, driven on by the coachman’s whip.
ten years ago by the Härenstam brothers, whose last After several days of tiring travel, the player char-
name used to be Andersson. acters finally reach Häryd Parish, an unremarkable
group of farms in the middle of nowhere. See the
map on page 30 and show it to the players. The
THE JOURNEY heat is scorching, even though the sun has gone down
The journey from Upsala is long and goes by stage- behind the trees. There is not a soul in sight. A sign-
coach through the darkness of the Kolmården for- post shows the way to the Härenstam family farm.
est and across the windswept East Gothland Plains,
before the player characters reach the forests and
mountains of Smolandia. See the map on page 26
AMBUSH!
If you want the adventure to open with an
action scene, a band of robbers could attack
the stagecoach before it reaches Häryd. The
EXCERPT FROM MYTHS growing poverty in Smolandia has made some
AND FOLK TALES OF SMOLANDIA people turn to crime in order to survive.
In the woods south of the town of Gnosjö lies The robbers, as many as the player charac-
Lake Hären. Local elders speak of this black lake ters, have felled a tree across the road. When
with reverence. Legend has it that a ferocious the characters’ stagecoach stops, the attack-
beast roamed these parts hundreds of years ers emerge from the forest with muskets and
ago, and that the villagers banded together pitchforks in hand. They force the passengers
to slay the monster. In the terrible battle that to step out and hand over their belongings.
followed, the army drove the beast back into They are only interested in weapons and valu-
its cave and a mighty sorceress called down a ables. The robbers do not hesitate to use vio-
rainstorm of such magnitude that it flooded the lence, but run away as soon as any of them
entire valley and submerged the cave. The lake becomes Broken.
that formed was named Hären – meaning ‘The No matter how the encounter with the rob-
Army’ in the local tongue – in honor of the brave bers ends, they urge the characters to turn back:
warriors who died fighting the beast. “In Smolandia there is only death and ash!”

· 28 ·
 · Fireheart ·

BRIGA NDS
“Your coin or your lives!”

The brigands in the woods of Smolandia are

often farmhands or day laborers who cannot
· Alfred wants the player characters to visit the
ironworks and find out what is going on and
find work and are attacking travelers out of do whatever they can to make August see reason.
sheer desperation. They are thin, dirty, and Perhaps they can find some answers in the diary
desperate. They may use violence, but run August has always kept?
away when faced with tough opposition. · Alfred warns the player characters that August
is a very suspicious person and does not gladly
· Physique 3 Precision 3
Logic 2 Empathy 2
let strangers onto the premises. Whether they
should bluff, sneak, or fight their way inside
· CLOSE COMBAT 2 RANGED COMBAT 2 is up to them.
· Mental Toughness 1 Physical Toughness 1 · The preacher Beata Gideonsdotter holds a revival
· EQUIPMENT: Musket or pitchfork meeting in the workers’ quarters in the evening
after the player characters’ arrival. These meet-
ings often attract outsiders and Alfred thinks it
is a good opportunity for the player characters to
A RRI VA L visit the ironworks without attracting attention.
A thin, dark-­haired man with a lantern in hand
shows up in the doorway as the player characters
· If the player characters have not yet come across
the legend of Lake Hären presented under
knock on the door of the farm residence. It is Alfred Preparations (page 28), Alfred can tell it now,
Härenstam, who lets them in right away and thanks although it is not strictly necessary.
them for getting here so quickly. Kerosene lamps
cast a dim light over the spartan furnishings. No fire
burns in the fireplace, for the heat outside is too great. COUNTDOW N
Alfred offers them a glass of brandy, the last drops A ND CATASTROPHE
from a dusty bottle, and tells his story. He also answers During the mystery the conflicts will escalate step
their questions as best he can. Alfred can provide the by step. Unless the player characters steer the devel-
following information. Play out the conversation and opment in a different direction, the whole region
let the players ask questions. If they do not get all this will be plunged into disaster. The following events
information from the first encounter with Alfred, they can be used to keep up the pace of the game when
can always seek him out later to ask further questions. necessary, and to push the players toward the final
· The Häryd Ironworks, where his brother August
lives, is situated only a few kilometers away, near the
confrontation.

shore of Lake Hären. The iron ore is scraped up from COUNTDOW N

the bottom of the lake by the ironworks’ “Ore Boys” 1. The dragon Fireheart wakes up and flies out
and then smelted into ingots in the blast furnace. over Lake Hären, and blasts one of the iron-
· Alfred’s brother August runs the ironworks. He
was always a good-­natured soul but has lately become
work’s rafts with fire. If the player characters
are at the ironworks, they can hear the screams
obsessed with wealth and drives his workers very hard. and see the light of the flames. August sends
· The foreman of the ironworks, known only as
“Swine” is a dangerous and brutal man.
his workers to save the Ore Boys on the raft.
The player characters can also help out, mak-
· At the ironworks there is also an evangelist named
Beata Gideonsdotter. Alfred suspects that it is
ing August see them in a more benevolent light.
Few on the raft survive the attack, and those who
she who has twisted his brother’s mind. do cannot give a coherent testimony.

· 29 ·
 · CHAPTER 2 ·

2. Alfred Härenstam arrives at the ironworks, the player characters how he stole the dragon’s
torn with anguish and waving his old musket treasure (page 25).
around. But August mocks his brother and has
the Swine disarm him and throw him out. The CATA STROPHE
situation may turn violent unless the player char- Fireheart has had enough and burns down the entire
acters intervene. Alfred may also recklessly reveal region. People flee in terror as the beast comes flying over
the player characters’ cover story, if they have one. the forests, burning everything in its path. The player
3. The dragon sweeps over the Häryd Ironworks characters are also targeted by the dragon’s attacks, no
and sets the entire facility ablaze. The Ore matter where they are. Devastating fires are soon raging
Boys flee in panic, but many are burned to all over Smolandia and hundreds of farms are consumed
death. The player characters can witness the by the flames. Dozens are burned to death and numerous
calamity and might also be targeted themselves more are robbed of their homes and livelihoods, which
by the dragon’s attacks. After this event, August drives even more people to emigrate. Smolandia turns
breaks down and can be pressured into telling into a charred and depopulated wasteland.

· 30 ·
 · Fireheart ·

DRAGON SICKNESS
The enchantment that has affected both August
Härenstam and Beata Gideonsdotter is known
as “dragon sickness.” Other NPCs and player
characters who come into contact with the
dragon’s gold can be affected. Player char-
acters must make an OBSERVATION roll to avoid
the effect, while you can decide the effect on
NPCs. A person afflicted by dragon sickness
can exhibit the following symptoms:
· Pupils glimmering like gold.
· A strong urge to physically touch the
dragon’s gold.
· A strong desire for more gold and money,
regardless of the consequences for
others.
· A total immunity to damage from fire and
heat, and a strong fascination for these.
A LFRED H Ä RENSTA M
“My life in Smolandia is over.”
· A fascination for snakes and lizards.

If a player character is affected, you can intro-

Alfred Härenstam is barely thirty years old duce the symptoms step by step and require
but looks older. He used to be a handsome OBSERVATION rolls to resist the impulses. The
man and sports an elegant mustache, but his enchantment can only be broken by physical
face is marked by grief and anguish, with pale distance between all gold and the afflicted for
gray skin and sunken eyes circled in black. at least a few hours. During this period, the vic-
He wears a once fine suit with an ascot, now tim suffers strong withdrawal symptoms which
yellowed and frayed. inflict one mental and one physical Condition.
Since the death of his parents, Alfred has
given up all hope of a life in Smolandia and
dreams of traveling to the land of opportu-
nity: America. But he will not go without his
older brother August, from whom he has DREAMS AND VISIONS
been inseparable since childhood – nor can During the player characters’ voyage to Häryd
he, since all the money is at the ironworks. and the visit there, they can be afflicted by
Alfred himself is virtually penniless. visions and nightmares triggered by the
strong energies exuded by the dragon. These
· Physique 2 Precision 3
Logic 4 Empathy 4
dreams can be images of fire and murderous
heat, preferably with horrible monsters mixed
· AGILITY 2 RANGED COMBAT 2
INSPIRATION 2
in. Don’t describe the image of a dragon too
clearly in the visions though! To make it more
· Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 2 personal, you can even weave a character’s
· EQUIPMENT: Musket Trauma or persons relating to their Dark Secret
into the dreams. A typical nightmare has a
Fear value of 1.

· 31 ·
 · CHAPTER 2 ·

LOCATIONS shoveling crushed iron ore into the hearth, mixed

with charcoal and limestone. Bellows powered by the
The Häryd ironworks is situated by the Häryd Creek waterwheel in the stream blow air into the hearth
a few hundred meters from the shore of Lake Hären. through an opening in the base of the furnace. On
The roar of the works and its water-­powered ore the other side of the base, molten iron and slag are
crusher can be heard from far away, and the area is tapped into the casthouse and cast into ingots in
always covered in thick charcoal smoke. The site has open molds.
been deforested for charcoal and the ground is black
with soot, as are the buildings and the twenty or so CH A LLENGES
laborers working here. The blast furnace at the center
of the ironworks runs hot day and night, and the heat
· Several Ore Boys are working the blast furnace
around the clock – one or two up by the charging
from it hits anyone who comes near like a great wave. hole, which is reached by a ladder, and one or
You can find a map of the area on page 33. Show two at the base to monitor the bellows and make
it to the players when their characters arrive. The sure that the flame is the right color. Swine often
following passages summarize the most important comes by and yells at the workers.
locations the player characters may visit at the iron-
works and its surrounding area. If the player charac-
· For people unused to the intense heat, moving up
on or near the blast furnace requires a FORCE test.
ters want to investigate other locations, you are free Those who fail cannot stand it and must leave.
to improvise, but it is also perfectly alright to explain Falling (or being pushed) into the throat of the
that the place in question is not part of the mystery furnace means instant death.
and that there is nothing of interest there.
CLUES

THE BL AST FURNACE · A player character who examines the blast furnace
and makes a LEARNING test notices that the color of
The blast furnace at the Häryd Ironworks is a mas- the flame is unnatural, almost blue, which sug-
sive cube of rock and mortar. It runs hot day and gests that it burns hotter than should be possible.
night, and getting close to it is like walking into a There is something unnatural about this hearth.
wall of sweltering heat. A jet of blue flame shoots out The explanation is that it burns with dragon fire,
from the top of the furnace, where sooty workers are which August might admit if pressed.

GETTING INSIDE
August Härenstam is suspicious of strangers. If the player SNEAKING: The player characters can also try to sneak
characters show up unannounced, Swine will stop them and onto the site. The workers are not very vigilant, but the
kick them out, unless they have a good reason for being here. characters must still pass a STEALTH test for every place
If they refuse to leave, Swine will not hesitate to use violence they want to visit in order to not attract attention (except
– with the help of other workers if need be. Clever play- for the workers’ quarters during the revival meeting, see
ers will come up with a plan for their visit to the ironworks. page 35). A suitable disguise can give them a bonus.
BLUFFING: One option is to claim to have business If the player characters are discovered, Swine will come
at the ironworks, such as attending the revival meeting after them and try to catch them. See the boxed text
(page 35) or representing some government agency Captured! on page 34.
or newspaper. If they wish to see August or inspect the FIGHTING: The player characters can also resort to
ironworks, they are referred to Swine and will have to violence and simply fight their way in. But this is a very
MANIPULATE him. If successful, they will be taken to the dangerous approach, as they will have to deal with Swine
Director’s Villa where August will meet them in the dining as well as dozens of Ore Boys. This will also make August
hall. On a failure, they are thrown out. very hostile.
 SW INE
“Hurry up, worm, or you’ll taste the flames!”

The foreman of the works is called Swine. His got

this nickname because it was said that the entire
ironworks smelled like fried pork after he was
ORE BOYS badly burned in the blast furnace ten years ago.
“Toil and moil, day and night, that’s our lot in life.” The burns were severe and left his face and upper
body disfigured.
There are about twenty laborers at the ironworks, Swine, whose real name nobody remembers
and another twenty on large rafts out on Lake or cares about, is brutal, sadistic, and unswerv-
Hären where they can live for days at a time. The ingly loyal to August. He is hated and feared in
“Ore Boys” are all young men from the area whose equal measure by the Ore Boys, whom he has no
only options are this hard work or to starve back qualms about beating or showering with verbal
home on the farm. That is why they are loyal to abuse. Swine is usually at August’s side, when he
August and obey Swine despite being grossly mis- is not out supervising the workers.
treated and often beaten. Unlike August and Beata, Swine is not affected
Many Ore Boys are also deeply influenced by by the dragon’s enchantment. He’s just vicious and
Beata’s fiery sermons and believe her when she cruel by nature. His only weakness is a burning
says they are doing the Lord’s work. Nevertheless, desire for Beata, something he has never confessed
player characters who play their cards right can to her. In her presence, Swine is quiet and clumsy,
MANIPULATE Ore Boys into helping them. something the Ore Boys have noticed and laugh at
The Ore Boys are dressed in rags and covered when he can’t hear.
in soot from top to bottom.
· Physique 5 Precision 3
· Physique 4 Precision 3 Logic 2 Empathy 1
Logic 2 Empathy 2 · CLOSE COMBAT 5 RANGED COMBAT 3

· FORCE 3 CLOSE COMBAT 2 VIGILANCE 2 OBSERVATION 3

· Mental Toughness 1 Physical Toughness 1 · Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 3

· EQUIPMENT: Sledgehammer
· EQUIPMENT: Knuckledusters, revolver
 · CHAPTER 2 ·

CAPTURED! THE CASTHOUSE

There is a high risk that one or more player characters will The casthouse is integrated with the blast fur-
be caught by Swine and the Ore Boys during their visit at nace. It is an open room where molten iron from
the ironworks. Let it happen – it could turn into an excit- the furnace is tapped into large open molds and
ing scene! Captured player characters are brought to formed into ingots. The interior of the casthouse
the casthouse where it is extremely hot. They are placed is extremely hot and smoky.
on stools next to the place where the liquid iron is tapped
from the furnace into large open molds and solidifies into CH A LLENGES
ingots. The Swine is accompanied by as many Ore Boys
as there are captives.
· There are several Ore Boys working in the cast-
house around the clock.
Swine threatens to push the player characters into
the molten iron unless they tell him who they are and
· If the player characters are captured during
their visit, they are brought here for question-
what they are up to. If you want to – and you think your ing and torture. See the boxed text to the left.
group will be okay with it – he can burn the captives
with a red-­h ot iron which he first dips into the molten CLUES
metal. This treatment causes the victim to suffer both
a physical and a mental condition. If a character is
· A player character who examines the iron
ingots and passes a LEARNING test notes that
Broken by the torture, you may choose an appropri- they are of very high quality. There are almost
ate physical critical injury from the table on page 65 no impurities at all. This is odd, since that
instead of rolling for it. Any mental critical injuries are requires much higher temperatures than what
rolled as usual. is usually possible.
Any player character or NPC that falls into the mol-
ten iron immediately becomes Broken and must pass an
AGILITY test to get out of there (slow action). Each failed THE SMITH Y
attempt results in a critical injury. In the smithy, the iron ore from Lake Hären is
During the interrogation, August shows up to have crushed into pieces small enough to be fed into
a look at the intruders, his lantern in hand. He uses the blast furnace. This is done by a large stamper
MANIPULATION to make the prisoners reveal the purpose powered by the waterwheel in the stream. This
of their visit, and he gets a +2 bonus if Swine used torture. place is not as hot as the casthouse, but the noise
If he succeeds, the player characters cannot resist any is deafening.
longer and must tell him why they are here. However, this
is also an opportunity for the player characters to speak CH A LLENGES
with August, if they have not already. With a successful
MANIPULATION test, they can extract information from him
· There is always at least one Ore Boy in the
smithy, day and night.
or improve his opinion of them.
Captured player characters should be given a good CLUES
chance to escape. They can MANIPULATE August into releas-
ing them, although it is difficult (−2 to the test). They can
· None.

also hurl themselves at Swine – and maybe push him into

the molten iron – or slip away when no one is looking, for
example when the dragon attacks (see phase 1 and 2 of
the countdown on page 29). Lastly, other player char-
acters (or even Alfred) can help free the captives.

· 34 ·
 · Fireheart ·

THE SL AG PILE THE REVIVAL MEETING

This pile of black rocks, as high as the blast fur- The night after the player characters’ arrival in Häryd,
nace itself, is where all the slag from the furnace Beata Gideonsdotter holds a revival meeting in the work-
is dumped. ers’ quarters. Most of the Ore Boys and two dozen visi-
tors from the area come to listen to Beata’s fiery sermon.
CH A LLENGES August and Swine also stop by for a while.
· Ore Boys come here regularly to drop off slag.
Otherwise, there is no one here.
The revival meeting is a good opportunity for the player
characters to snoop around at the ironworks, as there are
fewer people out and about at that time. However, some
CLUES Ore Boys have stayed at their posts by the blast furnace, and
· A player character who examines the slag and
passes a LEARNING test notes that it looks strange,
August and Swine can leave the meeting at any time and show
up whenever it seems appropriate, to maximize the suspense.
almost ornate. This is an effect of the dragon The meeting mainly consists of a long sermon by Beata,
fire in the blast furnace. who is perched on a small stage. Burning braziers cast
a dramatic glow on the preacher. She speaks about the
hateful Church that places itself between Man and God,
THE WORKERS’ QUA RTERS and the fact that no churches or priests are required in
This simple barn contains twenty beds for the order to meet the Lord. Towards the end she also recounts
ironworks’ Ore Boys, who rarely go back to their a version of the legend of Lake Hären which may be of
farms but live at the works for weeks at a time. In interest to the player characters. But the story has been
one part of the barn there are bunks lined up, in revised and given a Christian context:
the other is a common space with tables and chairs.
Many empty bottles of schnapps are lying in the “Did you know that this, the place where we’re all standing, is
dirt on the floor. holy ground? In the days of old, hundreds of years ago, this
was the scene of a dreadful battle between the God-­fearing
CH A LLENGES people living here and the Devil himself. The battle raged
· Ten or so Ore Boys are usually sleeping or rest-
ing in the workers’ quarters between shifts.
for days, just a stone’s throw from here. Filled with the cour-
age of God the people drove the fire-­breathing beast back
· In the evening after the player charac-
ters’ arrival at Häryd, the evangelist Beata
into its lair, and a holy woman, a saint, prayed to the Lord
for rain. And rain it did. For seven days, God opened the
Gideonsdotter holds a revival meeting here. heavens in a divine downpour, and when the sun shone anew,
See the text box to the right. the valley had turned into a lake. This lake was named Hären,
“The Army” in the old tongue, in memory of the warriors who
CLUES were felled in battle by the Devil’s own wicked hand. You are
· The Ore Boys are suspicious of strangers, but if
the player characters manage to gain their trust
descended from these warriors, and now it falls on you to do
God’s work in this place. To toil by the sweat of your brow in
(MANIPULATION ) they can share rumors about “a the heat of the furnace. Make money for the Director, heaps
deadly flying beast” in the area who is said to of it, for the Lord will judge the sluggards and the slothful –
have caused the many fires that have occurred do your duty, or you shall be consumed by the heat of God.”
lately. The Ore Boys think it is the Devil him-
self who is at work. Describe to the players how Beata’s gaze glimmers like
gold, and that she constantly fondles the golden amulet
around her neck.

