nOBODY DIES In

HJALPMAKAAR
Nobody Dies in Hjálpmakaar is an adventure for starting characters. As with all starting adven-
tures, it provides the origin story for the group of characters that venture into the Vikingverse. Un-
like other starting adventures, this one provides a bit more guidance to help novice Game Masters
get their start along with some extra insights into how to unleash their inner Viking.

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 NOBODY DIES IN HJALPMAKAAR

SUMMARY HAPPY DEATH DAY BJARNARDR!

Bjarnarðr is a miserly mann who has no interest in
As citizens of Hjálpmakaar, the characters are asked the opinions of a dverg doctor. He must be collected
to escort a dying man on his last journey only to find from his cabin on the outskirts of town and persuad-
themselves drawn into a bitter blood feud. If they out- ed to accompany the player characters. It is entirely
wit or outfight their rivals, they will forge the bonds possible that the characters will need to lie, cajole or
of friendship and the trust they need to carry them on threaten Bjarnarðr, and even force entry to his shack,
to even greater adventures. If they fail, well, let’s just especially if they lead with any Death Day gifts or
say the title of the adventure is aspirational… merchandise. Even when he is forced to move, the
old man complains the whole way, insisting he is on
the road to recovery. Persuading Bjarnarðr to do any-

THE SEASON thing is challenging, and ultimately a matter of ap-

pealing to his honour. If he breaks the Death Law and
dies within town, his friends (and possibly the player
In Heimsslit in summer, Sól is omnipresent and characters) will be responsible for any damages.
the distinction between day and night becomes a
blur. Even at midnight, she sends dappled red rays
streaming across the land, as sunset merges into sun- Secrets: Bjarnarðr is genuinely ill and discharged
rise with no darkness in between. himself from the sickhouse illegally. He has tucked an
old property deed into his cold suit which he plans to
take to his grave. The deed is signed by Vilhelm Bja-

THE SAGA
rnarðr and dates to the Time of Travels. It legally
transfers Heimsslit from the local tribes to Bjarnarðr
and his descendants. To the right people, this deed is
immensely valuable. The trapper will not disclose this
to anyone.
BURIAL DETAIL
The player characters are summoned by the local
dverg diagnostician, VAL-Tóki. The bot has medical
training and has been left in charge of the sickhouse,
THE JOURNEY
monitoring patients’ clinical charts and vital signs. It The player characters must escort Bjarnarðr to the
has predicted with 98% certainty that a ‘meat-kettle’ Troll’s Tongue. At the outset, you can read them this
named Bjarnarðr Bjarnarðson will expire very soon. description, or paraphrase it to suit your storytelling
Demographic analysis suggests that the (almost) style:
decedent is too poor to pay for a funeral pyre.

Employment The boggy ground makes sucking noises at your boots.

The coastal path is penned by muscular mountains,
VAL-Tóki wishes to employ the characters as ísbjörn their charcoal flanks still painted with last winter’s
guards, a common duty in the town. It asks them to snow. Above, the sun pirouettes across the heavens,
escort Bjarnarðr to the town ættarstapi, a steep prec- producing 24 hours of perpetual daylight, perfect for
ipice where townsfolk leap to their death to avoid the walruses that laze around the shore.
fines under the Death Law. Once Bjarnarðr has ex-
pired, it is willing to pay each of them 1 crown. The
dverg had no grasp of politics, gender, or class (and The journey takes two days at Cautious pace over
only feigns interest in biology in general) so isn’t con- difficult terrain: the old man insists on going slowly
cerned about who it corrals into guard duty. to savour his last moments on Midgard. Travelling
at this speed does at least provide the advantage of
Equipment making all Awareness rolls with one weal.

VAL-Tóki loans everyone a rifle with six rounds. He

expects unused ammunition to be returned. In addi-
tion, the dverg has a set up a side hustle in Happy
Death Day merchandise. The bot tries to encourage
the characters to buy a card, balloons, and streamers
for Bjarnarðr for $1, suggesting that it will make their
lives easier when dealing with Bjarnarðr. It should be
obvious to anyone who isn’t a dverg that this is a ter-
rible idea.