· 35 ·
 · CHAPTER 2 ·

BEATA GIDEONSDOTTER
“Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man
will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they
will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

When an itinerant evangelist came to the farm where room in the Director’s Villa and spends all the time
Beata Gideonsdotter grew up, her life changed forever. she can spare fondling the gold in the strongbox.
She found the preacher’s impassioned speeches about If the dragon gold is removed from the iron-
a personal relationship with God and his condem- works, the enchantment will lose its grip on Beata.
nation of the ossified Church utterly irresistible. As She then realizes that the beast – whom she thinks is
soon as she was old enough, she ran away from home the Devil himself – has put a spell on her. She decides
and traveled to Smolandia to spread the word of God. to track down and kill the monster or die trying. See
A few years ago, Beata came to the Häryd Ironworks Confrontation on page 40.
to convert the workers. She had also heard the sto-
ries about a terrible monster in the area (page 24),
which she believed to be the Devil himself, and wanted
· Physique 3 Precision 4
Logic 3 Empathy 5
to know more. The Härenstam brothers indulged her,
as her sermons were highly popular and attracted
· CLOSE COMBAT 4 VIGILANCE 3 OBSERVATION 4
MANIPULATION 5 MAGIC 5
more laborers to the ironworks. · Mental Toughness 3 Physical Toughness 2
August, affected by dragon sickness, saw a poten-
tial ally in Beata. He offered her one gold piece from
· EQUIPMENT: Knife with a blade of black obsidian.
The knife has Damage 3 against dragons and sea
his dragon treasure in the form of an amulet. Soon, serpents and ignores their natural defense. At the
Beata was in the throes of the enchantment as well. start of the mystery, the knife is hidden in a trunk
Her sermons have since become increasingly severe, under Beata’s bed in the director’s villa. Once
filled with threats of death and damnation for those freed from the dragon sickness, she will go fetch it –
who do not work hard enough. The workers who once unless the player characters have already done so.
admired her are now afraid of her and dare not defy
her for fear of God’s fiery punishment.
· MAGIC: Beata can cast the curses ENTHRALL , FEAR ,
FEAST , FIRE , and TWIST VISION (page 119 of the core
Beata is now fully in the grip of the enchantment, rulebook).
along with August. She has moved into Alfred’s old

· 36 ·
 · Fireheart ·

AUGUST H Ä RENSTA M
“Profit at any cost.”

August Härenstam looks a lot like his brother

but is more heavily built and boasts a splen-
did full beard. His forehead is constantly
covered in a sheen of sweat and his eyes pos-
sess a greedy, golden glitter. He wears a fine
suit, although it is a bit charred along the
edges. He always carries a burning lantern.
August was a kind soul, but Fireheart’s
thirst for gold has enchanted him. Now he is
obsessed with profit and does not care about
anything or anyone else. Blind to the fact
that Smolandia is burning around him, he
is willing to sacrifice everything – even his
own brother – to accumulate more wealth.
If the player characters meet August using
some kind of cover story, he is suspicious but
interested – especially if they offer a lucra-
tive deal.
Deep in his soul, August is still the man
he once was. After a shocking event such as
the dragon’s attack on the ironworks (see
phase 3 of the countdown) the player char- THE LANTERN
acters can get through to his better self with August constantly carries a lantern that is
a successful MANIPULATION test. He can then always burning. Even when he sleeps it is stand-
reveal that he stole the dragon’s treasure and ing on his bedside table. The lantern burns with
be convinced to return it – read more under magical dragon fire that August stole from
Confrontation. Fireheart and which therefore never needs
refueling. August used the lantern to light the
· Physique 4 Precision 3
Logic 4 Empathy 2
blast furnace, and it has never burned out since.
August defends the lantern with his life, at
· CLOSE COMBAT 1 RANGED COMBAT 2
VIGILANCE 3 OBSERVATION 3 INSPIRATION 2
least while he remains under the dragon’s spell.
If he loses the lantern, or if it is destroyed, the
· Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 2 dragon’s enchantment is temporarily weak-
· EQUIPMENT: Pistol, lantern with dragon fire
(see boxed text to the right)
ened, and the characters have a chance to
reach his true self with a MANIPULATION roll.

· 37 ·
 · CHAPTER 2 ·

DIRECTOR’S V ILL A servants’ quarters on the ground floor. See the map
A ND OFFICE below. You can also show it to the players.
This red, wooden two-­story building with a large The furnishings are neat and elegant, but not
white veranda serves as both office and residence for overly extravagant. August spends most of his time
August Härenstam. On the ground floor there is a in this house, with Swine seldom far away.
drawing room, dining room, library, and kitchen,
while the second floor has an office, two large bed- CH A LLENGES
rooms, a maid’s chamber, and a guest room with four
beds. August sleeps in the eastern bedroom, Beata
· If the player characters come here undercover,
August receives them in the dining room. He is
in the western (Alfred’s old room), and Swine in the suspicious but interested if the characters have a
lucrative offer and make a MANIPULATION roll.
He offers to let them stay one night in the
upstairs guest room but asks Swine to keep
an eye on them. This can lead to interesting
nighttime shenanigans.
· Sneaking into the director’s villa undetected
requires a successful STEALTH test. On failure the
Swine or one of the Ore Boys spots the intrud-
ers and goes after them. Attempting this during
the revival meeting adds +2 to the test, as most
people’s attention is directed elsewhere.
· Once inside, the player characters must
make a STEALTH test for each room they wish
to explore if August, Beata or Swine is in the
house. Failure means that someone hears or
sees them.
· Hidden in August’s bedroom, under his king-­
sized bed, is a locked strongbox weighing over
50 kilos. Moving it requires a successful FORCE
test per zone, and whoever is in the house will
automatically hear this. Picking the strong-
box’s lock requires a STEALTH test with –2. The
player characters can also break it open with a
sledgehammer and a successful FORCE test, or
using explosives. The box contains thousands
of ancient gold coins of a kind the characters
have never seen before. This is the treasure
that August stole from the dragon.
· August, Beata or both may be fondling the
dragon’s gold just as the player characters
sneak around inside the Director’s Villa.
The person greedily digs into the gold coins
and lets them clatter down in the strongbox,

· 38 ·
 · Fireheart ·

mesmerized by the shine of the gold and oblivious comes into contact with a dragon’s gold can
to everything else. The person cannot spot sneak- be afflicted by “dragon sickness” and become
ing characters, but will be enraged if disturbed. as greedy as the dragon itself. The curse can
· If the player characters are sneaking around the
house, you should let August and Swine or some
be broken by separating the person from the
treasure for at least a few hours.
Ore Boys show up at an appropriate time, forcing – Dragons can breathe fire, read minds, change
the player characters to flee or hide. Use this situ- shape, and twist the vision of their victims.
ation to crank up the suspense to a fever pitch. Let They can, however, be appeased with the
the players make STEALTH tests to avoid detection. appropriate gift or sacrifice. They are also
If one or more player characters are captured, see sensitive to obsidian.
the boxed text on page 34. · The dagger’s blade is made from obsidian (black
volcanic glass), a fact that the characters can real-
CLUES ize with a LEARNING roll.
· In the library there is a copy of Myths and Folk Tales
of Smolandia, which contains the passage about
Lake Hären (page 28). The player characters
can find it by looking around among the books and AUGUST’S DIARY
passing a LEARNING test, or automatically if they are June 23rd
explicitly looking for books about the parish.
· August’s diary can be found in a nightstand drawer
next to his bed. The entry of interest was written a
I’ve done it at last. I made it. I never thought
I’d find the cave again, but now my knapsack is
decade ago and describes how August returned to bursting with glittering gold. More than enough
the dragon’s cave to steal its treasure – see Handout 2C. to realize our dream of an ironworks by the shore
· A successful LEARNING test reveals that the gold
coins in August’s strongbox are hundreds of years
of Lake Hären. The ore is right there, waiting
for us. Our dream. Mine and Alfred’s. My dear
old, if not older. They bear symbols and inscrip- brother.
tions in strange and ancient languages. How many times over the years have we
· In Beata’s bedroom there is a Bible on the night-
stand, and under the bed a small trunk can be
sought the hidden crevice, hoping to find our
way back to the cave in the woods on the other
found. Inside, there is a dagger with a blade side of Hären, where we as boys found the
of black glass, and a very old book entitled resting Beast? Why did I find it this time? It
“Lexicanum Draconicum”. must have been God’s providence – the Lord
· The book is medieval, in Latin and very hard to
read, but it seems to be about dragons. To learn
showed me the way when I needed it the most.
The Merciful also saved me from the Beast’s
more from it, the characters must make a LEARNING wrath. The foul Serpent writhed in his sleep, but
test. Each success gives one piece of information, it did not wake. It didn’t see me steal his coins.
you can choose which one: It didn’t even notice me lighting my lantern
– Dragons are among the most horrible creatures from his fiery breath.
in existence, but fortunately they sleep for hun- I have stolen the beast’s gold and taken
dreds of years at a time. When a dragon wakes his fire. I may be a thief, but stealing from
up, its energies can affect an entire region. a Demon of Hell is surely a service to the
– Dragons are very greedy and cannot tolerate Lord. Everything will be different now, all of
anyone stealing their treasure. A human who Smolandia shall know the name Härenstam. But
Alfred must never know what I have done.

· 39 ·
 · CHAPTER 2 ·

L A KE H Ä REN
A few hundred meters from the ironworks, the Häryd
· The player characters capture August and take
him away from the ironworks, most likely to the
Creek flows into Lake Hären, by a vast and sandy family farm where Alfred is waiting. However, this
beach lined with pine trees. On the beach there are is going to be difficult without confronting Swine.
some rowing boats, a couple of large rafts, and piles
of brown rocks – residues from the prospecting that
· The player characters are captured by Swine and
August. If only some of the player characters are
goes on throughout the year. caught, the others can try to free them – otherwise
Lake Hären is oblong-­shaped, roughly four kilo- they will have to escape on their own, possibly
meters long and one kilometer wide, and surrounded with the help of Alfred. If this succeeds, they can
by woods. On its west side the ground is flat and then try to steal the treasure or take August away
marshy, while high wooded mountains rise in the east. as described above.
The dark water of the lake is brown, and at its bottom
rests the so-­called lake ore the Ore Boys are gathering If the dragon’s enchantment over August has not yet been
on their rafts with long scrapes. There are always several broken when phase 3 of the countdown occurs (page
rafts out on the lake, sometimes for days at a time, during 30), it will be after the dragon’s attack on the iron-
which time the Ore Boys live in tents set up on the rafts. works. When that happens, August regains his senses
and breaks down. Even if the player characters are his
CH A LLENGES captives, they now have a chance to speak with August.
· The water at the beach is so shallow that a person
can wade hundreds of meters out into the lake.
Player characters who need to run or swim fast, AUGUST CONFESSES
perhaps towards a raft (see phase 1 of the count- When the dragon’s spell over August is broken,
down), must make an AGILITY test. regardless of how it is done, he starts to have doubts,
which allows the characters to reason with him and
CLUES make him tell them about the dragon and the cave.
· Player characters moving around on the lake might
catch a glimpse of the dragon sweeping by. Each
Make a MANIPULATION test. If the player characters fail,
Alfred can get his brother to talk. The conflict with
player character makes a VIGILANCE test – those who August can be resolved peacefully or violently – espe-
succeed notice something large moving fast in the cially if Swine is still in the picture.
sky, but it is gone before they can see what it is. Once August’s resistance has broken down, the
brothers are reunited, and August asks Alfred’s for-
giveness for what he has done. August tells them how

CONFRONTATION as children he and Alfred found a treasure in a cave

guarded by a terrible serpentine monster. Alfred
The player characters’ investigation and their visit to nods in agreement. If the player characters ask why
the Häryd Ironworks can pan out in many different Alfred never mentioned this, he replies truthfully
ways. Some possibilities are listed below: that he never realized this story had anything to do
· The player characters steal August’s treasure
and remove it from the ironworks. August is mad
with August’s change of mental state.
August explains that he found his way back to the
with rage and pursues the thieves with Swine and cave many years later, to take the gold and save his
some Ore Boys in tow. August suspects that Alfred family from destitution by setting up the ironworks.
is behind it and looks for him at the family farm, Player characters who have found his diary (Handout
where a confrontation may take place. 2C) will already know all this.

· 40 ·
 · Fireheart ·

BEATA SHOWS UP Whatever they decide to do, August brings the treasure
At an appropriate time during (or immediately after) and his lantern with him. Alfred stuffs a small barrel
the conversation with August, the evangelist Beata of black powder into his satchel without telling anyone.
Gideonsdotter shows up. If the player characters are
at the Härenstam family farm, she finds them there
instead. Now that the dragon’s enchantment is broken, TO THE DR AGONS L A IR
she too has regained her senses. She is full of remorse August knows the way to the dragon’s lair and leads the
and anger towards the creature that twisted her mind. group there. Alfred comes with them as well, as does Beata.
Beata explains that she has heard stories of the beast The quickest way to reach the cave is to row across the
in the woods since she was a child, and she is sure that lake, then walk a few hundred meters into the woods on
the Devil himself is lurking out there. She desperately Pine Hill. There are rowing boats on the beach. If the
wants to help the player characters slay the beast, one player characters choose to walk through the forest all
way or the other. She suspects that the dragon’s lair the way around the lake, it will take much longer, which
is situated somewhere in the wilderness east of Lake means another phase of the countdown may occur.
Hären, but does not know its exact location. Set the atmosphere during the player characters’
journey to the cave. If they row across the lake, you
can describe the mirror-­like water and the heat that
PL A NNING makes the air throb around them. Smoke from sev-
Player characters who did well with their LEARNING test eral forest fires rises from the woods around the lake.
(page 39) know that the dragon must be driven away, Finally, they arrive. On the east side of the lake, on
or the entire area will be wiped out. If they do not real- the slopes of Pine Hill, the terrain is steep and rug-
ize this, August, Alfred, or Beata can enlighten them. ged. August shows them the entrance, a small crevice
If the player characters nevertheless think their work hidden behind a large boulder in the forest. It is time
here is done and wish to leave Smolandia, let them to descend into the darkness.
do so. The Catastrophe (page 30) will then occur
and large parts of Smolandia will be reduced to ashes.
More likely, however, the player characters will INTO THE DA RKNESS
decide to track down the dragon’s lair and face After a short climb the player characters find them-
the beast with violence or trickery. If they hesitate, selves in a deep natural cave. It is pitch-­black down
August or Beata urges them on – they must get rid of here, even during the day, so August leads the way
the dragon! There are several ways of achieving this: with his lantern. See the map on the next page, but
· Appeasing the dragon with a suitable offering
or gift. August’s treasure is an obvious choice.
do not show it to the players.
Describe how the heat rises the farther into the
· Tricking the dragon into leaving Smolandia. It
will not be easy but might work if the player char-
cave they go. The sharp stench of sulfur invades their
nostrils, and there is something that sounds like…
acters are silver-­tongued and clever. breathing. Some distance into the cave, someone has
· Fighting the dragon with violence. This will be
extremely difficult, if not impossible, but let the
carved the letters “A&A Andersson” into the stone
– traces of the brothers’ first visit here, many years
players give it a try if they want to. ago. If the characters press on into the mountain,
· Fighting the dragon indirectly, for example by
blowing up the entrance to its cave. At the iron-
they finally reach the dragon’s lair – a large cave fifty
meters across with twenty meters to the ceiling.
works there are several barrels of black powder Resting on a large heap of glittering gold is a giant
that the player characters can take with them. reptile with huge wings. Even NPCs without the Sight

· 41 ·
 can see the dragon here, as it makes no
attempt to hide inside its own cave. Its
breathing is so heavy it makes the walls
quiver, and flames shoot from its nos-
trils with every exhalation. Beyond the
dragon is a dark flooded tunnel which
Fireheart uses to get in and out of the cave.
Over the centuries the water has receded
enough for the dragon to fly out that way.
The tunnel leads to a cave entrance by the
rocky shore of the lake.
The sight of the dragon is terrifying
– all player characters must immediately
make a Fear test, but only against Fear
value 1, since the dragon is still asleep.
As they move through the cave where the
dragon is resting, the characters must make STEALTH dagger. If the fight is going badly for the characters,
tests not to awaken the beast. Let the players decide you should give them a chance to switch tactics and
what to do. You can now also let the characters roll negotiate with the dragon.
OBSERVATION to resist the dragon sickness (page 31).
Sooner or later the dragon wakes up, no matter NEGOTI ATION
how stealthy the characters are. Fireheart rises, tow- Player characters trying to bargain with Fireheart
ering with his wings over the player characters, who must first explain who they are. Make this a tense
suddenly feel very small. In a thunderous voice he conversation where the players must choose their
asks who intrudes upon his dwelling. Now the player words with great care. The dragon speaks in a boom-
characters must make another FEAR test against the ing voice and uses its magic in a negotiation as well,
dragon’s full Fear value, which is 2. reading the characters’ minds or twisting their senses.
Perhaps a player character is struck by visions of an
important NPC from their past?
FINA L SHOW DOW N If the dragon realizes that the person who stole his
The time has come for the mystery’s crescendo: the treasure and his fire is among them, his wrath will be
final showdown with the dragon. It can play out in terrible. The player characters can make a MANIPULATION
many different ways depending on the player char- test to placate the dragon. But even if it succeeds,
acters’ actions. The NPCs present can make a differ- Fireheart demands that the gold be returned to him,
ence as well, but let the players take the lead. in exchange for him sparing the area and resuming his
slumber. If the roll fails, the dragon will require some
COMBAT additional sacrifice, such as August’s life.
Player characters who engage the dragon in com-
bat will have a tremendous fight on their hands (see CUNNING
page 45 for stats). Let the dragon use its magic to The players might find some clever way of tricking
make the fight as exciting as possible – in addition the dragon, blowing up the cave’s entrance with gun-
to breathing fire and slashing with its claws, it can powder, flooding it with water, or something else that
shapeshift, distort the player characters’ vision, and would force the dragon to leave. Do not make it easy,
hypnotize them with its gaze. Meanwhile, the player but if the players come up with a smart and creative
characters can benefit greatly from Beata’s obsidian plan you should give it a chance to succeed.

· 42 ·
 · Fireheart ·

BE ATA THE DR AGON DEPA RTS

Beata sees the fight against the dragon as a sacred act. If Fireheart is placated by getting its gold back, or
Since she believes Fireheart to be an incarnation of if it’s defeated in combat, the entire cave starts to
the Devil, a negotiation is out of the question – the shudder violently. Rocks fall from the ceiling and
dragon must die. If the player characters start bar- the ground starts to collapse. The dragon (and the
gaining with beast, she will attack the dragon sud- gold, if he got it back), slides down into the depths
denly and without warning. She uses magic and her with a thundering roar. The player characters need
obsidian dagger, which is a real threat to the dragon. to run for their lives toward the entrance to survive.
The player characters can fight alongside her or try If you’re feeling mean, you can have them roll AGILITY
to stop her with violence or MANIPULATION . to make it. Back on the surface, they can finally relax
– the dragon’s cave is gone and the beast with it. For
A LFRED the first time since they came to Smolandia, the char-
Having learned of August’s treasure, the dragon sick- acters feel a breeze of cool air.
ness has taken root in Alfred as well. He sees the drag-
on’s treasure and fire as the key to success and happi-
ness across the Atlantic, in America. When Alfred sees
the dragon’s huge treasure in the cave, he becomes AFTERMATH
fully enchanted. If the player characters and August The outcome of this mystery can have huge conse-
offer to return the dragon’s gold, Alfred takes action. quences for both Smolandia and the NPCs involved.
He takes out a small powder keg from his satchel and
lights the fuse, ready to throw the charge at Fireheart.
· If Fireheart is defeated or agrees to go back to
sleep – probably on the condition that the gold
The player characters can try to stop him with be returned to him – the threat to Smolandia is
violence or MANIPULATION , but they must act quickly. averted for now. The temperature drops to nor-
The charge has Blast Power 10 against everyone in the mal, the rain returns, and the land recovers.
same zone as the dragon and Blast Power 3 against
anyone in adjacent zones (the entire cave). The
· If the player characters fail to appease or defeat
Fireheart, the Catastrophe occurs. The dragon
explosion is deafening and may also cause the cave ravages all of Smolandia and hundreds of farms
to collapse, with unforeseeable consequences. go up in flames. Dozens of people are killed in the
If Alfred no longer has the powder keg, he can fires and many more are robbed of their homes
try to stop the return of the treasure some other way, and livelihoods, causing even more people to
for example by convincing or even attacking August emigrate. Smolandia turns into a charred and
and/or the player characters. depopulated wasteland.