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 THOUGHT & MEMORY SAGA

ROLEPLAYING BEAR NECESSITIES

BJARNARDR • When dealing with ísbjörn, seasoned trap-

pers make sure to carry a suitably powerful
firearm when venturing beyond the safety of
Despite Bjarnarðr’s age, illness, and general reluc- settlements.
tance, he is a skilled outdoorsman, and a source of • Trappers avoid camping in areas where en-
both expert advice and barbed criticism. His face is counters with ice bears are likely, such as
craggy, weather-beaten and fixed in a permanent along the shoreline. They set up camp up
scowl. Underneath his cold suit he sports long, curly from the beach, preferably with a good view
grey hair and a well-picked nose. Depending on how in all directions and avoid areas where there
he is treated, he may offer the some of the “Bear Ne- are fresh tracks.
cessities” advice listed below. Bjarnarðr doesn’t espe- • All campsites should be encircled by trip-
cially care whether his guards live or die, but he does wires or other warning systems. The very
enjoy toying with them in his last few hours. A week- best solution is a ísbjörn guard on lookout,
end spent with “Bjarnie” should feel like a month. especially at night while others are sleeping.
• Flare gun and extra cartridges must be stored
so they are easy to find if an ice bear turns up.
• If an ice bear has time to make itself comfort-
able around a camp, it will often be much
harder to scare away.
• Ísbjörn can smell food at great distances. Be
extra vigilant when cooking!
• Ísbjörn can be very shy and often do not like
machine noise. The Winter Wise have found
that ísbjörn hide from dverg even when they
were far off.

TUNDRA
ENCOUNTERS
The following encounters can be spread throughout
the journey to the Troll’s Tongue. They are designed
to add colour to the setting and foreshadow future
events.

I AM THE WALRUS
Camping out under the midnight sun, the charac-
ters witness an ice bear mounting a nearby ridge and
throwing down a large rock at a walrus. It appears to
have calculated the distance and the curve with as-
BJARNARÐR BJARNARÐSON DIFFICULTY 1 tonishing accuracy: it crushes the thick bullet-proof
Size 1 mannkyn skull of the unsuspecting beast below. The ice bear
focuses on eating it’s kill, but the players don’t know
Awareness 11 (+1) that. This encounter gives Bjarnarðr the opportunity
to critique the characters camping skills and maybe
Defence 10 Health 11
teach them a lesson or two. Or just scare them wit-
Might 11 (+1) Sleight 10 (+0) less...like Quint in the Jaws movie, he has plenty of
Wits 11 (+1) Will 9 (–1) harrowing stories to recount.
Speed 10

ATTACK OPTIONS

Knife: (melee or short range) +1 (1d3)

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 NOBODY DIES IN HJALPMAKAAR

“It’s rugged country, eh? Beautiful in its bleakness. THE SCAR IN THE SKY
One of the things I thought was if the old gods went
to live anywhere, this is where they went. First time Despite the bright sunlight, the player characters no-
I came out here, it happened. Very first light, ice bear tice a luminous red cross shimmer and ripple across
come cruisin’ by. A big one. A real bruiser. Sometimes the sky, mesmerizing anyone who dares to look. Bjar-
that ice bear looks right at ya. Right into your eyes. narðr claims to know all about the norðurljós or north-
And the thing about an ice bear is he’s got fiendish ern lights. He insists the players all clap wildly while
eyes. Hungry eyes. And it just came down top of that he regales them with another tall tale:
tent, just bam. You wouldn’t have believed it. And by
Thórr, he got my head in his jaws and he just ripped
me right through the side of the tent. Like a cork out “The biggest mistake you can make with the lights is
of a champagne bottle. Boom! And he just started run- to wave, sing or whistle at them. Tell them you are
ning. He had me by my head running and I was get- here, and the spirits of the lights will come down and
ting dragged along. The breath, you would not believe slice off your head! Clap your hands and you’ll be safe.
the smell of that bear’s breath. I could feel the bones The only reason to whistle is to encourage them to
cracking in my neck and skull.” come closer, to give ‘em messages to take to the dead.”