AUGUST
· If the Härenstam brothers manage to keep
either the dragon’s treasure or its fire – or
During the climax, August is the most amenable of both – they leave Smolandia to seek their for-
the NPCs. He feels profound guilt over everything tune in America. They establish a new iron-
that has happened and is ready to give up his gold works in Pennsylvania, which becomes a huge
and even his life if that is what it takes for the dragon success.
to spare the others – particularly his brother Alfred. · If the brothers lose both the treasure and the
dragon fire, they remain in Smolandia and live a
DR AGON SICK CH A R ACTERS simple but happy life as furniture makers.
Player characters can also be afflicted by the dragon sick-
ness in the cave, and act accordingly (see boxed text on page For the player characters there is little left to do but
31). They can resist the effect by rolling OBSERVATION, return to their headquarters in Upsala, where they
but if it fails they might need to be stopped by force. are awarded experience points.

· 43 ·
 · Fireheart ·

DRAGON
Of all fearsome vaesen lurking in the wilderness, the
dragon is the most dangerous and notorious. They are
monstrous beasts with writhing reptilian bodies, huge CONDITIONS
leathery wings, and razor-­sharp claws and fangs. They Irritated (−2)
have sharp and malevolent minds, voracious appe- Angry (+1)
tites, and the ability to breathe fire. Many dragons can Crazed (−1)
hypnotize victims with their gaze and often have other Panicking (−2) – immediately breathes
strange abilities, including mindreading, shapeshift- fire at enemies (free action).
ing, and the power to distort people’s vision. Plays dead and then attacks (+1)
When the dragon is not out making mischief, it Wounded and willing to bargain (−2)
spends its time resting on its treasure in a lair under Wounded and furious (+1)
some burial mound or ancient family tomb. Some Broken – the dragon retreats into the sky
dragons also like to gather new riches and can have or into the ground, but may return one day.
more than one treasure hoard. Resourceful indi-
viduals may try to steal the dragon’s treasure, but
should exercise supreme caution, as the dragon
will undoubtedly be nearby and attack any thieves
with terrible fury. Moreover, one must not be easily COMBAT
scared, for the dragon can assume the most terrifying ATTACK DAMAGE RANGE

forms to scare off the intruder. Bite and claw 3 0

As darkness falls, especially on clear autumn
Dragon fire 1* 1–2
nights, dragons can be seen soaring over the tree-
tops on the way from one treasure horde to another, * Can be aimed at multiple targets in the same zone. Roll for the drag-
on’s BODY CONTROL for each victim. For every six rolled the attack deals
trailed by showers of sparks and flames. one point of damage per turn until the fire is extinguished (see the core
rulebook, page 70).

CHARACTERISTICS
MIGHT 14 BODY CONTROL 8 MAGIC 9 RITUA L
MANIPULATION 10 Fear 2/1 A steel knife thrown over the dragon’s treasure robs
the beast of its power and renders it harmless.

MAGICAL POWERS

· Enchant
· Curse
· Draws two initiative cards and acts
twice per round
· SCALES: Protection 8

· Takes no damage from fire

· Can fly at great speed

· 45 ·
CONTENT WARNING
Violence, Child Death · CHAPTER 3 ·

THE DEVIL
ON THE MOOR

the player characters travel to a godforsaken journey to Grimsted Lyng on the Danish peninsula
moor on the west coast of Jutland, where ambitious of Jutland. This section also includes a countdown of
engineers have awakened dark forces in their quest events which you as the Game­master will use to build
to tame and modernize the landscape. momentum in the story. The second part of the text
presents the various places the player characters may
visit. The mystery concludes with a confrontation

PRELUDE and a rundown of important non-­player characters.

This first section describes the background of

the mystery and the conflicts on which it is based, BACKGROUND
including the scenario’s vaesen – a myling called the Grimsted Lyng is a windswept moorland stretching
Nameless One. There is an invitation to kick off the to the sea west of the old military road between the
session, after which the text proceeds to describe the trade town of Viborg on Jutland in Denmark and the

· 46 ·
 · The Devil on the Moor ·

Free City of Hamburg in northern Germany. This perforated, and the great steam pump driving the
was once a lush area populated by proud and pros- machinery has come close to exploding due to sud-
perous farmers, but slash-­and-­burn agriculture and den overheating.
overgrazing took a heavy toll on its soil. The peo- The Moorland Society’s chief engineer, Preben
ple’s greed, combined with plague epidemics and Rasmussen, suspects that some of the locals are actively
marauding soldiers, slowly degraded the farmland. trying to sabotage the project, possibly through black
Windblown sand mixed with the depleted soil and magic. Their company has been met with hostility
the fields were overtaken by heather. The people who from people on the moor, and Rasmussen has heard
nevertheless stayed behind could not stop the eco- stories of demonic creatures the farmers interact with
logical changes, and adapted to a life on the barren in various ways. Most of all he has heard of “the Devil
moor. They became moor farmers and made their on the Moor”: a winged phantom with glowing eyes,
living rearing sheep and gathering peat, which they which according to the priest and folklorist Gabriel
extracted from bogs on the desolate moor. Sandemann is regarded as a guardian angel on
For hundreds of years the people of the moor Grimsted Lyng. In a handwritten journal from the
were largely isolated from the outside world. Moor early 19th century that Rasmussen picked up on his
farmers led hard and meager lives, but neither the inspection tours in the area, Sandemann describes
crown nor the clergy bothered them with taxes or how the people of the moor for centuries have sought
demands of assimilation. However, in the begin- this vaesen’s help in various practical matters. Local
ning of the 19th century this started to change. legend has it that the Devil on the Moor helped chase
Great numbers of land surveyors were sent from off pillaging soldiers and kept plague rats away from
Copenhagen to rebuild the country from the rav- the moor farmers’ settlements. These stories have
ages of the Napoleonic Wars. They were soon joined led Rasmussen – who is a practical and open-­minded
by engineers with belching machines and dreams engineer – to the following hypothesis: perhaps the
of turning the moors of Jutland into modern agri- root of the problem is that someone has enlisted
cultural areas. Denmark would prosper once more this vaesen to stop the Moorland Society and bring
– and the path to this blissful future was through human progress to a halt?
large-­scale industrial farming. Rasmussen has sent a telegram to Linnea Elfeklint,
Ten years before the start of the mystery the Danish having learned about the Society as a young stu-
Society for Moorland Reclamation is founded, colloqui- dent and made several contacts among the so-­
ally known as the Moorland Society. This company is called Rosenbergers at the Polytechnical University
infused with the spirit of innovation and progress of Denmark. Heavily influenced by the latter,
that marked this period. Using steam power and Rasmussen takes a rather simplistic view of the situ-
other technological advancements, the engineers ation. Ideally, he would like the Society to kill what-
of the Moorland Society work to restore fertility ever haunts the moor and wipe out every trace of
to the barren moors through artificial fertilizer, local devil worship and anything else that obstructs
tree planting, and drainage canals. But now the the Moorland Society’s activities.
Moorland Society has encountered unexpected But the ambitious chief engineer has com-
problems during a drainage project on Grimsted pletely misunderstood the root cause of the prob-
Lyng. Something out there scares the workers and lem. It is true that a vaesen is involved, but it was
has caused several of them to leave without expla- Rasmussen himself who awakened it. The entire
nation – without even collecting their outstanding mystery revolves around Sandemann’s journal of
wages. Furthermore, there is something wrong with myths and folklore. Sandemann was not just a priest
the drainage system. Pipes are bursting, tubes are and folklorist, but a womanizer as well, and during

· 47 ·
 · CHAPTER 3 ·

his travels in the region he formed a relationship of houses that the moor farmers call Grimsted Hus.
with a local farm girl named Signe Andersdotter. Everything changed when Rasmussen showed up
But Sandemann abandoned her in her moment of on behalf of the Moorland Society. He brought not
need, as the child growing in Signe’s belly made it only modern technology and strong workmen, but
impossible to keep their scandalous relationship Sandemann’s journal. Unaware of the tragic story,
secret. Signe soon went out on the moor, shunned, he took the journal to the wetland where Signe once
and alone, and secretly gave birth to the baby. In gave birth to, and drowned, her child. As he did
desperation she drowned her offspring in a pond so the dead child awoke as a myling, consumed by
before continuing her walk cross the moor, where a single purpose: to avenge its own death and that
the young mother was found frozen to death a few of its mother by killing Sandemann. The fact that
days later. Sandemann is long dead and buried makes no dif-
This tragedy, which was typical for the time, ference – the myling, who calls itself the Nameless
occurred some fifty years before the mystery takes One, directs all its hatred towards the journal and
place and has been largely forgotten by the moor the person who carries it. It was this myling who
farmers. The only exception is Signe’s old mother scared away Rasmussen’s seasonal workers and
– Granny Thea – who is still alive but keeps to her- through its pent-­up hatred caused the steam pump
self in a small cottage at the outskirt of the cluster to overheat in several critical situations.

THE NA MELESS ONE

Roughly six months before the start of the mystery, from the bog by the Moorland Society’s steam engine.
the dead child of Signe Andersdotter and Gabriel This discovery makes Rasmussen even more upset, and
Sandemann came back to life as a myling. The only he is convinced that they are the remains of a pagan
thing it remembers from its short life is Signe’s child sacrificed to the dark gods of the moor.
embrace and heartrending sobs before she lowered During the mystery the Nameless One will be
its little body into the icy waters of the bog. The myl- watching the player characters from the moment they
ing knows that it has no name and thinks of itself as arrive at the Grimsted Tavern. They will sometimes
“the Nameless One”: a lonesome and forever displaced sense its presence, but until the final confrontation it
soul doomed to haunt the godforsaken moor. only appears in the form of a bird: a huge heron with
The Nameless One’ objective is simply to return black feathers and eyes glimmering with unholy green
to its mother’s warm embrace, but first it must have light. In ghost form it manifests as a newborn child,
revenge. Aware that it has been subjected to a heinous albeit bloated and over-­sized, with chalk-­white skin
crime, it focuses its wrath on Sandemann’s journal. It against which its blackened veins resemble a spider’s
does not know that Sandemann is long dead but feels web. A green light glows in the depths of its empty
his presence through the journal – and this presence sockets. The horrifying creature is dripping wet and
fills the Nameless One with unquenchable murderous attacks by spewing out a jet of ice-­cold bog water,
hatred. The only way to stop the Nameless One is to which technically works as the Curse DEATHLY COLD (see
destroy the journal and bury the vaesen’s remains with page 119 of the core rulebook). For other stats, see
its mother, who rests in an unmarked grave in an old the description of the myling on page 142–143 of the
plague cemetery. Its bones are found shortly before core rulebook.
the player characters’ arrival, when they are sucked up

· 48 ·
 · The Devil on the Moor ·

CONFLICTS A howling autumn wind blows through the city and the
The primary conflict of this mystery is the Nameless cobblestones are covered with yellow leaves. The beg-
One’ urge to take revenge on Gabriel Sandemann, gars huddle together in narrow alleys, and all over the
who so cowardly abandoned the child’s mother and city there are students scurrying about with flutter-
forced her to commit the desperate act that would ing scarves and thick books tucked under their arms.
also be her own undoing. But all that remains of The mental asylum seems even gloomier and
Sandemann is the handwritten journal Rasmussen more ominous than usual. The bare trees inside the
has brought, which is why this physical artifact – or black iron gates make the place look like a courtyard
rather its owner – is the target of the Nameless One’ of the dead, as do the screams and anguished whim-
hatred. The natural endpoint of this conflict is pers heard from the barred windows. The player
that the myling kills the person carrying the jour- characters are received by an orderly who lights up
nal, whether it be Rasmussen or one of the player when he realizes that they have come to see Linnea.
characters. “About time”, he says. “She’s been unusually dis-
The secondary conflict is about the tense relations traught lately; mumbling incoherently about the
between the Moorland Society and the local popu- Dark One and some strange man called Sandemann.
lation. Many in the area see the Moorland Society as Is it someone you know?”
a threat to their community and traditions, which He leads the player characters into a cell-­like
is why two of the more violent farmers in the settle- room where Linnea is lying on a simple wooden
ment of Grimsted Hus – with the others’ approval – bench, restrained with thick leather straps. As they
have been sabotaging the drainage equipment. The step inside, she snaps awake and seems remark-
punctured tubes are not the myling’s doing, and the ably cheerful and rested. “Don’t mind these straps”,
player characters can find clear marks from knives she says as the orderly helps her to her feet. “I’ve
and other human tools. been having troubled dreams of late.” Having sent
the orderly away – and ordered a pot of tea for her
and her guests – she takes out the telegram from
IN V ITATION Preben Rasmussen (see text box and Handout 3B) and
This mystery takes place in the autumn and begins explains that the player characters must make haste to
with the player characters receiving a message from Grimsted Lyng on the Danish peninsula of Jutland.
Linnea Elfeklint, who asks them to visit her at Upsala Something terrible is about to happen there: “I fear
Asylum (see text box and Handout 3A). the worst,” mutters Linnea. “The Danish moors
have long been home to powerful vaesen – and royal
Dear friends, engineers with modern machinery often have little
respect for the unseen.”
I have received an urgent message from our Danish comrades, and Before long the orderly returns with a pot of freshly
I fear that dark forces are at work. If there is any truth to the ref- brewed tea, along with biscuits and an appropriate
erences to Sandemann, the situation is extremely serious. Kindly number of porcelain cups. Happily slurping her tea,
visit me at the asylum as soon as possible, and prepare to leave Linnea explains that the service has improved consid-
the country. erably since she helped Chief Physician Frejd clear up
a minor mystery: “One of the chimneys was haunted
Yours sincerely, by a cranky old Carolean, but when I explained to the
Linnea wretched thing that King Charles XII has been dead
and buried for more than one and a half centuries –
and is absolutely peppered with silver buttons, by the

· 49 ·
 · CHAPTER 3 ·

way – he gave up and finally left his post.” She tells

them that Preben Rasmussen is a respected engineer PREBEN RASMUSSEN’S TELEGRAM
from Copenhagen with some kind of connection to From the Viborg Post Office to Upsala Tele­
the Society. They have corresponded for years about graph Station
“matters of importance,” as Linnea calls them, but
never actually met. Linnea suspects that Rasmussen Esteemed mistress
may be a Rosenberger, as this more militant ver-
sion of the old Order of Artemis has many sympa- Require immediate assistance STOP Clear
thizers among Thursday’s Children in the Danish demonic presence on Grimsted Lyng STOP
capital. She also mentions Gabriel Sandemann; a Attacks on the Moorland Society’s work
priest and collector of folklore who at the begin- camp STOP Unnatural damages on equip-
ning of the century collected thousands of legends ment STOP The men frightened out of their
about vaesen and magic in the old Danish peasant wits STOP Anger and foolery from the locals
society. He is regarded as one of the great pioneers STOP Afraid it is G Sandemann’s devil STOP
of Nordic folkloristics, but according to Linnea he Awaiting your arrival at the Grimsted Tavern
was actually a Rosenberger gathering information STOP
about “the hordes of Satan” in order to banish them
from God’s creation.
Linnea sighs, suddenly looking awfully tired. She
repeats that the player characters must go to Grimsted PREPA R ATIONS
Lyng. She is certain that Preben Rasmussen with his As usual, the player characters can prepare for the
“modern horrors” has disturbed a powerful vaesen on journey at their headquarters and thereby gain an
the moor. She fears that Rasmussen – as an engineer Advantage (see chapter 9 in the core rulebook).
and presumed Rosenberger – will do something stu- Player characters who go looking for information
pid that will escalate the conflict and further upset in Upsala automatically find the following:
the careful balance between vaesen and humans. “If
Sandemann was right, it is very serious indeed. Out
· A newspaper article about the Moorland Society’s
modernization of the Danish moors (see text box
on the Danish moors there are vaesen who for thou- and Handout 3C).
sands of years have been worshiped as gods and mur-
derous guardians.”
· A passage in an old tome titled Underground Vaesen
and Their Worshippers in the North, which mentions
Then she goes quiet and lies down on the bench. Gabriel Sandemann and his tireless search for
She is too tired to continue, she says. The night- legends, magic, and occult traditions rooted
mares are too grim – the ones about the moor and in the Danish peasant society (see text box and
what awaits out there. After pointing out that she Handout 3D).
would personally have taken the train to Gothenburg
and then a steamboat to Frederikshavn on Jutland,
Linnea turns her face to the wall and makes it clear THE JOURNEY
that she wants to be alone. If the player characters do The player characters set out from Upsala on a
not respect her wishes she will soon suffer a nervous cold and rainy October morning. If they follow
breakdown and start screaming hysterically. Half a Linnea Elfeklint’s advice, the journey takes exactly
dozen orderlies burst into the room and take Linnea five days – first by train via the Western Main Line
to a closed section of the asylum, where she will be to Gothenburg, then by steamboat across the
held for the remainder of the mystery. Skagerrak to the fishing village of Skagen at the

· 50 ·
 · The Devil on the Moor ·

PROGRESS IS COMING FRAGMENT FROM

TO DARKEST JUTLAND UNDERGROUND VAESEN AND THEIR
Using the very latest in technology and sci- WORSHIPPERS IN THE NORTH
ence, industrious engineers from the royal Although studies of the chthonic forces are
capital of Copenhagen have taken upon always difficult to conduct and hazardous to
themselves to civilize the barren moors life and limb, the history of Nordic science con-
of the Jutland peninsula. It is the Danish tains numerous examples that even rival inter-
Society for Moorland Reclamation, which national luminaries such as the fearless broth-
many of our readers will already be famil- ers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm in Germany
iar with, that is launching this manful initia- and the grandmaster alchemist Isaac Newton.
tive. The bogs shall be drained, the heather One important pioneer in our own corner of
weeded out, and Germanic trees with vir- the world is the Danish Gabriel Sandemann,
ile roots shall be planted to keep the soil who in the decades between Bonaparte’s wars
firm and shelter crops from the windblown and the advent of the railroad travelled among
sand. Furthermore, they shall use the latest peasants and commoners to document their
marvels of artificial fertilizer, developed relationship to the subterrestrial. Sandemann
by the hardworking and ingenious research was an imposing man – tall and strong in body
engineers at the Polytechnical University of and soul – who during his many travels through
Denmark. One of these fearless torchbear- the Danish peasant society, in its final bloom,
ers of civilization is the renowned steam collected thousands of legends and eyewit-
engineer Preben Rasmussen, who will be ness accounts of underground vaesen and their
leading the Moorland Society’s expedition relationship to mankind. Perhaps most remark-
to the vast moor of Grimsted Lyng: a primi- able of all is his documentation of the won-
tive and godforsaken part of Denmark which drous yet fearsome vaesen haunting the famous
according to Rasmussen might as well be Danish moors.
in darkest Africa. “I have humbly accepted
the noble task of ensuring civilization and
human progress”, said Mr. Rasmussen to our
reporter. He adds that his only worry is how A RRI VA L
the local population will react to his steam The stagecoach arrives at the Grimsted Tavern in
engine: “One hears of the Luddite lunatics the late afternoon. Apart from feeling tired after
in England.” their long journey, the player characters are sore
from having spent the better part of the day in a
packed stagecoach bouncing along roads of ques-
tionable quality.
northernmost point of Jutland. From there the Dusk has already started to fall, and icy gales are
journey continues by train to Viborg in the middle blowing in from the gloomy moor – vast, barren,
of the peninsula, where the player characters will and desolate – stretching out on the other side of
take the postal stagecoach to the Grimsted Tavern the tavern. The Grimsted Tavern is the local water-
at the eastern edge of Grimsted Lyng. As usual, ing hole and is described in detail under Locations.
each player character can gain an Advantage during It consists of three connected half-­timbered build-
the journey (see the core rulebook, page 24). ings in the traditional Danish rustic style with