MINE NUMBER 7
As the player characters make their way to the æt-
tarstapi they pass by a mine shaft, the entrance sur-
rounded by wooden scaffold, ventilation equipment
and scrap metal. Inside the mine are seven dvergar
miners, led by their supervisors Wetkret and Rokk-
púls (ore thralls). There is a huge water pump outside,
that has clogged and choked to a halt. Characters with
a mining background, or anyone who actively inves-
tigates, realize that the mountain above the mine is
covered by a glacier and melting water is penetrating
through the rocks into the mine—hence the pump.
The player characters might try to fix the pump
themselves or enter the mine to provide a warning,
in which case the dvergar are extremely grateful.
This noble action earns those who helped 1 Honour.
The next time they see the adventurers in town, the
miners sing their praises. The dvergar are also happy
to attest to their good name in court, should that be
necessary.
If the group fail to investigate or evacuate the mine,
they hear about the flooding of Mine 7 when they re-
turn to town. All the miners are lost in the disaster.

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 THOUGHT & MEMORY SAGA

ISBJORN ATTACK
Finnbogi is accompanied by two bodyguards (Wolf
Feeders) named Thorodd and Thorbjorn, who follow
his every command. Each mann also rides a skíðverg.
On the final approach to the ættarstapi, player char- To divert any blame away from himself, Finnbogi
acters who succeed on an Awarness challenge roll pretends to be livid that his bear escaped. As far as he
spot a stalking ísbjörn, prowling at long range. If the is concerned, leaving an old man in the snow to die
characters scrutinize the bear, they may realize it is was too much temptation for poor, innocent Snow
unusual in several respects: White.While Finnbogi desperately wants to get hold
of the land deed, he is prepared to wait rather than
• A success on a Wits challenge roll reveals the make his desire public. It would be shameful for him
bear has followed them from the direction of to attack or kill the player characters, so he prefers to
the town. have his day in court, where he can use his reputation
• A success on a second Awareness challenge and influence to his advantage.
roll reveals the bear has a broken harness.
• It doesn’t take any skill to realize the bear is
emaciated and very hungry. THE SUMMONS
It is entirely possible that diplomatic player charac-
SNOW WHITE ters might scare off the bear, placate Finnbogi and
march Bjarnarðr to the ættarstapi. However, given
The bear is a house pet, named Snow White (Snjóh- the volatile personalities involved, the tense situation
vítr) owned by a local jöfurr magnate. Snow White is likely to escalate:
attacks the nearest and slowest member of the par-
ty: poor Bjarnarðr. The beast is about 1.5 times taller Bjarnie Dies
than a male human and over 5 times heavier. On its
hind legs, Snow White stands 3m (10′) tall and towers If Bjarnarðr has been mauled by the bear, he insults
above most characters. everybody with his dying breath.
If attacked with a flare gun, Snow White must make
a Will challenge roll. If it fails, it becomes Frightened
until the symptom ends. Whilst frightened in this “You whimpering... snotty-nosed... ...cretinous cow-
way, the bear must use an action to rush away from ards! You’re everything I despise! You couldn’t even
shooter. At the end of each round, roll a d6. On a roll kill me properly.”
of 5 or higher Snow White returns to the hunt.
After three rounds (feel free to shorten the fight if Finnbogi hears only part of the insult over the shriek
Snow White is causing too much mayhem), the bear’s of the wind and eagerly assumes one of the players is
owner, Finnbogi Ásbjarnarson, arrives riding a insulting him.
skíðverg and scolds the bear into submission.
Snow White Wounded
ACCUSATIONS IN THE SNOW If the bear has been wounded—or possibly even
killed —an irate Finnbogi demands compensation.
Finnbogi Ásbjarnarson is in his forties, with receding
black hair and braided beard. He is physically fit and Fighting Words
stands a towering 7 feet tall. He is loud-mouthed,
childish, and vain, even by jöfurr standards. He has a Hot-headed characters might insult or attack Finnbo-
habit of bellowing oaths, such as “By Thórr’s roaring gi directly.
thunder!” or “By Brimir’s big blue balls!” As soon as the altercation reaches boiling point,
Finnbogi turns his skíðverg and declares that he will
see the offending characters at the Law-Thing. He
Secrets: Finnbogi Ásbjarnarson knows about the land
summons everyone else on the road to be his witness-
deed that Bjarnarðr has hidden. He set Snow White to es and states:
scare the old timer into handing the document over –
but didn’t count on him being accompanied.
“Here, now, we shall part safe and sound, and meet
at the Thing, and there begin our quarrel over again.”