· 51 ·
 · CHAPTER 3 ·

thatched roofs and a spacious yard. Several large but from here the player characters will have to
carriages and wagons are parked outside. A wooden continue on foot.
sign beautifully painted with the royal monogram As the player characters step out of the stage-
and a stylized post horn shows that the tavern also coach a serious young man in a coarse suit emerges
serves as a post station and a hub for the organized from the tavern. He walks up to them with a deter-
stagecoach service. This is also where the road ends. mined stride. After asking whether they might be
There are several paths leading out onto the moor, the “experts” from Upsala, he introduces himself

· 52 ·
 · The Devil on the Moor ·

as Jens Ludvigsen, first assistant to Chief Engineer

Rasmussen and science secretary at the Moorland
Society. He appears to be in a hurry and explains
that he has waited several days for them to arrive,
so there is no time to lose. Engineer Rasmussen
has made a terrible discovery that shows how seri-
ous the situation has become. Ludvigsen does not
want to go into detail, as he thinks it is beyond his
understanding – and because it scares the wits out of
him. But if the player characters pass a MANIPULATION
test, the frightened man whispers that it concerns
“a dead body, a tiny infant!”
Since it is too late to head out onto the moor,
Ludvigsen has arranged for the whole group to spend JENS LUDV IGSEN
the night at the Grimsted Tavern. The Moorland “The Chief Engineer would not be pleased with this.”
Society will cover the expenses, including a meal and
a drink. However, he suggests that the player char- Jens Ludvigsen is a newly graduated engi-
acter sleep in their work camp from now on. A tent neer from the Polytechnical University of
has been set up and the player characters will be fed Denmark. He is specialized in artificial fer-
at the company’s expense. tilizer, and the long-­term plan is that Jensen
While the characters are talking to Ludvigsen, will assume responsibility for modernizing
the coachman takes down their suitcases from the moor when Rasmussen completes the
the stagecoach. A player character who passes a drainage project.
VIGILANCE test suddenly notices a large black bird Ludvigsen is an elegantly dressed and
in the twilight, perched in a lone tree. It is almost well-­groomed man in his mid 20s. He has
as if the bird is watching them, and for a moment deep respect for Rasmussen’s authority,
its eyes seem to glimmer with a ghostly green light. but has difficulty understanding his rants
The next time the player character looks that way about “darkness and barbarism” and the
the bird is gone. constant references to Sandemann’s jour-
Ludvigsen follow the characters into the com- nal. Ludvigsen is a practical man at heart,
mon room and introduces them to Kromutter devoted to empirical science and filled with
Pedersen, the imposing proprietor of the tavern. dreams of enriching the earth with the very
He soon makes his excuses and retires to the sleeping latest in artificial fertilizer.
alcoves upstairs, since they have an early morning
ahead of them.
Now, the player characters have an opportunity
· Physique 2 Precision 2
Logic 4 Empathy 3
to mingle with the locals and ask questions about
people and places in the area. In the morning they
· AGILITY 2 FORCE 2 LEARNING 3
VIGILANCE 3 INSPIRATION 2
are woken at dawn by Ludvigsen, who after a simple OBSERVATION 3 INVESTIGATION 3
breakfast prepared by Kromutter accompanies them · Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 1
out onto the windswept moor. In the autumn rain
he leads them along winding paths to the Moorland
· EQUIPMENT: Thick walking stick, jar of arti-
ficial fertilizer samples
Society’s camp.

· 53 ·
 · CHAPTER 3 ·

COUNTDOW N
GRIMSTED LYNG A ND CATASTROPHE
Grimsted Lyng is a vast heather moorland cov- The player characters’ arrival at the Grimsted Tavern
ering an area hundreds of square kilometers in does not go unnoticed by the Nameless One, who
size between the city of Viborg and the North is vengefully watching everything going on in and
Sea coast of Jutland. It is a desolate landscape around the Moorland Society’s camp. Anything
covered with grass and low heather that blooms related to Rasmussen and Sandemann’s journal is
purple in summer. But the mystery takes place of interest and potentially worth killing. The fol-
in autumn, and the colors of the moor are som- lowing events can be used to increase the pace of the
ber and bleak. In some places the ground is game when necessary, and to push the players toward
soggy and gradually turns into marshes and the final confrontation:
treacherous bogs. There are a few streams and
smaller lakes as well. Sheep graze here and COUNTDOW N
there, under the supervision of young shepherd 1. The Nameless One uses magic to create chaos in
boys. The people of the moor live in small vil- the work camp and scare off as many as possible
lages and settlements, often near water courses. of the people around the object of its hatred –
They are simple folk, wary of outsiders and the Gabriel Sandemann’s journal. First, it uses the
changing times, whose primary livelihood is Enchantment FOG to shroud the camp in thick
sheep farming and peat extraction. veils of fog that slither between the tents like rav-
enous serpents. Second, it uses MAREEL to create
a shimmering green light that flares up in var-
ious places around the camp. Player characters
who have seen the Nameless One in bird form
IN MYTHIC BRITAIN AND IRELAND will recognize the ghostly glow from the myl-
The Devil on the Moor can easily be transferred ing’s eyeless sockets. All player characters must
to a British context, without any adjustments to make a Fear test against Fear value 1. Three of
the story itself. You can add additional depth the Moorland Society’s workers vanish into the
to the conflict between the locals and the fog with a shriek and are never seen again.
Moorland Society through references to the 2. Hans and Ejnar Jensen, two drunken deadbeats
Luddites: outraged workers who in the early from Grimsted Hus, are caught red-­handed by
19th century sabotaged steam engines and other Preben Rasmussen as they try to sabotage the
innovations they thought threatened their tradi- Moorland Society’s steam pump. Rasmussen is
tional sources of income. Instead of the fictional livid and drags the saboteurs back to Grimsted
Grimsted Lyng, the mystery could take place in Hus along with his entire crew. He insists that
Dartmoor in southeast England. This mythical the player characters join them as well. Upon
moor is an almost archetypal horror setting, full reaching the settlement Rasmussen announces
of mysteries and local legends about headless that he has caught the saboteurs and intends to
horsemen, haunted burial grounds, and howling alert the authorities. He pulls out Sandemann’s
hellhounds. Inspiration can be drawn from the journal – if the player characters have it (see
classic Sherlock Holmes story The Hound of the below), he asks them to give it back – and
Baskervilles (1901–1902) by Sir Arthur Conan holds it up for all to see: “The time has come
Doyle, which is set on Dartmoor. to break with the old traditions – the Devil has
no place in the age of steam!” Everyone in the

· 54 ·
 · The Devil on the Moor ·

village comes to see what is going on, includ-

ing old Granny Thea. When she sees the jour- LOCATIONS
nal, she points at Rasmussen and shouts: “You Grimsted Lyng is a bleak and in many ways terrifying
mark my words, the only devil on the moor landscape: vast, desolate, and battered by howling
was Sandemann himself!” The next moment winds from the western sea. A freezing autumn rain
everyone sees a huge black bird launching is constantly whipping the player character’s faces as
itself from a rooftop and flying off across the they move between the locations marked on the map
moor. The Nameless One has been watching on page 56. Feel free to use the Nameless One in
the whole time. Stirred by Granny Thea’s reac- bird form to stress the player characters out during
tion, it casts an Enchantment that turns the their walks. For example, they could notice it as an
ground around Rasmussen into a one-­meter-­ ominous shadow on the moor or an all-­seeing pres-
deep pool of wet mud, full of bones and crawl- ence hovering high above.
ing with white maggots. Everyone panics and
rushes screaming onto the moor. Three of the
Moorland Society’s workers are never seen THE GRIMSTED TAV ERN
again. The player characters must make a Fear The Grimsted Tavern, whose exterior is described in
test against Fear value 1. the Arrival section, is basically the Danish equivalent
3. The Nameless One once again uses the of a coaching inn. It is first and foremost a place where
Enchantment FOG to shroud the camp in thick travelers on the road can find food and accommo-
fog. This time it does not just want to frighten dation, but also serves as a maintenance station for
the workers, but enters the camp with murder- the postal service where horses can be replaced and
ous intent. It is drawn to the journal, but the wheels repaired. As such, it also constitutes a kind
first person it encounters is Rasmussen’s assis- of local post office and a link to the outside world
tant, Jens Ludvigsen. The myling appears before for people of the moor. That includes the employees
him in all its horror and kills him with the Curse of the Moorland Society, who come to “Kromutter”
DEATHLY COLD in the form of a violent cascade of Pedersen several times a week to pick up letters and
ice-­cold bog water. The player characters hear other deliveries from Viborg. In the evenings the tav-
Ludvigsen’s dying screams, but cannot get there ern’s rather large common room – which does in fact
in time to save him. They also hear the wingbeats cover the entire ground floor – also serves as a gather-
of a massive bird as a dark shape flies off in the ing place where the locals come to enjoy Kromutter’s
fog. Ludvigsen’s body is found in the middle of famous rabbit stew. The food is simple but well pre-
the camp, stiff and twisted by the Nameless One’s pared and washed down with locally produced bever-
cold and dripping with stinking bog water. The ages such as peated beer and heather-­spiced schnapps.
player characters must make a Fear test against The sleeping areas are found on the second floor:
Fear value 1. small alcoves with extremely low ceilings furnished
with little more than a simple bed and a chamber pot.
CATA STROPHE The person running the tavern is Kromutter
The Myling uses the Enchantment OVERHEATING to Pedersen. Her husband died in the war with the
blow up the steam pump while Preben Rasmussen (or Prussians, in which she also lost her right leg and
the player character carrying Sandemann’s journal) much of the hearing in her right ear. She is a plump
is at the Moorland Society’s camp. The explosion lady in her late middle age who loves her guests, par-
has Blast Power 12 and lays waste to the entire camp, ticularly those from far away. She will happily tell the
killing every NPC in the area. player characters everything she knows about the area

· 55 ·
 · CHAPTER 3 ·

and its people, including gossip and old legends. The characters can follow them all the way to Grimsted
Game­master can use Kromutter to dole out pieces Hus, where the brothers inform their older sister
of important information that the player characters Jensine about the snooping outsiders. This may result
may have missed in other locations. In the common in an ambush on the moor – for more details, see the
room the player characters can also encounter people description of Grimsted Hus. If the Game­master
from Grimsted Hus, including the notorious broth- thinks the time is right, Hans and Ejnar can instead
ers Hans and Ejnar Jensen. Coachman Julius is here hurry across the moor to the Moorland Society’s
as well, and he has interesting things to say about the camp, where phase 2 of the countdown occurs.
widely acclaimed Gabriel Sandeman.
CLUES
CH A LLENGES The player characters can learn a great deal at the
With the exception of Kromutter and the postal Grimsted Tavern, both about the people of Grimsted
coachman, the people at the Grimsted Tavern are Hus and the old plague cemetery.
reluctant to talk to the player characters. They can gain
the locals’ trust temporarily through MANIPULATION or
· Kromutter is a veritable treasure trove of infor-
mation and absolutely delighted to share what
by buying them schnapps, but will still anger them she knows – and what she does not. For example,
if they keep asking questions about “extraordinary she has never heard of anyone called Sandemann
matters” such as devil worship and the strange events and scoffs at the stories about devil worshippers.
surrounding the Moorland Society’s steam engine. She admits that people from Grimsted Hus are
Eventually Hans and Ejnar will leave the tavern with generally quite peculiar, but she has never heard
a sullen expression on their faces and head out onto anything about black magic or sacrificed children
the moor. With a successful VIGILANCE test the player – and certainly not about some Devil on the Moor.
 · The Devil on the Moor ·

· If it is dark forces they are worried about, Kro­

mutter recommends that they take a closer look
at the old plague cemetery on Grimsted Lyng.
Buried there are not only plague victims, but
suicides, unbaptized children, unmarried
mothers, and others who were deemed unwor-
thy of the regular cemetery on the highway to
Viborg.
· If the player characters ask her about the strange
bird, Kromutter explains that mylings and other
revenants of murdered children may well be
haunting the moor in bird form. She adds that
there are lots of old tales about mylings in the
area. She describes them as lonely lost souls who KROMUTTER PEDERSEN
merely want to cross over – and to be reunited “Those underground are a natural part of the moor’s his-
with their mothers. tory. The same cannot be said of the Prussians.”
· In the evenings Hans and Ejnar Jensen are always
sitting alone in a corner of the common room, Kromutter Pedersen is an imposing sol-
howling with mischievous laughter. They are dier’s widow in her fifties. She lumbers her
always slightly drunk and glare skeptically at the sturdy frame around on an old wooden leg
player characters. The brothers are reluctant to that is constantly clunking against the tavern’s
answer questions, but if the player characters pass creaky floorboards. History has been tough
a MANIPULATION test, they cryptically mutter some- on Kromutter and her family, which she lost
thing about Rasmussen and his fancy machine in the last war with the Prussians. Today it is
not belonging on the moor – and that they will be the Grimsted Tavern that gives her life mean-
gone before long. That is what usually happens ing. She is extremely sociable and will gladly
to outsiders. share all the stories, legends, and rumors
· The elderly stagecoach driver Julius, who rests
at the tavern in between runs, can tell the char-
about Grimsted Lyng and its people that
she has come across over the years. The one
acters a great deal about Sandemann if they buy thing Kromutter cannot stand is Prussians
him some schnapps. Julius’s late father drove a and German culture in general. If any player
postal stagecoach as well and had the great honor character speaks with a German accent or has
of transporting “the renowned Sandemann” a German-­sounding name, Kromutter will
on several occasions during his frequent trav- be very reserved towards that person.
els in the area. Julius himself never got to meet
Sandemann, but his father described him as a
dashing man who had the gift of speech and a
· Physique 4 Precision 2
Logic 3 Empathy 4
strange influence on the people around him –
especially “womenfolk,” says Julius. His father
· AGILITY 2 FORCE 2 VIGILANCE 4
OBSERVATION 3 INVESTIGATION 3
claimed that Sandemann had a sweetheart in · Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 2
every rural village in Denmark. There must also
have been “a small army of illegitimate children,”
· EQUIPMENT: Fireplace poker, clay pipe,
tobacco pouch
chuckles the old coachman.

· 57 ·
 · CHAPTER 3 ·

THE MOORL A ND Rasmussen’s work revolves around the outlet issue –

SOCIET Y’S CA MP what to do with the excess drainage water?
Preben Rasmussen and his crew have set up camp Aside from Preben Rasmussen and First Assistant
roughly ten kilometers west of the Grimsted Tavern. Jens Ludvigsen, the team consists of fourteen strong
The place is relatively easy to find, as the once narrow workmen. There are also a cook and two kitchen boys
and obscure game trail has been expanded into a small who run the canteen tent, serving three simple but
road by the Moorland Society’s employees, who for massive meals a day. The player characters are fed on
the past year have hauled equipment back and forth on the Moorland Society’s expense and housed in their
heavy carts. The camp is located in a hollow on a strip own tent where they may spend the nights throughout
of land protruding into a bog. It is a dismal place with the mystery. The tents are stove heated and equipped
tall reeds and black pools shrouded in autumn mist. with simple wooden bunks with sheepskins and spe-
The camp consists of ten large tents of wood and cially designed sleeping bags made of padded fabric.
canvas, as well as an impressive wagon park with Most of the tents are also furnished with drop-­leaf
carts and wagons of various shapes and sizes. At the tables and folding stools, and some are also supplied
heart of the camp is a huge peat-­fired steam engine with filing cabinets and other office furniture.
constantly pumping water from the bog through an
intricate system of cast iron pipes and thick tubes of CH A LLENGES
vulcanized rubber. The chuff and hiss of the steam The challenges at the camp mostly have to do with
engine can be heard from several kilometers away, the tension among the workmen, but the bog itself
and in the camp the constant gurgling and slurping is hazardous as well.
of the pump is also part of the soundscape. The water
is sucked out of the bog and transferred to Grimsted
· Preben Rasmussen has waited several days for
the player characters to show up. As soon as they
via a system of freshly dug canals and existing streams. arrive, he will direct them to one of the storage
But the system is not yet perfect and much of Preben tents, chattering eagerly about a “satanic find”.
He is extremely insistent and more than a little
pushy and will not let the player characters con-
duct their own investigations until he has laid out
A TREACHEROUS BOG his theories and observations (see Clues).
The bog is a treacherous place, and player
characters who venture out into the fog might
· There is always a risk of a fight breaking out as the
player characters interact with the workmen. They
take a bad step and end up underwater. A are tired and traumatized by the strange events of
successful AGILITY test is required if the player late. A successful MANIPULATION or INSPIRATION test
characters stray from the path and go into the can make them talk, but if you think the charac-
bog. On failure they fall into a pool and must ters’ questions are too intrusive, it takes another
pass another AGILITY test to get back up (slow MANIPULATION test to avoid violence. The work-
action). Other player characters can help them ers fight with their fists, and on failure a hard
with a successful FORCE test. After three turns in right hook comes flying at one of the player char-
the water the characters sink below the surface acters. The fight attracts the rest of the work-
and must pass a FORCE test each turn to hold ers, and unless the player characters pass a third
their breath. Failure means that the characters MANIPULATION test, the situation will degenerate
start to drown and suffer one physical condition into a mass brawl. It is interrupted D6 rounds
for each turn spent underwater. later when Preben Rasmussen comes running and
starts pointing with his whole hand.

· 58 ·
 · The Devil on the Moor ·

CLUES
The camp holds several clues about both the mur-
· Reading the old-­fashioned handwriting requires
a successful LEARNING test. The journal has no title,
dered child and the conflict between the Moorland but the first page begins with the words “Notations
Society and the locals. The most important clue is from Grimsted Lyng by G Sandemann”. Its con-
Sandemann’s journal, which contains important pas- tents are dominated by long and rather boring
sages and a photo of Signe Andersdotter. accounts of old “superstition” and “devil wor-
· The remains of the Nameless One are lying
on a crude work bench in a storage tent where
ship”, with references to various underground
vaesen which Sandemann claims to be spawns of
Rasmussen takes the player characters. There is Hell. One interesting thing about the journal is
not much left: a few bone fragments and the par- its many references to the young peasant woman at
tially crushed skull of an infant. A player character Grimsted Hus who clearly became Sandemann’s
who passes an INVESTIGATION or MEDICINE test can tell confidant.
that it belonged to a very small child, probably
a newborn. The character also realizes that the
· A player character learned in magic or blessed
with the talent Sixth Sense can sense that there is
skeleton must be quite old, a few decades at least. something disturbing about the book itself. The
· Rasmussen is absolutely certain that the people
of the moor have summoned a demonic guard-
character cannot put her finger on it, but it seems
to be linked to bad memories.
ian to hold back human progress. The Moorland
Society was received with hostility from the very
· Player characters who take a closer look at the
steam engine and pass an INVESTIGATION test will
beginning and the “oafs” of Grimsted Hus have find signs of external attack. Several tubes show
made several attempts to destroy Rasmussen’s gouge marks from a knife, and someone has
steam engine. clearly tried to pry the pipes and pistons loose.
· As evidence for his hypothesis, he presents an old
leatherbound notebook – Sandemann’s journal.
In the grass a bit further away from the steam
engine lies a worn knife with a name on it: Jens
He shows the characters the two entries about “the Erik Jensen, G H.
Devil on the Moor” and “the Devil Worshippers at
Grimsted Hus” (see Handouts 3E and 3F) and reads
them aloud in a pompous voice.
· The journal contains a number of vital clues, includ-
ing a blurry daguerreotype of Signe Andersdotter
THE DEVIL ON THE MOOR
I shall refer to this winged vaesen as “the Devil
(see Handout 3G and separate boxed text). on the Moor”, as there is no doubt whatever
about its infernal origins. It is venerated as
a guardian angel by the moorland folk, and
so it has been since time immemorial. These
SANDEMANN’S JOURNAL poor blinded people – it is scarcely an exag-
It is important for the mystery that the player geration to call them fools or the savages of
characters not only take a closer look at the Danevang – are paying a terrible price for this
journal, but bring it to the Plague Cemetery. demonic protection. Blood and souls are what
If the player characters do not realize this, I speak of. Blood and souls. They have always
Rasmussen can insist that they take it with them sacrificed children to the powers of the moor,
during their investigations as a kind of “occult forever branding their immortal souls for the
atlas” of Grimsted Lyng. Dark One and the realm of everlasting torment.

· 59 ·
 · CHAPTER 3 ·

· With a successful VIGILANCE test the player char-

acters can hear a faint whimper from the bog. It
· One of the kitchen boys, young Severin, can tell
them about a creepy old cemetery some five kilome-
could be the call of an unknown wading bird, but ters west of here. He has traveled the area on sup-
it sounds more like a crying baby. ply errands and describes the cemetery as an eerie
· The workmen can tell them that there is some dev-
ilry lurking in the bog. The unmistakable sound
place with mossy tombstones – many of them name-
less, but all of them ancient and badly weathered.
of a crying child is sometimes heard from there,
mixed with screams and ungodly curses. Many have
· Young Severin also recalls seeing an old woman in
the cemetery (Granny Thea). As a matter of fact,
also seen a large black bird that seems to be watching he has seen here several times and is sure that he
the camp. Some even claim to have heard it laugh – heard her cry.
in fact, did it not sound like a chortling baby?
· The cook and her kitchen boys are happy to share
their experiences. Like the workmen they are con-
vinced that something is “wrong” but suspect that
the locals are behind it.
· The kitchen boys often visit the Grimsted Tavern
to pick up mail and groceries, and with their own
ears they have heard ruffians in the area boast
about sabotaging the Moorland Society. Two
young men from Grimsted Hus strike them as
particularly threatening: Hans and Ejnar, who
are often heard ranting about “the devil machine
from Copenhagen”.

DEVIL WORSHIP AT GRIMSTED HUS

Grimsted Hus is a savage place of folly and
ungodly barbarism, but even here our Lord has
planted a solitary seed of Christian decency.
She is a girl of peasant stock, named Signe A YELLOWED PHOTOGRAPH
Andersdotter, but she has a good head on As the player characters flick through
her shoulders and even seems to be literate. Sandemann’s journal a yellowed daguerreo-
Through this pure, innocent creature I have type slips out. It is a grainy portrait of a young
gained access to the inner secrets of the moor- peasant woman with round cheeks and thick
land peasantry, and at times I feel that the pigtails. Her grave eyes are staring into the
truth – the glimpse of reality that my campaign camera, almost accusingly. The photo appears
for enlightenment has uncovered – is too heavy to have been tucked into the pages of the jour-
for one man to bear. But there is no longer any nal, but if the characters ask Rasmussen about
doubt on the matter: devil worship has been it, he seems quite uninterested. “Probably just
practiced here for millennia, and the beating some silly local girl,” he says, adding that they
heart of this ancient cult is Grimsted Hus. should focus on the satanic cult instead.

· 60 ·
 · The Devil on the Moor ·

PREBEN R ASMUSSEN
“No one can argue against human progress.”

Preben Rasmussen is an authoritative man

in his 40s. Trained as a steam engineer at
the Polytechnical University of Denmark,
he has worked for the Moorland Society
for the last ten years. The post on Grimsted
Lyng is his first assignment as chief engi-
neer, and he takes it extremely seriously. To
Rasmussen it is much more than a job. The
modernization of the moor is a civilizing
crusade against the forces of darkness and THE MOORL A ND
barbarism. SOCIET Y’S WORKMEN
Rasmussen does not have the Sight, but “It’s honest work for honest pay – but God knows if it’s
through his studies of ancient texts he has worth it.”
become convinced that non-­human vaesen
with supernatural powers are an empiri- Most of Rasmussen’s workforce are sea-
cal reality. Rasmussen was in contact with sonal laborers from far and wide, includ-
several Rosenbergers during his student ing a handful of Swedes who have fled des-
days in Copenhagen and allowed himself titution in their impoverished homeland.
to be influenced by their negative view of These are burly, bearded men between the
the non-­human. He sees vaesen as unfor- ages of 20 and 40, most of them bitter and
tunate remnants from the age of darkness taciturn – and deeply shaken by the strange
and barbarism – the antithesis of everything things happening in the area. When they
the Moorland Society and the engineering are not working they spend their evenings
profession stands for. It is therefore clear in the tents, writing letters to their families
that the non-­human must be eradicated to back home, playing cards, making music, or
make way for human progress. telling stories from the big wide world. As
drinking is not allowed in the camp, some of
· Physique 3 Precision 3
Logic 4 Empathy 1
the workers slip away to the Grimsted Tavern
on a regular basis for a shot or two.
· AGILITY 2 FORCE 2 STEALTH 2
RANGED COMBAT 3 LEARNING 4
VIGILANCE 3 INSPIRATION 4
· Physique 3 Precision 2
Logic 2 Empathy 2
OBSERVATION 3
· CLOSE COMBAT 3 FORCE 3

· Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 2 · Mental Toughness 1 Physical Toughness 2

· EQUIPMENT: Pistol, Sandemann’s journal
· EQUIPMENT: Hammer and knife

· 61 ·
 · CHAPTER 3 ·

GRIMSTED HUS to scare and humiliate the meddling strangers.

Grimsted Hus is a small settlement consisting of The attack begins with Hans and Ejnar firing
roughly a dozen stone houses with heather roofs clus- their ranged weapons over the player characters’
tered around an old shepherd’s trail. Most of them heads, after which Jensine throws the head of a
are residential buildings, interspersed with various newly slaughtered sheep their way. She comes
types of outhouses, storage sheds, and fenced-­in charging down the trail, swinging her giant axe
stables. in the air while her brothers warn the player
The people of Grimsted Hus are mostly shep- characters that they should “go home” right now,
herds and peat diggers – stern, unsmiling types who or things will end badly for them. The siblings
live hard and simple lives with the windswept moor defend themselves if the player characters fight
as both their livelihood and their curse. Sheep and back, but otherwise they will not engage in fur-
the occasional scrawny cow are roaming freely among ther violence.
the buildings. There are elderly people sitting against
the house walls, whittling wood or making baskets
· If the player characters ask questions about
Sandemann or anything related to local history,
out of heather. A couple of grown men are sharpen- they are referred to Granny Thea – the only per-
ing their scythes next to a shed, and a sturdy peas- son old enough to remember the olden days. Thea
ant woman with bulging forearms is shoveling dung lives in a ramshackle old cottage situated slightly
outside one of the stables. A bunch of dirty children apart from the other buildings. She is far more
come running towards the player characters as they accommodating that the others and offers the
approach the settlement. player characters some delicious dandelion wine.
With the exception of Granny Thea, every Unfortunately, her mind is clearly addled with age,
adult in Grimsted Hus is aware that the Jensen and she asks if the player characters have come to
Brothers have made repeated attempts to destroy the join the war effort against the Prussians.
Moorland Society’s steam engine. But no one wants
to tell the player characters that. Hans and Ejnar CLUES
are generally thought of as drunken scoundrels, but
the neighbors tolerate them out of respect for their
· The worn knife that can be found in the Moorland
Society’s camp is a family heirloom belonging to
departed parents and their strong and widely feared the Jensens. Everyone in Grimsted Hus recog-
older sister Jensine. nizes the knife and knows that the name carved
into it refers to their late father, Jens Erik. No
CH A LLENGES one will want to tell the truth if the player char-
The people of Grimsted Hus are suspicious of strang- acters show them the knife, but the sight of it stirs
ers, but the only ones who might be dangerous and powerful feelings inside them. With a successful
prone to violence are the Jensen siblings. OBSERVATION test the player characters realize that

· If player characters ask intrusive questions, or

reveal that they have found the lost knife, Hans
the person in question is lying about the knife. If
they show it to the Jensens. they will follow the
and Ejnar will fetch Jensine and prepare an player characters onto the moor as described
ambush somewhere on the moor to “scare some under Challenges.
sense” into them. Player characters who pass a
VIGILANCE test against the siblings’ STEALTH notice
· Player characters who search the area and pass
an INVESTIGATION test will find what looks like a
three shadowy figures hiding behind a rock fur- number of small pagan idols tied together with
ther down the trail. The siblings are not out to heather and various herbs. Several of them can
kill the player characters – their plan is simply be found in the stables, as well as in some of the

· 62 ·
 · The Devil on the Moor ·

H A NS A ND EJNA R JENSEN
“Damn the Copenhageners and their machines!”

“Yeah, damn all the outsiders!”

Hans and Ejnar are two drunken, vio-

lent young men from the settlement of
Grimsted Hus. They grew up in a home
without parents, as their mother and father
both went missing during the war with the
Prussians. Instead, it was their older sis-
ter – the physically strong but slow-­witted
Jensine – who cared for the family to the
best of her ability.
Life has been hard on the brothers and
made them jealous of other people, whom
residences. A successful LEARNING test reveals that they consider rivals in the daily struggle for
these are peasant talismans meant to ward off evil. survival. At the same time, they are excep-
· There are autumn peonies and forget-­me-­nots
growing wild outside Granny Thea’s cottage.
tionally work-­shy and spend most of their
time at the Grimsted Tavern, drinking away
Player characters who have visited the Plague what little remains of their inheritance.
Cemetery will recall that the bouquets left at the The fight against the Moorland Company
well-­attended grave – the final resting place of has given their lives a higher purpose: to
Signe Andersdotter – consisted of precisely these defend the moor and the old ways against
kinds of flowers. outside attacks.
· Granny Thea seems cheerful and confused, but
any mention of Sandemann will suddenly make
Both brothers are unwashed men with
dirty clothes and non-­existent dental
her cry. If the player characters handle this with hygiene. They are crude and uneducated,
decency – for example by trying to comfort her but sly and cowardly. They do not shy away
– she will start talking about her daughter Signe from a fight, but when things get serious,
who fell in love with the handsome Sandemann. they prefer to fetch Jensine who always has
She tells them about the pregnancy, Sandemann’s their back.
betrayal, and how Signe was found frozen to death
on the moor. But the child was never found, she
concludes: “I think it’s still out there – looking
· Physique 4 Precision 3
Logic 3 Empathy 1
for my little Signe.” · AGILITY 2 CLOSE COMBAT 3 FORCE 3

· If the player characters show her Sandemann’s

journal, Granny Thea gets upset and starts mum-
STEALTH 4 RANGED COMBAT 4
VIGILANCE 3
bling about a black heart and “the memories of · Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 3
an evil man”. She asks them to get rid of the jour-
nal, preferably by destroying it – that might bring
· EQUIPMENT: Musket (Hans), crossbow
(Ejnar)
peace to her grandchild.

· 63 ·
 · CHAPTER 3 ·

JENSINE JENSEN GR A NN Y THE A

“Any bastard who messes with the little ones will eat axe!” “You mark my words, the only devil on the moor was
Sandemann himself!”
Jensine is a large and unusually muscular
farm woman in her 30s. She is strong as an Granny Thea is a sweet but confused old
ox and as dutiful as they come, but has a farm woman in her 80s. She is plagued by
feeble mind and a hot temper. The latter constant grief over the death of her daugh-
is often taken advantage of by her younger ter, Signe Andersdotter. Signe was her only
brothers, Hans and Ejnar, who tend to use child and the very purpose of her existence.
Jensine as muscle whenever they get into a Thea visits her daughter’s grave as often as
fight. she can and entertains her with songs and
Jensine adored their father, Jens Erik, little stories from the olden days.
who treated her as his chosen heir. She
thinks it is her bitter duty to defend what
is left of the shattered family against all evil.
· Physique 2 Precision 2
Logic 4 Empathy 4
She will therefore do anything to protect her
brothers, despite the painful insight that
· AGILITY 1 MEDICINE 5 LEARNING 2
VIGILANCE 3 INSPIRATION 3
neither of them are living up to the late Jens · Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 2
Erik’s expectations. · EQUIPMENT: Knapsack with medicinal
herbs, pipe and tobacco, flask of dande-
· Physique 5 Precision 2
Logic 1 Empathy 3
lion wine

· AGILITY 2 CLOSE COMBAT 5 FORCE 5

STEALTH 2 VIGILANCE 2

· Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 4

· EQUIPMENT: Giant woodcutter’s axe (tech-
nically handled as a halberd)

· 64 ·
 · The Devil on the Moor ·

THE PL AGUE CEMETERY where it suddenly falls silent after a momentary

Roughly five kilometers west of the Moorland gurgle. The player character must make a Fear test
Society’s camp is the ancient and remarkable grave- against Fear value 2.
yard the locals call “the Plague Cemetery”. It is sur-
rounded by a mossy stone wall and hosts about a hun- CLUES
dred tombstones as well as the occasional wooden
cross, wrapped in chilly autumn mist. Almost all
· A player character who passes an INVESTIGATION
test notices that one of the graves is wider and
the graves are unmarked. One exception is a som- more frequently visited than the others. This is
ber standing stone engraved with a simple epitaph: of course the grave of Signe Andersdotter, which
“Here lie our dead from the terrible pestilence that Granny Thea visits at least once a week. There are
swept the land in the year of our Lord 1710 during footprints around the grave and the soil in front
the Great War with Sweden.” of the stone is healthy and well-­raked. And unlike
Many of the tombstones are crumbling with age. all the other graves in the Plague Cemetery, there
The graveyard looks not only desolate and aban- are several half-­wilted bouquets lying around
doned, but forsaken – and deliberately forgotten. Signe Andersdotter’s tombstone.
It is a place where the unclean and unwanted were
laid to rest. In addition to plague victims, the buried
· Player characters who take a closer look at the bou-
quets will see that they consist of autumn peonies
include suicides, executed thieves, illegitimate chil- and forget-­me-­nots – the same kinds of flowers
dren, and several unwed mothers. One of the latter that grow outside Granny Thea’s cottage.
is the Nameless One’s mother, Signe Andersdotter,
whose remains rest under an unmarked tombstone in
· Player characters who pass a VIGILANCE test notice
that the black bird is perched on one of the tomb-
the shadow of the wall on the west side of the cemetery. stones, watching them.

CH A LLENGES
The player character carrying Sandemann’s journal
is struck by extremely vivid and unpleasant visions CONFRONTATION
the moment he or she sets foot inside the wall of the The confrontation will most likely take place in the
cemetery. Four disturbing scenes flash by in a cav- Plague Cemetery. The player characters can end
alcade of horror. up here for a variety of reasons. If they have missed
· A huge man in a wide-­brimmed priest’s hat pushes
away a younger peasant woman with the words “It
all the other clues, they could follow Granny Thea
during one of her walks from Grimsted Hus to her
is not my child, unclean wench!” It is the round-­ daughter’s tombstone.
cheeked woman from the photo in Sandemann’s If the player characters visit the grave before
journal – no skill test is required to recognize her. stage 3 of the countdown, nothing much happens
· In the next vision the same peasant woman kisses
a newborn child on the forehead. The baby gur-
other than what it says in the location description of
the Plague Cemetery. However, if they arrive after
gles lovingly, but the woman weeps. stage 3, the characters can make the Nameless One
· Then the vision transitions into an inhospitable
wetland of sprawling reeds and swirling wisps of
reveal itself. This can be achieved by calling out to
the myling – e.g., “Come out little child!” – or simply
mist – a place the player character recognizes as taking a few determined steps toward the bird that is
the bog by the Moorland Society’s camp. following them. If the player characters are passive
· The last thing the character sees is the weeping
child slowly being lowered into the black bog,
and indecisive, you can use Rasmussen (or possibly
Granny Thea) to force a reaction from the myling.

· 65 ·
 · The Devil on the Moor ·

For example, Rasmussen could catch up with the front of Signe Andersdotter’s tombstone will find
player characters at the Plague Cemetery and warn her skeleton roughly one and a half meters below
them that the place is haunted by demonic forces, ground. As soon as the skeleton is unearthed, the sky
excitedly referring to Sandemann’s journal. If they is darkened by black clouds and a howling autumn
have not yet gotten hold of the journal, you can have wind sweeps over the cemetery. The myling emerges
Rasmussen practically shove it into the hands of one from the shadows, peering wistfully into the grave
of the player characters, who is immediately struck with tears in its shimmering green eyes.
by the visions described under Challenges in the For the ritual to work the player characters must
Plague Cemetery. place the Nameless One’s remains next to its mother,
The Nameless One appears to the player char- preferably in physical contact with her skeleton. The
acters in spectral form if phase 3 of the countdown spirit of Signe Andersdotter will then appear in the
has occurred. As long as Sandemann’s journal exists, form of a flickering, vaguely human-­like apparition
the myling will act as a murderous avenger and attack that rises shining out of the grave like a pillar of light.
Rasmussen or the player character carrying the jour- “My child,” she says, embracing the Nameless One
nal with full frenzy – primarily using the Curse DEATHLY who vanishes into the light. Everything goes dark
COLD (spewed-­out cascades of freezing bog water). and quiet. The autumn storms have stopped howl-
The attacks cease once the journal is destroyed, pref- ing and all is peaceful. The ritual is completed by
erably with fire, although any method that leads to filling the grave with dirt and setting the tombstone
total destruction will have the same effect. In other back in its place.
words, throwing it away on the moor or burying it
in the ground is not enough. If this is too hard to
figure out, you can let one of the player characters
recall Granny Thea words that the journal must be AFTERMATH
destroyed to bring peace to her grandchild. Thea When the myling’s remains are buried with its mother,
could even show up among the tombstones and shout the Nameless One finds peace and vanishes from
at them to destroy the journal “for heaven’s sake”. Grimsted Lyng. Rasmussen is deeply grateful and
In order to banish the myling, the player charac- explains that the player characters can always count
ters must bury its remains in Signe Andersdotter’s on him and “the powerful Moorland Society” if they
grave in the Plague Cemetery. The most important ever need help in the future. However, if the player
thing for the Nameless One is to be reunited with its characters failed to solve the mystery, the Nameless
mother. Naming it is also welcome, but not decisive One will keep haunting the moor and cause untold
in this particular case. Player characters digging in problems for everyone living and working in the area.

· 67 ·
CONTENT WARNING
Violence, Death, Child Death · CHAPTER 4 ·

A WINTER’S TALE
Wherein the characters suffer an accident, get stuck in the dark cold,
and are challenged by a mysterious adversary under the glittering winter stars.