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 NOBODY DIES IN HJALPMAKAAR

THE LAW-THING
bots actively suggest this route. Solveig Soðketill has
learned a lot about compensation from mining dis-
putes and multiple divorces, and she is happy to
dispense her wisdom to anyone drowning their sor-
In the aftermath of the Swordfall, the imperial legal rows at her bar. Solveig explains that disputes are
system across Midgard has decentralized and de- best resolved through negotiation and compromise,
cayed, and the ‘old arrangements’ have replaced state although violence is permissible and even required to
courts as a matter of practicality. In towns across the maintain honour in some instances. The player char-
Níu Heimar, the Law-Thing has regained its role as a acters must choose one of three options:
voice for local interests and taken stronger control of
governance. If Finnbogi Ásbjarnarson has laid a claim 1. Settlement
against the player characters, they are summoned to 2. Judgement by their peers or
the Law-Thing to defend themselves three days af- 3. Trial by combat
ter the incident with Snow White. They might con- Being a soft touch for hard luck cases, Solveig happily
sider finding legal advice, but such is the wealth and runs through the basics of each. The player characters
standing of their rival that this will prove difficult. can then make their decision known to the lawspeak-
The town lawyers, Bolverk & Sons, politely refuse to er.
even meet with them.
1. SETTLEMENT
Reputation is everything in the Vikingverse: a The player characters might offer weregild as com-
good name helps you make a living, earn friends pensation to Finnbolgi, although the fine is probably
and fit into the community. Your reputation beyond their means.
doesn’t just reflect on you, it reflects on your en- Alternatively, player characters who have a legal
tire family. So, by taunting or insulting anyone in profession could argue that: “If a man has a tame
When the Wolf Comes, even if what you said was white bear, then he is to handle it in the same way
true, you can pay a high price! as a dog and similarly, pay for any damage it does”.
If player characters were killed by Snow White, their
surviving comrades may claim compensation based
GETTING HELP on their current social class (the figures are halved
for serious injury and quartered for light wounds).
There are two useful avenues for player characters to Unfortunately, Bjarnarðr was already subject to the
get help. Death Law and can’t be considered in any settlement.
Wisdom of the Ancients SOCIAL CLASS COMPENSATION DUE
If the stately álf Öldungr is told of the ísbjörn attack, Thrall 7$
he expresses concern and explains some of the tenets Freedman 12 $
of his religion.
Karl 2 Kr
• True believers consider the ísbjörn to be lim-
inal beings, straddling the divide between Thegn 12 Kr
menn and nature. Hersir 20 Kr
• Öldungr preaches that that evil sorcerers or
jealous neighbours can take control over an Ísbjörn / Jarl 40 Kr
ice bear and send them to kill their enemy. If
a bear appears and behaves aggressively it is
a sure sign that it is controlled by someone. 2. JUDGEMENT BY PEERS
• When this happens, Öldungr goes out and
sings the birth myth of the bear, to remind If the player characters decide to testify in court, they
the bear that he or she is a good creature who take their place before the lawspeaker, Krapti Thor-
does not wish to harm anyone. fridson. The court is comprised of twelve judges, who
are drawn from amongst the free and settled menn
The álf can be persuaded to testify to this, which pro-
of the town. Decisions of the judges need to be two-
vides one automatic success at any trial (see below for
third majority. The lawspeaker convenes the court
more detail).
with the following statement:
Barkeep’s Advice