PRELUDE
Still are the forests large and small, This first section describes the background of the mys-
wrapped in the frosty white, tery and the conflicts on which it is based. There is an
only the distant waterfall invitation to kick off the session, followed by a descrip-
murmurs and hums in the night. tion of the characters’ journey from Saint Petersburg
The nisse listens and, half in dream, into the deep forests at the heart of Ingria, where the
mystery is set. This section concludes with a count-
thinks it is time’s ceaseless stream, down of events which you as the Game­master will initi-
wonders which way it is going, ate at some appropriate point during the mystery – and
And from what source it is flowing. a catastrophe that describes what happens if the player
–Viktor Rydberg
characters do not take action or fail in their efforts.
This mystery is different than most in that the
player characters never reach the goal of the invitation

· 68 ·
 · A Winter’s Tale ·

– a secret gathering of people with knowledge about stories about an incarnation of winter itself, called
supernatural phenomena at the manor of Count Morozko – or Father Frost. Morozko is a winter
Constantine Constantinovich in Ingria. Traveling demon in the guise of a man who will sometimes be
through the winter storm in the deep forests of Ingria, generous and show people the way home, but who
the characters suffer an accident and find themselves can also twist their minds and lead them deep into
at the Tammsalu Inn, far from the nearest village. It the cold to freeze and die.
is there that this mystery takes place. Legends also tell of guardian spirits protecting
people and farms from the ruthless wilds. These
powerful vaesen, who guard their hearth and some-
BACKGROUND times bring good fortune, are called domovoi in
The Tammsalu Inn has been in the Trygg family since the local tradition. Domovoi are little old men and
the Swedish period (see the boxed text on page 70). women dressed in light or dark clothes and hats who
The family left their little cottage outside Falun two watch over the household and its livestock. But they
hundred years ago and headed for Ingria to seek their are capricious creatures and may cause problems if
fortune in the “Wild East.” In a birchbark shoe they angered or neglected, which is why people often leave
brought with them an acorn from the cottage, which them food by the fireplace. Domovoi are shapeshift-
they planted by the small pond behind the inn. Now ers capable of turning into cats or stoats. They stick to
the mighty branches of the oak tree provide welcome their family and can come with them to a new home
shade during the summer months. Unlike other in a small birchbark shoe.
Swedes who fled Ingria to escape the wars between The player characters from the Society in Upsala
Sweden and Russia, the Tryggs have chosen to stay. know this vaesen by another name – nisse (page 148
During the war their inn served as a field hospital. of the core rulebook). The inn and the family’s farm
The people at the Tammsalu Inn are known in the are under the protection of a nisse named Grayfoot,
forest for their hospitality towards humans and ani- who has followed the Trygg family for many genera-
mals alike. Despite the bitter winters, their establish- tions and came with them to Ingria in the birchbark
ment has always been able to provide warm beds, food, shoe. It is his protection that has allowed the inn to
and drink, and many a traveler has come to seek shel- prosper even during the harsh winter months.
ter from the blizzards. The inn is well positioned on a In the spring one year before the start of this mys-
desolate stretch of the road between Saint Petersburg tery, Ester was found dead at the edge of the pond
and Narva, and the family has housed many travelers. behind the inn. She suffered a stroke, fell uncon-
Their business thrived. When Mr. and Mrs. Trygg scious into the water, and drowned. Strangely, she
passed away, Axel and his sister Ester took over man- was found up on the bank, as if someone had pulled
agement of the inn. Axel dreamed of developing their her out of the water. There were rumors that she had
business and allowing gambling in the evenings to been murdered. Shortly thereafter strange things
entertain the guests. Ester, on the other hand, was started happening on the farm. Objects disap-
determined to preserve the inn and its traditions. peared and turned up in weird places, people were
At the heart of this mystery is a conflict between injured in strange accidents. At night one could
the relentless forces of nature and the safety of hear strange sounds inside the house – sighs and
hearth and home. During the winter months life clicks in the floorboards, as if someone or some-
here is marked by cold, snow, and darkness. Heavy thing was moving in there. The residents have dif-
blizzards plague the region, and the bitter cold is a ferent theories about what is going on, but it is really
swift and ruthless killer. Children are warned not the nisse who is behind the strange events and acci-
to go out into the forest alone. The villagers tell dents at the farm.

· 69 ·
 · CHAPTER 4 ·

The nisse Grayfoot is ancient. Human genera- else. But Ester was different. She noticed and spoke
tions are like the seasons to him – children are born, with Grayfoot when she was a girl, and growing up she
grow up, have children of their own, grow old, and never forgot her friend. Every morning she would
die. To him the stream of people who come and go is leave small chunks of bread, milk, or porridge by the
like a river. He rarely concerns himself with anyone stove. For the first time in centuries, Grayfoot grew
fond of a human being, and his love for Ester ran
deep. He feared that she would one day be married
off and leave the farm.
INGRIA AND THE FORGOTTEN PEOPLES One morning Grayfoot saw Ester collapse and fall
The Tammsalu Inn is located the historical into the pond, struck down by a stroke as many in her
region of Ingria, part of the Saint Petersburg family before her. He managed to pull her up on the
Governorate between Lake Ladoga and Lake bank, but could not bring her back to life. Ester’s death
Peipus in western Russia. Ingria, sometimes hit him hard. For the first time in his life, it felt like a
referred to as the “Wild East,” was a Swedish curse that a human life was a mere blink compared to
dominion until the 18th century when it was his own, and Grayfoot was overcome with grief.
ceded to Russia and renamed. The wars and the The nisse is also concerned that so few humans
construction of Saint Petersburg drove part of still follow the old ways. Domovoi are being forgot-
the population away from the area, while oth- ten as the younger generations grow up and the old
ers moved there to avoid religious persecution, traditions are replaced by new ones. Now there is
serfdom, or taxes. Immigration and deportation no one at the farm who believes in the nisse, and no
of criminals to the region led to a mix of differ- one is leaving him gifts or showing him apprecia-
ent cultures, languages, and religions. Ingria’s tion. Grayfoot’s grief turned into anger, which he
indigenous inhabitants were Finno-­Ugrians who acts upon by causing trouble and accidents and with-
spoke the Finno-­Ugric languages of Ingrian and drawing his protecting hand from the farm. Guests
Votic, now all but extinct. These ethnic groups are complaining about objects falling down on them,
have been called “the forgotten peoples.” and there is talk of the farm being haunted. Axel is
miserable, but has kept the inn open.
 · A Winter’s Tale ·

CONFLICTS IN V ITATION
The primary conflict of this mystery is between the This mystery begins with the Society receiving a
nisse Grayfoot and Axel Trygg – who does not real- letter inviting them to attend the secretive meet-
ize what is going on, as he does not believe in nis- ing Conclavum Sub Rosa, arranged by Count
sar and such “old superstitions.” Axel has neglected Constantine Constantinovich. It is a gathering where
the nisse ever since Ester died, and in his grief and carefully selected participants from all over Europe
anger, Grayfoot has started to cause trouble. His come to exchange experiences and knowledge about
anger is growing, and when guests arrive, he moves the study of supernatural phenomena. The meet-
into the sauna. If Axel continues to neglect him, he ing is held at Count Constantinovich’s manor in
will start to cause accidents and eventually leave the the woods southwest of Saint Petersburg. The letter
farm. Without him, the people there are defenseless (Handout 4A) is included as a handout at the end of this
against Father Frost and everyone at the Tammsalu book and available for download on the Free League
Inn risks freezing to death in the bitter cold. website, reads as follows:
The secondary conflict is the one between dif-
ferent views on the unnatural events taking place To whom it may concern,
at Tammsalu. Investigations of the accidents at the
inn create a conflict between the travelers who have My name is Constantine Constantinovich, Count of Jamburg
sought shelter there. The guests have different expla- in Ingria, west of Saint Petersburg in the Russian Empire. Your
nations of what happened, and these can either help Society’s reputation is known far and wide among those who seek
the player characters or lead them astray. Unless the to observe the unseen and understand the inexplicable. I have the
player characters solve the mystery and convince the utmost respect for your work, and like you, I seek answers to the
others about what is going on, the situation will grow mysteries of the cosmos.
increasingly heated. Innkeeper Axel does not know At the midwinter blot I am hosting a gathering which I believe
what to do or whom to believe. The player characters’ would be of interest to you – Conclavum Sub Rosa. The meeting
snooping around at the farm can make the nisse even brings together individuals of different backgrounds with a shared
angrier. If their investigation leads to the desecra- interest in the supernatural, who seek a deeper understanding
tion of Ester’s grave, his mischievous behavior will through the process of alchemy.
escalate to outright violence. It would be a great honor and pleasure to have the Society grace
our gathering with its presence. I shall wait for you at my residence
outside Jamburg on the twentieth of December, to discuss the secrets
and mysteries of life.
IN MYTHIC BRITAIN AND IRELAND
If you want to run this mystery in Mythic Britain Yours sincerely,
and Ireland instead of the Mythic North, change Count Constantine Constantinovich
the destination of the invitation to the village
of Aviemore in the Cairngorms, nearly 100 PS. All things are connected!
miles north of Edinburgh. Travelling across the
Cairngorm mountains and through the forests Note that the player characters will never make it to
that surround Loch an Eilein leads them into Count Constantinovich’s meeting, as they suffer an
wild and long detours, and here they find the accident on the way there and instead end up at the
Ben Macdui Inn. Remember to also change the Tammsalu Inn (more on that below).
names of the NPCs.

· 71 ·
 · CHAPTER 4 ·

WITHSTANDING COLD
PREPA R ATIONS A player character exposed to severe cold must
As usual, the player characters can prepare for the make FORCE tests at regular intervals. It works
journey at their headquarters and thereby gain an as a fear test with Fear value 1 (page 68 in the
Advantage (see chapter 9 in the core rulebook). core rulebook) except that the test is rolled
Player characters who go looking for informa- with FORCE and that failure results in a physical
tion about Conclavum Sub Rosa and Count Constantine condition in addition to the normal effect (one
Constantinovich in Upsala will find that he is known mental condition and temporary loss of con-
for his imaginative fairy tales, poems, and his studies of trol). Anyone Broken by the cold must continue
the supernatural. No more information can be found. to make FORCE tests, and freezes to death upon
the next failure. The effects of the cold last until
the victim gets back into the warmth. Player
THE JOURNEY characters who fail to withstand the cold may
The boat trip to Saint Petersburg is uneventful also have a vision of Father Frost when appro-
(unless you want it otherwise). On board the ship priate – see example in the text box titled A
the player characters can spend their time studying Midwinter Night’s Dream on page 74.
or preparing the speech they have been asked to give
at Count Constantinovich’s gathering.

Vilma af Zimt is also on her way to see Count

A RRI VA L Constantinovich, which she will tell the player char-
As the player characters step ashore at the dock in acters if asked. If they want to know more about her,
Saint Petersburg, it begins to snow. The air is cool she can tell them everything written in her character
and they soon find the stagecoach that will take them description. Time passes, darkness falls, and outside
to Narva and Constantinovich’s manor. Standing by the temperature is dropping fast. Dim lights can be
the carriage is Coachman Ilya Ermakov (page 73). seen among the distant houses, fewer and fewer the
Quiet but courteous, he loads the group’s luggage farther they go. It is getting colder, and the player
onto the stagecoach roof while they take their seats characters are grateful to be huddled together under
inside. The first stop is in central Saint Petersburg. At the pelts in the carriage. The frost forms beautiful
the famous Talon restaurant down by the river Neva, a patterns on the small glass windows of the stagecoach.
lone noblewoman enters the carriage. She is Swedish Hours go by. The carriage sways and rocks, and even-
and introduces herself as Vilma af Zimt (page 74). tually there is nothing but endless fir trees outside
The coachman loads her luggage before the journey the window. Some of the player characters doze off.
continues away from the harbor and the palaces and Suddenly, the characters hear the horses neigh-
churches of the city, and out into the countryside. ing and the coachman cursing loudly in Russian.
The stagecoach rocks heavily and, without warning,
the characters are violently thrown around as the
carriage flips over and tumbles down a slope. Each
LANGUAGES player character must make an AGILITY test – anyone
In this mystery, the player characters will meet who fails is hurled out of the carriage. All player
NPCs who speak a different native language characters take damage from the fall – the attack is
than themselves. To keep things simple, we rec- rolled with three dice for those who remain inside
ommend that you assume the player characters the carriage, and with six dice for those ejected from
to be well versed in multiple languages and thus it. Vilma af Zimt is lucky and gets away with only a
able to speak freely with everyone they meet.

· 72 ·
 · A Winter’s Tale ·

COACHM A N ILYA
ERM A KOV
“Stay on the road, no one survives the cold in the forest.”

Ilya is a skinny man with steel in his eyes. He

is of average height, with dark brown hair, a
thick mustache, and a haggard face. He is
bundled in thick animal pelts that he wears
over his winter coat, and beads of ice have
formed in his mustache. Ilya drives his stage-
coach between Saint Petersburg and Narva
and other towns in the region.
bump on her head (a physical condition). Ilya is About a year ago Ilya asked Ester to marry
completely unharmed. him at the Tammsalu Inn, but was rejected.
After the accident, caused by the carriage hitting a He does not like to talk about it, but will
root, it will not budge. It is lying in a large snow drift on admit it if pressed. He is a man of few words,
the side of the road with all the luggage scattered on the but explains that he was in love with the inn-
ground. As they regain their senses, the characters can keeper’s sister and has mourned her since the
see nothing but the mist of their breath and the starlight spring. He wanted to marry Ester and settle
shining down from the dark winter sky. It is so cold it down with her in Saint Petersburg, but Axel
hurts to breathe. A wolf howls deep in the woods. Every objected on the grounds that the coachman
breath freezes into clouds of ice crystals. The snow is was too poor for his sister. Ester was kind to
falling heavier and heavier, and the wind is rising. Ilya, but his feelings were not reciprocated.
Ilya says he knows a place where the characters “One spring night I gave Ester a silver comb
can find shelter for the night. “We need to get to the I’d bought with my hard-­earned money from
Tammsalu Inn not far from here, or we won’t survive a goldsmith in Saint Petersburg. Ester smiled
the night.” Each player character can only bring one and said she didn’t need such frills, that her
item of their choice – the rest is scattered in the snow. friend helped braid and comb her hair. I let
For each additional item they want to search for, they her keep the comb. I could not win her heart.”
must pass a FORCE test to endure the severe cold (see
the boxed text on page 72). Vilma af Zimt leaves
several items behind in the stagecoach. One of the
· Physique 4 Precision 3
Logic 2 Empathy 3
horses has an injured hind leg and is limping badly.
If the characters linger too long by the carriage, the
· AGILITY 3 CLOSE COMBAT 2
RANGED COMBAT 1 VIGILANCE 2
injured horse will freeze to death. OBSERVATION 2
Ilya takes the lead, holding up his lantern to light · Physical Toughness 2 Mental Toughness 2
the way along the snow-­clad road. After a grueling walk
(each player character makes another FORCE test to with-
· EQUIPMENT: Rifle, knife

stand the cold) they reach the inn, surrounded by a deep

pine forest, many hours from the nearest village. The
storm is hard and it is hard for the characters to even room the characters can meet Innkeeper Axel Trygg, his
see the person in front of them. Tired and battered the staff, and other guests (see the list on page 77). The
group steps inside the Tammsalu Inn. The coachman storm is growing outside, and the road is snowbound.
heads to the stable to tend the horses. In the dining The player characters are stuck at the inn.

· 73 ·
 · CHAPTER 4 ·

COUNTDOW N
A ND CATASTROPHE
In this mystery the player characters must work
together to find out who is causing the accidents.
There are false leads, like the Campbell brothers
(page 78) who think a revenant is behind it all.
Suspicion may also fall on Coachman Ilya, whose
courtship of Ester was rejected. If the player char-
acters go down the wrong path in their investigation,
they risk aggravating the nisse even further – even-
tually causing him to leave the farm and its people
to their fate in the freezing winter. Then they will
all be unprotected against the bitter cold, and stand
MS. V ILM A A F ZIMT helpless before Father Frost.
“Our souls are connected through divine energy.”

Vilma af Zimt is an artist and spiritist from

Stockholm. She has light brown hair pulled A MIDWINTER NIGHT’S DREAM
back in a beautiful bun in the fashion of the The snow falls ever faster. The cold is relent-
time, inquisitive bright green eyes, and less, and your fingers and toes are already
wears the fine dresses of a noblewoman. going numb. Where is everybody? Suddenly
Vilma is the daughter of the broad-­minded you see something moving a bit further ahead.
General Peter af Zimt. Her father paid for You go after it. The only sound is that of your
her to study painting in Paris, where she has breath and your footsteps as you trudge
become known for her abstract Symbolist through the snow. There is a clearing up
paintings. Beside her art, Vilma has devel- ahead, and in the light you see a tall figure
oped a keen interest in the occult and eso- in an icy blue coat walking towards you. A
teric. Traveling through Europe she came voice speaks to you. You cannot make out the
into contact with the Rosicrucians as well words, except “… crossed into my realm.” You
as the founders of Theosophy, with whom suddenly feel warmer and a lovely sensation
she maintains active correspondence. With a spreads through your body. Unable to take
personality as colorful as her artwork, Vilma another step, you sit down on a rock. You take
has made a name for herself in the bohemian off your hat and gloves. In your mind’s eye
circles of Stockholm by organizing book you can see Christmases of your childhood,
clubs devoted to mystical texts, seances, and how you used to lie tucked up in warm pelts
tarot readings. The af Zimt family are good on the way to church. The sound of your par-
friends of Count Constantinovich and, like ents’ voices and the horses pulling the sleigh
the player characters, Vilma is on her way to through the snow. The light of the lantern
his manor when the storm forces her to stop swaying back and forth on the sleigh. In your
at the Tammsalu Inn. hand there is a piece of warm bread that your
mother gave you before you left… Perhaps
· Physique 2 Precision 3
Logic 4 Empathy 4
you should just stay here?

· STEALTH 1 VIGILANCE 2 LEARNING 4

OBSERVATION 3 MANIPULATION 3

· Mental Toughness 4 Physical Toughness 2

· EQUIPMENT: Sketchbook, tarot deck
· 74 ·
 · A Winter’s Tale ·

The following events can be used to increase the they have felt sudden chills. The brothers take
pace of the game when necessary, and to push the this as further evidence that they are dealing with
players toward the final confrontation. a restless spirit. If they find out that the coach-
man proposed to Ester (from the letter in Ester’s
COUNTDOW N room), the Campbell brothers will become con-
· On the first morning the player characters wake
up to a freezing house. They must all make a FORCE
vinced that the revenant in question is in fact
the innkeeper’s late sister, Ester, and that she is
test, and those who fail suffer a physical or mental behind the coachman’s accident. The brothers
condition of their choosing. The fire downstairs want to know where Ester is buried.
has gone out and Axel Trygg struggles to get it
started again.
· The fires at the inn and the sauna keep going out
for no apparent reason, and the building is get-
· Strange accidents keep happening at the inn. For
example:
ting colder. Anyone who ventures outside risks
freezing to death – the player characters must
– A player character trips and tumbles down the pass frequent FORCE test to withstand the cold, as
stairs. The character must make an AGILITY test described on page 72.
– failure results in a physical condition.
– The horses escape from the stable and run off
· Axel Trygg or some other suitable NPC proposes
that the Campbells’ carriage be used as firewood.
into the snow. A player character can help catch The brothers protest vehemently, and a scuffle
one of them with a successful AGILITY test. After might break out. The player characters can medi-
each attempt the player character must make a ate between them or side with either party.
FORCE test to withstand the cold (page 72).
– An oil lamp crashes to the floor and sets it on
· It is getting so cold inside the inn that regular
FORCE tests (page 72) must be made to survive
fire. A player character nearby can put it out indoors as well. The roads are still snowbound.
with a successful AGILITY test. Three attempts
can be made before the building is engulfed CATA STROPHE
in flames. The Campbell brothers finally convince Axel that
· Axel Trygg or some other NPC points out that
Ilya has been gone a long time, at least an hour.
his late sister’s revenant is behind it all, and that her
remains must be salted and burned for her to find
He went out to check on the horses. Axel asks the peace. As they go ahead with the plan, Grayfoot is
guests to help find the coachman. A player char- outraged that Ester is being desecrated in this way,
acter or suitable NPC soon finds him in a snow- and a fight breaks out between the nisse and the
drift near the pond, his lips blue from hypother- brothers. Unless they are stopped, the Campbells
mia. Ilya has taken off all his clothes. He seems to kill Grayfoot. The desperation rises. The winter
have fallen or tripped on something and gashed becomes the coldest in living memory. When spring
his head. It makes no sense that he would get lost arrives, Axel Trygg, the servants, and the guests at the
so close to the inn in this cold. “Something must inn are found frozen to death. There is talk among
have lured him” mutters Axel. Ilya’s life is beyond the locals that Father Frost exacted his tribute.
saving, but a character who passes a MEDICINE test If the player characters are still at the inn when this
can keep him alive long enough for him to mum- happens, they get a chance to survive by a dramatic
ble something about the cold speaking to him. escape into the forest. After a few FORCE rolls to with-
· The Campbell brothers suggest that a revenant
may be causing the accidents. They claim to have
stand the cold, a sleigh from Count Constantinovich’s
manor arrives. The count has sent for the missing
seen a gray figure moving through the house, and guests and the courier arrives just in time.