The second place to garner advice is at the Cooking

Kettle. If the players rescued the dvergar miners, the

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 THOUGHT & MEMORY SAGA

“With law our land shall rise, but it will perish with describing kinsmen and other connections in Hjálp-
lawlessness. These twelve leading thegns together with makaar that they can clear this low bar! If no one
the reeve shall go out and swear on the blood-reddened speaks on the player characters behalf, it is bound to
rings which are given into their hands, that they will make the judges wonder why they have no friends
not accuse any innocent man nor shield a guilty one.” and sense guilt. The judges fine the accused 3 crowns
each.
The court case is almost, but not quite, like a modern
western court of law. For a start, there are no public 3. TRIAL BY COMBAT
prosecutors. All cases are private suits, prosecuted by
someone close to the injured party, in this case Finn- A third option for the player characters is to demand
bogi himself. Finnbogi starts the trial by swearing an a duel of honour, or holmgang. Finnbogi is more than
oath. He then stands before the judges and says: happy to duel, believing it is his best chance of get-
ting his way. You might even decide that the magnate
forces a fight, even after an acquittal or offers of set-
“I take witness to this that I give notice of an assault tlement, bending the court to his will. He is so confi-
laid down by law against my property, the ísbjörn Sn- dent of victory, he brings a blótnaut (sacrifice-bull) as
jóhvítr. I say that in this suit these fellows ought to be an offering to the gods and parades it around town.
made guilty, outlaws, not to be fed, not to be forward- Traditionally, ritual combat takes place between two
ed, not to be helped or harboured in any need. I have duelists, but Finnbogi proposes that four combatants
called Thorodd as my first witness, and Thorbjorn as enter the ring (himself and three wolf feeders). The
my second; I have called them to bear witness before duel is fought on a secured cloak, approximately two
the court so that the judges may hear.” yards square. Around these marks is a boundary of
ropes and hazel posts — the hólmhring — set a further
four yards out.
Sworn Testimony

It is important for player characters to swear an oath

to show that they are speaking the truth and will hon-
our any agreement made. If the player characters lie
after swearing an oath, they should earn 1 Shame.
Witnesses can testify only to what they saw and
heard themselves.
Have each player witness describe what happened
and then call for a Will attack roll against the judges
Will (11). Grant weals or impose woes as you see fit
based on the detail provided, the confidence of the
delivery and the cunningness of their arguments.
Note the number of successes and failures against the
following chart:

SUCCESS RESULT
0 Lesser Outlawry
1 3 Kr Fine
2 Deadlock
3+ Acquittal

Oath of Denial

If the case is deadlocked, the accused can still acquit

themselves with an oath of denial. This requires six
people to vouch for their testimony. These people
need not be witnesses of the crime; they are there
to testify to the character of the accused. Solveig
Soðketill and the seven dvergar miners can provide
these vouchsafes if they were rescued. Otherwise, the
player characters might have invested enough time

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 NOBODY DIES IN HJALPMAKAAR

Bandying Words—sample Viking insults Ending the Holmgang

“You should be a leader of your menn, instead of just
using them as your shield.” The fight continues until one side is eliminated, with
“You must have discussed cooking with your mother all combatants on that side having suffered a wound.
more often than you’ve been to horsefights, or that’s Each of the vanquished must pay hólm-ransom of 3
how it seems from your little blonde beard.” crowns to the victors.
“You’re not ready to play with grown-ups yet, are you, • In the unlikely event of death, the victor need
Downy-Cheeks?” pay no atonement fee or weregild and the
family of the defeated combatant is no longer
expected to exact vengeance or payment for
Rules of the Holmgang the slaying.
• If the player characters decide not to turn up
1. A seer performs a rite to discover and banish for the holmgang, Finnbogi is considered the
spells which might unjustly affect the out- winner. The cowards are branded niðingr,
come of the duel. earn 5 Shame and are sentenced to limited
2. Combatants traditionally use a sword and outlawry.
shield, but any melee weapon is permitted.
No other armour is allowed.
3. Each fighter strikes a single blow in turn, If a person is clearly outclassed, unable or unwill-
with the challenged (the player characters) ing to defend a claim, a capable warrior can vol-
delivering the first blow. unteer to fight in their place. This has led to the
4. Due to the constraints of the hólmhring, emergence of professional duellers: being skilled
players can’t simply gang up on Finnbogi to at fighting holmgang is probably the easiest way
try and eliminate him. Combat is one on one to ascend society’s ladder and get rich.
unless combatants use Lunging Attacks to
extend their Reach.
5. The law stipulates that the fight shall end
when first blood drawn showed upon the
cloak beneath the fighters’ feet. Once a char-
acter has been wounded in any way, they are
eliminated from the fight.
6. A character is said to “yield ground” or
“flinch” if they set a single foot outside the
designated area, and to “flee” if both feet
go beyond the boundary. Doing so carries
strong overtones of cowardice and earns 1
Shame on top of elimination.