· 75 ·
· CHAPTER 4 ·

· 76 ·
 · A Winter’s Tale ·

LOCATIONS
The following paragraphs summarizes the most
important locations in and around the inn that the
player characters may investigate. The Tammsalu Inn
is a large stilt house with a thatched roof. Next to the
main building is a stable for horses and livestock, and
under a great oak tree by a small pond – now frozen –
is a separate sauna. On one side of the inn is a small
garden where berries and vegetables are grown in the
summer, and in a corner of the garden are the family
gravesite and a small chapel.
Until the blizzard subsides it is extremely danger-
ous to leave the inn. Characters who go outside must
pass regular FORCE tests (see text box on page 72)
to withstand the cold.

INNKEEPER A XEL TRYGG

NPCS AT THE INN “The inn needs to change with the times.”
· AXEL TRYGG: Innkeeper (this page).
· THE WIDOW RIINA SOOVERE: Cook at the inn.
Brown hair with gray streaks under a bonnet.
Axel Trygg is a tall man with broad shoulders.
He talks and smiles a lot, but there is sadness
Warm and welcoming. Her nimble hands in his eyes. He dreams of building the inn
cook delicious food. into an even greater success and expanding
· ILYA ERMAKOV: Coachman (page 73). its services to include gambling. The local
· IMRE SOOVERE: Son of Riina, farmhand and
waiter. Short, with short, curly brown hair
religious community does not approve, but
Axel is convinced that Tammsalu could reach
and charming brown eyes. Imre is chatty new heights by offering card games. He
and likes to play cards with the guests after wants to tear down the old stables and build
supper. a larger one with room for more wagons. But
· KRÖÖT SOOVERE: Daughter of Riina and wait-
ress. Curly brown hair tied back in a messy
Ester’s death hit him hard, and these plans
are currently on hold. Axel is proud of his
bun, thin, scares easily, scrutinizing eyes. family history but does not believe the old
Loves fairy tales. stories about a nisse, and no one is leaving
· VILMA AF ZIMT: Guest, artist, medium
(page 74).
it gifts or food anymore.

· SAMUEL AND DANIEL CAMPBELL: Guests,

brothers, ghost hunters (page 78).
· Physique 4 Precision 3
Logic 3 Empathy 2
· KARIN KARASKEVA: Guest, runo singer
· FORCE 3 AGILITY 2 RANGED COMBAT 2
(page 79). · Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 2
· EQUIPMENT: Knife, hunting rifle

· 77 ·
 · CHAPTER 4 ·

SA MUEL CA MPBELL DA NIEL CA MPBELL

“There’s always a way forward.” “My carriage is my pride and joy.”

The Campbell brothers are investigators Daniel is the older of the brothers. He was
of paranormal activities from Winchester, trained from childhood to hunt monsters
England. Daniel and Samuel travel around and ghosts. He feels responsible for his
in a black carriage pulled by two black horses, brother Samuel, whom he has looked after
seeking out places where unsolved homi- since they were children, as their mother
cides have occurred. They too were on their died young and their father was always trav-
way to Constantinovich’s manor to attend eling. Daniel is of average height, has light
the conclave, but got caught in the storm brown hair and almond shaped brown eyes,
and checked into the inn a few hours before and is not an easy man to get to know. He
the player characters. They are found in the has a soldier’s body with scars from numer-
dining room when the characters arrive. ous battles. He wears a knee-­length coat and
Samuel is tall and strong, with shoulder-­ an old revolver in a holster, and carries a
length dark brown hair and kind blue eyes. He leatherbound book where he collects stories
has a talent for connecting with people. In his from the brothers’ adventures. He often sits
youth, Samuel dreamed of getting away from around drinking by himself to silence the
the rough life on the road and getting himself memories of all the horrors he has witnessed.
an education at Cambridge University. He
brings with him a large collection of books on
paranormal entities and phenomena, and is
· Physique 5 Precision 3
Logic 2 Empathy 4
often seen with his nose buried in these tomes. · FORCE 5 CLOSE COMBAT 4 AGILITY 2
STEALTH 3 RANGED COMBAT 2

· Physique 4 Precision 4 VIGILANCE 2

Logic 4 Empathy 2 · Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 3
· FORCE 2 CLOSE COMBAT 3 RANGED
COMBAT 4 VIGILANCE 3 OBSERVATION 2
· EQUIPMENT: Revolver, combat knife with
strange symbols
· Mental Toughness 2 Physical Toughness 3
· EQUIPMENT: Rifle

· 78 ·
 · A Winter’s Tale ·

THE DINING H A LL
The dining hall on the ground floor of the inn is spa-
cious and open and has a brick stove with a fireplace.
There is a huge bear skin in front of the fireplace, and
a number of chairs and tables have been set up nearby.
The room is warm and smells deliciously of food and
ale. There are often guests sitting at the tables, eating
food served by Krööt and Imre. An open wooden
staircase leads to the second floor where the family’s
rooms and the guest rooms are located.

CH A LLENGES
Below are a number of events and challenges that
may arise at the dining hall on the player characters’
first evening at the inn:
K A RIN K A R ASKEVA
“The songs teach us about the forgotten peoples.”
· A long-­haired gray cat steps right in front of one
of the player characters. The character trips and
must pass an AGILITY test not to fall and get hurt
The runo singer Karin Karaskeva has wavy (physical condition).
white hair and wears a traditional Votic
costume from the area and a beautifully
· Late at night the guests gather by the fireplace to
share stories. Axel Trygg says that it is tradition at
embroidered headdress. On her lap she has the inn, and invites the player characters to join in
some knitting that always keeps her hands – they can tell stories about past mysteries or some-
busy while she sings. She is knitting warm thing else entirely, true or fictitious. Each par-
clothes for her newborn great-­grandchild. ticipating player character makes an INSPIRATION
Karin knows hundreds of stories about test – on success another player character heals
vaesen, powerful people and wizards, as well one mental condition. The other guests’ stories
as local creation myths. Karin got caught in are presented in text boxes on page 82. See
the blizzard on the way to her family farm, the boxed text on page 81 for advice on how to
and is sitting in the dining room when the manage the storytelling in your game.
player characters arrive. She is very famil-
iar with the domovoi, and can relate infor- CLUES
mation about them to the player characters. There is a great deal of information to collect in the
dining room, mostly by talking to Axel Trygg and the
· Physique 2 Precision 3
Logic 4 Empathy 4
other guests at the inn. As a rule, it takes a successful
MANIPULATION test to get an NPC to open up, except

· VIGILANCE 3 OBSERVATION 4 during storytelling evenings (see above).

· Mental Toughness 3 Physical Toughness 1 · Axel can tell them more about the history of his
· EQUIPMENT: Knitting family and the inn (see Background on page 69).
· On the mantlepiece is a painted portrait of a fair-­
haired, middle-­aged woman with green eyes and
her hair worn in elaborate braids. If asked, Axel
explains that the woman is his sister, Ester, who

· 79 ·
· CHAPTER 4 ·

· 80 ·
 · A Winter’s Tale ·

· If the player characters ask Mrs. Karaskeva, she

explains that her runo song was about the farm’s
domovoi – a vaesen that protects people’s home
and hearth, but that the characters recognize as a
nisse. Domovoi are powerful creatures who pro-
tect their hearth and can sometimes bring good
fortune, but they may also cause trouble if treated
badly – which is why it is customary to leave them
food. In Russia, domovoi are believed to live in the
hearth of the house or the sauna, and to protect
the household if they are well cared for. If the fam-
ily moves to a different house, the domovoi come
with them in a small birchbark shoe. If the players
make a MANIPULATION roll, Mrs. Karaskeva can give
more information about the domovoi/nisse. Give
one piece of information for each success rolled:
– The best way to appease a scorned nisse is to
give him porridge, bread, or milk, and a bit
of attention.
– Nissar can be bound with spider silk. This robs
them of their power and prevents them from
breaking free.
– A nisse can be killed with a nail from a dilap-
passed away a few months earlier. “She was a idated farmhouse. The nail must be driven
dreamer, a sensitive soul, and ever since she was through the nisse’s heart.
a child she would often speak to invisible friends.
Now nothing can bring me my sister back.” Axel
can also tell them that Ester was found dead in
the pond last spring (see Background on page 69). ROLEPLAYING THE STORYTELLING

· If the player characters ask about her hairstyle,

Axel replies: “Ester often woke up with her hair
The telling of tales in the Dining Hall can be
played out in different ways, depending on the
arranged in the most beautiful braids. I still preferences of your gaming group. If the play-
don’t understand how it happened.” The mem- ers want to tell stories this is a good opportunity
ory brings a tear to his eye. to let them develop and describe their char-
· The NPCs’ tales contain clues that may be helpful
in solving the mystery – Axel recounts the history
acters, perhaps by describing the Trauma of
their first meeting with a vaesen (page 18 of the
of the farm, Mrs. Karaskeva sings of domovoi, core rulebook). These stories can be told by the
and Ilya tells the story of Father Frost. Other sto- players or managed summarily with an INSPIRE
ries may contain false leads – Ms. af Zimt speaks of roll. The player characters can also decline
restless spirits and departed relatives revealing the to tell stories, and just listen to the NPCs. The
truth about their deaths. The Campbell brothers NPCs’ stories can be read by you as a GM, or
tell the story of the White Lady, a revenant who you can ask players read them for variety.
avenges her own death by arranging accidents.

· 81 ·
 · CHAPTER 4 ·

VILMA AF ZIMT’S STORY garments. A few days later the stepmother sent the
“I have been able to communicate with spirits since I girl’s father to bring back her body to be buried. He
was eleven years old. One and a half years ago I was found her alive by a tree, surrounded with precious
at my family home in Sigtuna to attend the funeral of gifts. When the stepmother saw what the girl had
my niece Alva. She went missing on her way home from brought back, she told her husband to leave her own
school. The police and volunteers organized a search daughter out in the wintry cold. Unlike her stepsister,
party in the woods between the school and our fam- this child was rude to Morozko, and so he froze her
ily home, but Alva could not be found. My sister was to death. When her body was found, the mother bit-
inconsolable and told me that, since Alva’s disappear- terly regretted what she had done and that she had
ance, she had been hearing a strange knocking inside not taught her daughter kindness. Ester always used
the house and that items had suddenly fallen over or to say that human kindness is the one thing that can
switched places. On the advice of our priest, the fam- ward off the cold.”
ily finally arranged a funeral with an empty casket to
honor the girl’s memory. The night after the funeral
I woke up freezing in my room, and when I looked up,
I thought I saw Alva’s face in a mirror. As I went to THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS’ STORY
put the light on, a book suddenly fell from its shelf. “We recently investigated several mysterious deaths
The open page displayed a picture of an abandoned between Jamburg and Narva. Multiple people had
old cottage in the woods. In the morning I went over been killed in strange accidents where their carriages
there. The house was empty and there was nothing had run off the road. One poor soul survived long
but old junk in its dilapidated rooms. I was about to enough to tell us that he had seen a woman in white
head back when I suddenly saw Alva standing by the on the road just before he lost control of the horses.
old well. I walked over there. The rotten well cover White ladies come in many forms. They are usually the
was broken. “Help me, auntie” said a voice from the revenant of a woman who was betrayed and murdered,
darkness. I ran for help and returned with my relatives. or who died a violent death by her own hand because
The remains of a girl were lifted out of the blackness of unrequited love. Speaking with the locals, we real-
of the well. It was our Alva who had showed me the ized that it could be the revenant of a woman who was
way to her lifeless body. I could not save her, but I murdered by her own groom on the way home from
could give her peace.” their wedding. She has haunted the roads around the
village ever since, mad with grief and revenge. We
searched the woods and found her body in a clear-
ing. She was still wearing her wedding dress, with her
ILYA’S STORY head tilted at an unnatural angle. Suddenly we could
“Here in the woods, we are all exposed to the cruelty see her in front of us. Restless spirits are violent, and
of nature that you people experienced. The cold has she slammed Daniel into a tree with such force that
a name here – Morozko, or Father Frost. In one of the it knocked him senseless. That was the last time she
neighboring villages there was once a woman who exacted her revenge, and her ghost turned to dust
had a daughter she adored and a stepdaughter she before our eyes.”
hated. One day the woman told her husband to take
the stepdaughter out into the winter fields and leave
her there to die. Blinded by love, he obeyed. Morozko
found her there. She was polite and kind to him, so
he gave her a chest full of beautiful things and fine

· 82 ·
 · A Winter’s Tale ·

KARIN KARASKEVA’S SONG ESTER TRYGG’S ROOM

Axel walks up to the old woman sitting closest to the Even though it has been months since she died,
fire. “It’s an honor to have you here, Mrs. Karaskeva.” Ester’s room is still empty. It has been cleaned and
He turns to the other guests. “Karin Karaskeva is a smells pleasantly of fresh spruce. In the room is a
runo singer with deep knowledge of local folklore and wardrobe, a large bed with a beautifully crafted head-
vaesen. She has a remarkable memory and knows thou- board of pine, and by the little window is a chair and
sands of runos – or songs – from the area, as well as a small table covered with books.
hundreds of old proverbs. Would you please contribute
to our evening with something from your vast reper- CH A LLENGES
toire?” Mrs. Karaskeva looks up, and for a moment the
room feels a little warmer and the dying fire springs
· Ester’s bedroom door is locked, but the player
characters can ask Axel to have a look at it or steal
back to life. After finishing her song, she explains, in the key which is hanging on a hook in the inn’s key
broken Swedish, that the song was about a domovoi cabinet. They can also pick the lock with STEALTH
who did not like the household’s new horse. One morn- or kick the door in with FORCE (although Axel will
ing the farmer found the horse all sweaty in its stall. quickly arrive on the scene and be far from happy
The nisse had taken the form of a weasel and ridden if anyone tries the latter).
and tickled the horse until it was utterly exhausted.
Finally, the farmer bought some bells and tied them CLUES
around the horses’ neck, which made the nisse leave
him alone. When the runo singer is done talking, she
· The player characters can find a leatherbound
book on the table. This is Ester’s diary, and it con-
leaves a piece of bread and splash of ale on the man- tains many thoughts on topics great and small and
tlepiece. Axel laughs and gently says that his mother on daily life at the farm. But one particular entry,
and grandmother would do that as well. “They were from last summer, catches the player characters’
really superstitious.” interest – see Handout 4B.

RUNO SINGERS ESTER’S DIARY

A runo singer is a kind of living storybook June 17th. Two weeks ago, Ilya proposed to
through whom traditional songs, proverbs, and me. I had no choice but to turn him down. He
tales are preserved. The songs are written in a wanted to take me away from the inn to a life
particular meter, known as runometer, which in Saint Petersburg. He doesn’t understand. I
gives them a certain rhythm and through rep- responded coldly, even though it broke my heart.
etitions and alliterations help the runo singers Ilya had bought me a beautiful silver comb. It
remember the long poems and songs. Runo must have cost a fortune. I said that I already
singers are found in several countries at the had another friend. In a way I do, always did.
time of this adventure and were particularly And Axel needs me here. The inn means every-
important for unwritten languages like Votic thing to me, and I want to do everything in my
and Ingrian. Runo singers would often travel power to manage our heritage. Ilya’s expres-
to different villages and perform at family cel- sion darkened, like a thunderstorm over the
ebrations and festivities. forest in the summer, and he left the farm. He
has not returned. At night, when the house goes
quiet, I wonder if I made the right choice.

· 83 ·
 · CHAPTER 4 ·

A XEL TRYGG’S ROOM CLUES

Opposite the door is a deep window niche overlooking
the pond and the great oak tree. The room is simply
· If the player characters wish to speak with Ilya,
they will most likely find him here. After being
furnished – there is a bed with a carved headboard, a successfully MANIPULATED he can tell them about his
nightstand with a bible, a wardrobe, and a rug woven in unrequited love for Ester (see character descrip-
the style of the region with colorful runes in the pattern. tion on page 73).
In a corner stands a desk with books and paper on it. An
old birchbark shoe hangs framed and glazed on the wall.
· One of the stagecoach horses was injured in the
accident. A player character who examines the
horse will see that its leg has been neatly wrapped
CLUES and bandaged. The horse’s mane is plaited into
· On the desk are financial documents, books on
card games, and plans for the new stable with
elaborate braids, which as far as the player char-
acter remember were not there before.
more room for carriages. · A player character can see a small gray figure disap-
· The birchbark shoe is the one his family brought
with them from Sweden, along with Grayfoot. It
pear around the corner of the sauna. Characters
who try to follow it will find no trace of the figure.
is a clue that there is a nisse at the inn.

THE NISSE GR AY FOOT

GUEST ROOMS The nisse Grayfoot has followed the Tryggs for gener-
There are seven guest rooms at the inn, all decorated ations and moved with them to Ingria from the family
with simple but well-­crafted furniture. Each room has farm near Falun. Grayfoot has an intense look in his
two beds and a nightstand. The Campbell brothers amber eyes and appears as a little old man in rough
are staying in room 1, Ilya in room 2, Vilma af Zimt worker’s clothes and a gray hat, with a long, braided
in room 4, and Karin Karaskeva in room 7. The other beard. He speaks an old form of Swedish, as well as
rooms are available for the player characters to use. several other languages he has picked up over the
years. He speaks tersely and has a grumpy demeanor,
but his heart is in the right place. The nisse has a var-
STA BLE ied relationship with the family on the farm. As long
The stable is old but well-­kept. Inside the building as they stay on his good side, he is well behaved and
it is warm and smells of hay and manure. The walls loyal to the household. Grayfoot loved Ester who had
are lined with stalls where the Trygg family’s horses talked to him since childhood and would always leave
are standing along with those from the stagecoach. some bread, milk, or porridge by the stove. He was
There are beams and a hayloft overhead. Ilya spends deeply distressed to see Ester collapse by the pond
much of his time tending the horses at the stables. but knew that her life was beyond saving. Like Axel
he has mourned her in his own way, and some of the
CH A LLENGES trouble he is causing is his way of acting out. Axel’s
· As the player characters enter the stable, a heavy
bucket suddenly drops from one of the beams in
neglect and the fact that he is allowing card games
at the inn have made the nisse angry and vengeful.
the ceiling. A random player character must pass Grayfoot can turn into a long-­haired cat and will
an AGILITY test to leap out of the way and not get hit do so in order to move among the guests at the inn.
by the bucket (physical condition). If asked about Occasionally the cat knocks over someone’s beer mug
the bucket, Ilya is surprised – he is sure that he or steals a player character’s seat when she goes to the
put it on the floor just moments ago. outhouse. A player character may also feel a presence

· 84 ·
 · A Winter’s Tale ·

in her room and suddenly notice the cat glaring back

at her with contempt. THE TAROT READING
Grayfoot has the stats and characteristics of an At some appropriate point during the player
ordinary nisse (see page 148 of the core rulebook). characters’ investigations, the esoterist Vilma
af Zimt (page 74) will use divination cards,
known as tarot, to determine whether the inn
THE STAGECOACH is haunted by a revenant. But she needs some-
About an hour’s walk from the inn is the stagecoach in one to fetch her tarot deck which she left in
which the player characters arrived. They can return the stagecoach after the accident. She asks
here to fetch Vilma af Zimt’s tarot deck (see the boxed the player characters to go and get it (possibly
text to the right) or retrieve their own lost possessions. along with the coachman Ilya if he is still alive).
As they return to the stagecoach, the characters find For more information, see The Stagecoach to
it covered by a thick layer of snow and surrounded by the left.
huge snow-­laden spruce trees. The place looks peace- When she gets her cards back, Vilma can
ful now. The stagecoach is lying on its side with the use them to find out what is going on in the
group’s possessions scattered in the snow around it. house. She places her strange hand-­painted
cards on the dining room table. Anyone is wel-
CH A LLENGES come to join her. Her fingers move over the
The characters can encounter several challenges at strange cards which she spreads like a fan. She
the stagecoach. slowly flips three cards, one at a time. She gives
· On their walk to and from the stagecoach, each
player character must pass a FORCE test to withstand
the group a long, curious look and explains
that the cards reflect different aspects of the
the cold (page 72). An additional test must be situation, but they don’t provide an unequiv-
made after each attempt to find items in the snow, ocal truth.
except after the first. This is a good time for one “The cards are only a tool in our search
of the characters to have a vision of Father Frost and require interpretation. They can mean dif-
(page 74). ferent things for different people. Today they
· The player characters must pass an INVESTIGATION
test to find Vilma af Zimt’s tarot deck or any
seem to be raising more questions than they
answer.”
other item lost in the snow. Multiple attempts There are three cards on the table – see
are allowed, but after each attempt (except the Handout 4C. The player characters can make a
first) the character must make another FORCE test LEARNING test to access the following informa-
to endure the cold. tion about how these cards can be interpreted:

CLUES
· THE STAR: Hope, openness, the uncon-
scious, a flood of emotions, Venus.
The player characters can gain several clues from
their visit to the stagecoach:
· THREE OF SWORDS: Sorrow, heartbreak,
pain.
· On the driver’s seat lies a portrait of Ester Trygg.
It belonged to Ilya, which he admits if asked.
· THE HERMIT: A quest for truth, withdrawal
from others, solitude.
· A player character who stops and looks into the
forest can see a figure in white moving silently
across the snow. If the character tries to follow it,
the figure vanishes without a trace.

· 85 ·
 · CHAPTER 4 ·

THE SAUNA he is to please should depend on how quickly the play-

The sauna is located by the frozen pond behind the ers reach this conclusion. If the player characters can-
inn, under the sprawling branches of the oak tree. not figure it out on their own, the runo singer Karin
People come here to heat water and have a wash. Karaskeva can nudge them in the right direction.
There is a fire burning in an open hearth in the One place where Grayfoot is likely to show himself
middle of the anteroom. Wooden benches have been is by the inn’s fireplace. First the player characters see
placed around the fire, and on the walls there are the cat jump down from its spot by the stove and disap-
iron hooks for hanging up clothes. Wooden buckets pear behind the fireplace. The hearth gives off a dim
can be filled with water and placed in the sauna for glow that provides neither light nor warmth. Then
heating. There are also bundles of birch twigs which the characters see him, first as a shadow in the corner,
can be used to gently whip one’s body. A large long-­ but then a little old man appears before them wearing
haired cat is stretched out on a pelt by the hearth and light gray clothes and a knitted hat. He fixes his gaze
its crackling fire. on Axel, if he is present. “So, you finally see me, boy.”
This is a smoke sauna. When it is time to heat it
up, a window is opened and a fire is lit under the
sauna stones. The smoke then pours out of the win- ATTACKING THE NISSE
dow which is blackened around the edges. Once the The player characters can try to bind the nisse with
firewood has burned down and the stones are hot, spider silk, drive him away by force, or even try to
the window is closed and the sauna bath can begin. kill him with a rusty nail – but this will bring disaster
Inside the sauna there are stepped benches to sit on to the farm and likely end with everyone at the inn
and a wooden bucket and a ladle for pouring water freezing to death (see Catastrophe). You can have the
on the stones. It smells strongly of smoke, but the air runo singer Karin Karaskeva or even Axel intervene
is smooth and pleasant to breathe. if the player characters decide to use violence against
the nisse.
CLUES
· In a corner of the sauna is a silver comb, partially
concealed under the firewood. The player charac- A PPE ASING THE NISSE
ters can find it by searching around the firewood The wisest solution is to speak with the nisse and
or passing an INVESTIGATION test. make him see reason. That is the only way to gain
· In the sauna there are several carved wooden figu-
rines of animals, adorned with intricate patterns.
protection from the dreadful cold outside. But the
conversation with Grayfoot is a balancing act – the
They must have been carved and decorated by a grief over Ester’s death has left him sullen and easily
master craftsman. offended (see character description on page 84).
He can now also tell the player characters how Ester
died from a stroke.
CONFRONTATION The player characters and Axel must convince the
nisse that he will no longer be ignored and that he
The climax of this mystery could play out in many is important to the farm. The nisse fears that he will
different ways. If the player characters figure out that be forgotten. He wants Axel to promise that he will
the accidents at the farm are likely caused by a nisse, keep presenting him with gifts and possibly aban-
they would do well to leave him some food and attract don his plans about arranging card games at the
his attention. Grayfoot will then reveal himself to the inn. Roleplay the conversation with Grayfoot and
characters. Exactly when this happens and how hard add a few MANIPULATION tests if you like. However, no

· 86 ·
 · A Winter’s Tale ·

single failure should derail the characters’ attempts If Ester’s grave is desecrated or if the player char-
to reason with the nisse, but simply make things a acters or the Campbell brothers harm the nisse,
bit harder. Grayfoot will abandon the inn for good, leaving
the characters and the others to their fate (see the
countdown).
THE GHOST HUNTERS
At some appropriate time before Grayfoot lets him-
self be placated by the player characters, the situa- RECONCILI ATION
tion is further complicated by the Campbell brothers’ If the threat from the Campbell brothers is averted
involvement. This can happen in a variety of ways. and Axel and the player characters succeed in appeas-
Initially the brothers are convinced that Ester’s ing Grayfoot, the nisse lights up and places his hand
spirit is causing the accidents in the form of a reve- on the hearthstone. “I think we finally understand
nant (see page 150 of the core rulebook). They urge each other, master Axel.” The nisse fades before the
Axel to show them where she is buried, so that they player characters’ eyes, and they can feel a pulse –
can salt and burn her remains – a method they claim almost like a heartbeat – emanating from Grayfoot
can banish revenants. At first Axel refuses, but as and spreading through the guests, the room, the
more accidents occur and the temperature keeps house, and the garden. The fire flares up and a lovely
dropping, he finally gives in, and the brothers go warmth fills the room.
through with their plan unless they are stopped by
the player characters – see Catastrophe on page 75.
Even if the brothers are prevented (through force
or persuasion) from burning Ester’s remains, they AFTERMATH
may still cause trouble during the confrontation with If Axel and the player characters convince Grayfoot
Grayfoot. They have done their homework and know to stay, the group will gain his protection, the fire at
that nissar can be killed with a rusty nail through the the inn will burn hot once again, and the people and
heart. They attack Grayfoot when he appears, think- animals will be safe from the ruthless cold. The bliz-
ing it will save the inn. They do not realize that the zard subsides and outside the snow glitters in the win-
nisse’s protection is the only thing that can save the ter sun. In the great hall of the inn one can hear the
inn from the terrible cold of Father Frost. cozy sound of the fire spreading its pleasant warmth
The brothers might show up and cause trouble through the room. The cook Riina is making por-
just as the player characters are on their way to talking ridge, and before serving it to the guests she places a
some sense into Grayfoot. Samuel and Daniel try to bowl of porridge and a jug of milk by the stove.
convince the characters that they are right, but will A man with a sleigh comes bearing a message from
not hesitate to use violence to get their way. This may Count Constantinovich. The conclave has been post-
lead to combat, but the player characters can also settle poned. The player characters can return to Saint
the situation by MANIPULATING the brothers – but it will Petersburg or continue their journey towards other
not be easy, as they must be dealt with individually. destinations.

· 87 ·
 · Handouts: A Dance with Death ·

To whom it may concern,

My name is Jenny and I turn to your Society, for I know
not what else to do. I am but the humble owner of Swärd’s
Farm, situated in Nusnäs in Mora Parish.
It all started one morning when Pers Ida, a kulla working at
the fäbodvall of Fudal, woke up on the shore of Lake Siljan
with no recollection of how she got there. She had gone to bed
with  other kullas as usual.  whole thing was very strange
and several of the kullas have been worried ever since.
I write to you now in the wake of two of my cows drowning in
the lake, despite the fence that was supposed to contain them.
Someone, or something, led them there. I’d like to believe that
none of the kullas would ever do something so callous, but I
worry that someone might be hiding something from me.
 police would not listen, and so I turn to you. I am
convinced that something unnatural is at work, and that it is
coming for us.
Having no one else to help me, I sincerely hope that this letter
reaches you and that you will find it in your hearts to offer your
assistance and expertise.
Please reply with haste and I shall meet you in Mora.
Yours humbly,
Swärds Jenny

1A: Swärds Jenny’s letter

· 88 ·
 · Handouts: A Dance with Death ·

Meddlesome people
like you would be
wise to leave.
Let us handle this
ourselves.
1B: The note on the bed

My darling Boel,
Your hair is as beautiful as freshly
spun strings, and your voice is like
the most exquisite music. You are the
fairest woman I know. You make my
heart beat like a drum inside my
chest. It beats for you, and for you
alone.
But I know that your heart beats
for another. I know that he, too,
is a fiddler.
But I promise, my love, that the
time will soon come when I will be
the greatest fiddler Fudal has ever
seen, and then you will not be able
to resist me. Together we shall make
very sweet music indeed.
Your loving Jons Gustav

1C: Jons Gustav’s love letter

· 89 ·
 · Handouts: A Dance with Death ·

Since the cow disappeared, I’ve tried

to keep a lookout at night. Yesterday
I saw something by the cove.
I thought I saw someone in the water.
But the thing that surprised me most
was a woman speaking to the strange
figure. I could not see who it was
before she ran away. She must have
seen me. I have to find out who this
was. Perhaps that is the key to what
is going on?

1D: Excerpt from Pers Ida’s diary

My beloved,
Run away with me and be mine.
With his fiddle I shall be free
from the pact that keeps me here,
and you will hear the sweetest of
music. But if he comes after you,
use this knife, for it has cut the
strings of fiddles. Stick it in the
ground and it will protect you.
I ’m sorry about the poor cat and
the fate it suffered. I hope you
will forg•

1E: Jons Gustav’s unfinished letter

· 90 ·
 · Handouts: Fireheart ·

To whom it may concern,

My name is Alfred Härenstam, from Häryd parish in Smolandia.
I turn to your esteemed Society as I see no other solution to my
current predicament. It concerns my dear brother and best friend,
August. All my life he has been very close to me, and together
we founded the Häryd Ironworks by the shore of Lake Hären. Our
workers scraped up the iron ore from the bottom of the lake, and in the
blast furnace we smelted it into ingots.
As you have no doubt heard, Smolandia is these days ravaged by
drought, crop failure, and poverty. Our beloved parents could not
cope with this ordeal and they both expired a week ago. I buried them
yesterday and I write these lines in the light of a single candle on our
family farm. My dear late mother was interested in the supernatural,
and she is the one from whom I learned of your Society.
I see no alternative but to leave these godforsaken lands and seek my
fortune in America, like so many before me. But I cannot do so
without my brother August, who still runs the ironworks. He has
cast me out and threatened to kill me if I ever return.
August is in the grip of madness. A she-­devil in the guise of a
preacher has twisted his mind. This woman, Beata Gideonsdotter,
presents herself as a proclaimer of God’s word, but I suspect that she
is in fact a servant of Lucifer himself.
I ask that you come to our family farm in Häryd at the earliest
opportunity, to smoke out this Evil and save my brother’s soul.
Most respectfully,
Alfred Härenstam

2A: Alfred Härenstam’s letter

· 91 ·
 · Handouts: Fireheart ·

In the woods south of the town of Gnosjö lies Lake

Hären. Local elders speak of this black lake with
reverence. Legend has it that a ferocious beast roamed
these parts hundreds of years ago, and that the villagers
banded together to slay the monster. In the terrible
battle that followed, the army drove the beast back into
its cave and a mighty sorceress called down a rainstorm
of such magnitude that it ¦ooded the entire valley and
submerged the cave. The lake that formed was named
Hären—meaning ‘The Army’ in the local tongue—in
honor of the brave warriors who died ¥ghting the beast.

2b: Excerpt from Myths and

Folk Tales of Smolandia

June 23rd
I’ve done it at last. I made it. I never thought I’d find the
cave again, but now my knapsack is bursting with glittering
gold. More than enough to realize our dream of an ironworks
by the shore of Lake Hären. The ore is right there, waiting
for us. Our dream. Mine and Alfred’s. My dear brother.
How many times over the years have we sought the hidden
crevice, hoping to find our way back to the cave in the woods
on the other side of Hären, where we as boys found the
resting Beast? Why did I find it this time?
It must have been God’s providence–the Lord showed me
the way when I needed it the most.
The Merciful also saved me from the Beast’s wrath.
The foul Serpent writhed in his sleep, but it did not wake.
It didn’ t see me steal his coins. It didn’ t even notice me
lighting my lantern from his fiery breath.
I have stolen the beast’s gold and taken his fire. I may
be a thief, but stealing from a Demon of Hell is surely a
service to the Lord. Everything will be different now, all of
Smolandia shall know the name Härenstam. But Alfred
must never know what I have done.

2C: August Härenstam’s diary entry

· 92 ·
 · Handouts: The Devil on the Moor ·

Dear friends,

I have received an urgent message from our Da

nish comrades, and I fear that dark
forces are at work. If there is any truth to the refe
rences to Sandemann, the situation
is extremely serious. Kindly visit me at the asylum
as soon as possible, and prepare to
leave the country.

Yours sincerely,
Linnea

3A: Linnea’s letter

———————————————————————————
———————————————————————————

P RO G R E S S I S COMI N G
TO DA R KEST JUTLA N D
From the Viborg Post Office to Using the very latest in technology and science,
Upsala Tele­
graph Station industrious engineers from the royal capital of
Copenhagen have taken upon themselves to civilize the
Esteemed mistress barren moors of the Jutland peninsula. It is the Danish
Society for Moorland Reclamation, which many of our
readers will already be familiar with, that is launching
Require immediate assistance this manful initiative. The bogs shall be drained, the
STOP Clear demonic presence on heather weeded out, and Germanic trees with virile
Grimsted Lyng STOP Attacks on roots shall be planted to keep the soil firm and shelter
the Moorland Society’s work crops from the windblown sand. Furthermore, they
camp STOP Unnatural damages on shall use the latest marvels of artificial fertilizer,
developed by the hardworking and ingenious research
equipment STOP The men
engineers at the Polytechnical University of Denmark.
frightened out of their wits One of these fearless torchbearers of civilization is
STOP Anger and foolery from the the renowned steam engineer Preben Rasmussen, who
locals STOP Afraid it is G will be leading the Moorland Society’s expedition
Sandemann’s devil STOP Awaiting to the vast moor of Grimsted Lyng: a primitive and
your arrival at the Grimsted godforsaken part of Denmark which according to
Rasmussen might as well be in darkest Africa. “I have
Tavern STOP
humbly accepted the noble task of ensuring civilization
and human progress”, said Mr. Rasmussen to our
reporter. He adds that his only worry is how the local
population will react to his steam engine: “One hears
of the Luddite lunatics in England.”
3B: Preben Rasmussen’s telegram

3C: Newspaper article about the Moorland Society

· 93 ·
 · Handouts: The Devil on the Moor ·

3D: Fragment from Underground Vaesen

and Their Worshippers in the North
Although studies of the chthonic forces are always
difficult to conduct and hazardous to life and limb,
the history of Nordic science contains numerous
examples that even rival international luminaries
such as the fearless brothers Wilhelm and Jacob I shall refer to this winged vaesen as “the Devil
Grimm in Germany and the grandmaster alchemist
on the Moor”, as there is no doubt whatever about
its infernal origins. It is venerated as a guardian
Isaac Newton. One important pioneer in our own
angel by the moorland folk, and so it has been since
corner of the world is the Danish Gabriel Sandemann,
time immemorial. These poor blinded people – it
who in the decades between Bonaparte’s wars and is scarcely an exaggeration to call them fools or the
the advent of the railroad travelled among peasants savages of Danevang – are paying a terrible price
and commoners to document their relationship to for this demonic protection. Blood and souls are
the subterrestrial. Sandemann was an imposing what I speak of. Blood and souls. They have always
man—tall and strong in body and soul—who during sacrificed children to the powers of the moor, forever
his many travels through the Danish peasant branding their immortal souls for the Dark One and
society, in its final bloom, collected thousands
the realm of everlasting torment.
of legends and eyewitness accounts of underground
vaesen and their relationship to mankind. Perhaps 3E: Sandemann’s journal: The Devil on the Moor
most remarkable of all is his documentation of
the wondrous yet fearsome vaesen haunting the
famous Danish moors. Grimsted Hus is a savage place of folly and ungodly
barbarism, but even here our Lord has planted a
solitary seed of Christian decency. She is a girl of
peasant stock, named Signe Andersdotter, but she
has a good head on her shoulders and even seems to
be literate. Through this pure, innocent creature
I have gained access to the inner secrets of the
moorland peasantry, and at times I feel that the
truth – the glimpse of reality that my campaign for
enlightenment has uncovered – is too heavy for one
man to bear. But there is no longer any doubt on
the matter: devil worship has been practiced here for
millennia, and the beating heart of this ancient cult
is Grimsted Hus.

3F: Sandemann’s journal: Devil Worship at Grimsted Hus

3G: Daguerreotype of Signe Andersdotter

· 94 ·
 · Handouts: A Winter’s Tale ·

To whom it may concern,

My name is Constantine Constantinovich, Count of Jamburg in Ingria,
west of Saint Petersburg in the Russian Empire. Your Society’s reputation
is known far and wide among those who seek to observe the unseen and
understand the inexplicable. I have the utmost respect for your work, and
like you, I seek answers to the mysteries of the cosmos.
At the midwinter blot I am hosting a gathering which I believe would
be of interest to you – Conclavum Sub Rosa. The meeting brings together
individuals of different backgrounds with a shared interest in the
supernatural, who seek a deeper understanding through the process of
alchem�.
It would be a great honor and pleasure to have the Society grace our
gathering with its presence. I shall wait for you at my residence outside
Jamburg on the twentieth of December, to discuss the secrets and mysteries
of life.
Yours sincerely,
Count Constantine Constantinovich
PS. All things are connected!

4A: Count Constantine Constantinovich’s letter

· 95 ·
 · Handouts: A Winter’s Tale ·

June 17th. Two weeks ago, Ilya proposed to

me. I had no choice but to turn him down. He
wanted to take me away from the inn to a life
in Saint Petersburg. He doesn’t understand.
I responded coldly, even though it broke my
heart. Ilya had bought me a beautiful silver
comb. It must have cost a fortune. I said
that I already had another friend. In a way
I do, always did. And Axel needs me here.
The inn means everything to me, and I want
to do everything in my power to manage our
heritage. Ilya’s expression darkened, like a
thunderstorm over the forest in the summer,
and he left the farm. He has not returned.
At night, when the house goes quiet, I wonder
if I made the right choice.

4B: Ester’s diary

4C: The tarot cards

· 96 ·
 Still are the forests
large and small,
wrapped in the frosty white,
only the distant waterfall
murmurs and hums in the night.
The nisse listens and, half in dream,
thinks it is time’s ceaseless stream,
wonders which way it is going,
And from what source
it is flowing.
– VIKTOR RYDBERG

Within these pages you will find four spine-tingling cases for Vaesen
– Nordic Horror Roleplaying. This book contains four standalone
mysteries, one for each season of the year. In these pages you will find:

· A Dance with Death – Travel to the green vales of Dalarna in the

springtime to investigate strange events in a remote village.
· Fireheart – During the summer heatwave of the century, journey
south to the ironworks of Häryd and confront a fearsome
adversary.
· The Devil on the Moor – On the autumnal moors of Denmark,
find yourselves in a struggle between the ways of old and the
designs of modernity.
· A Winter’s Tale – Cross the Baltic Sea and brave the wintry forests
of Ingria, where an unknown being stalks the night beneath
glittering stars.

CONTENT WARNING ISBN 978-91-89143-62-3

The old folk tales often expressed
FLFVAS11

dark and mature themes, and thus

the Vaesen RPG explores such
themes as well. This is a horror
© 2022 Fria Ligan AB game and not suitable for children,
and Johan Egerkrans at least not without the Game­
master first modifying the content. 9 789189 143623