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 THOUGHT & MEMORY SAGA

CONCLUDING THE
NB: Being declared a fugitve is different from having
a criminal profession or choosing the Outlaw expert
path. What’s the difference? You got caught!
ADVENTURE Surviving player characters have likely forged bonds
with each other and established themselves as a
Leaping into the Unknown group, ready to choose their novice paths. Allow a
few weeks of time to pass to give the characters a
The simplest outcome of this saga is that the play- chance to gain the necessary training to make their
er characters escort Old Man Bjarnie to his inevita- path choice. Locals might be able to guide the char-
ble demise. The trapper says a few mean words to acters. Krapti can take a would-be skald under his
each of the characters, really trying to needle them wing, especially if they excelled in his courtroom, or
one last time, and then jumps unceremoniously off they might enrol in the Firefox Institute. Outlanders
the Troll’s Tongue. The player characters can then re- might learn a thing or two from Gunnar and Finnbo-
turn to VAL-Tóki and receive their pay. Days later, gi might recruit a promising warrior, or force a player
Finnbogi finds them in the Cooking Kettle and offers to work off debt.
to buy them a drink to let bygones be bygones. His Encourage the players to come up with ideas about
menn have retrieved the deed from the bottom of the how their characters pass the time, what they learn,
ættarstapi, and so the jöfurr is even more conceited. and who they might have met along the way. When
you gather to play through the next adventure, have
No Good Deed the players share details about what they’ve been up
to before you hook them into the next adventure.
It is possible that the player characters seach the old

NEW CREATURES
trapper and discover the land deed after his death.
They might return to town clutching the papers—
only to find that Finnbogi has ripped Bjarnarðr’s cab-
in apart. The jöfurr is so desperate to get his hands on
the documents that he accuses the characters of theft ÍSBJÖRN DIFFICULTY 250
and forces them to the Law-Thing to defend them-
selves. Size 3 frightening animal

Legal Eagles Awareness 12 (+2); Night Vision

Defence 14 Health 100
If our heroes become embroiled in legal trouble, they
will (hopefully) come out of it with a well-earned Might 16 (+6) Sleight 13 (+3)
reputation, some coins in their pocket and a deeper Wits 7 (-3) Will 9 (–1)
understanding of the perils of an unguarded tongue!
Speed 12
Outlaws!
ATTACK OPTIONS
A very different campaign might emerge if the player
characters make a mess of legal proceedings or pick Claw: (melee) +6 (2d6 + 1, or 2d6 + 13 on attack
a fight they can’t win. As with most frontier towns, roll 20+)
there isn’t a prison or police force in Hjálpmakaar.
Instead of arresting or executing criminals, the SPECIAL ACTIONS
townsfolk simply declare them outlaws. If the player
Maul: The bear attacks twice with its claw against
characters find themselves branded in this way, they
one target creature. If it gets a success on both
instantly gain 10 Shame. They are banished from ci-
attack rolls, the target takes 2d6 extra damage.
vilised lands and their property is confiscated. They
cannot be fed or sheltered; in fact, wherever they go, Swat: When the bear takes damage from a creature
they are likely to be slain on sight. In a culture where it can reach, it can use a reaction to make a claw
honour-based revenge killings are encouraged, this attack against that creature.
effectively amounts to a privatized death sentence.
Lesser outlawry is slightly different. The period
of banishment is only three years, and the convicted
character only gains 5 Shame. Further, their property
is not confiscated, making it possible for to return to
a normal life after the three years are over… if they
survive that long.

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 NOBODY DIES IN HJALPMAKAAR

BATTLE MAP

HOLMHRING

0 yards 10 20

10
 CREDITS

Writing and Design

Ian Stuart Sharpe
Art Direction
Tom Lai

Graphic Design and Layout

Tom Lai

Editing and Development

Robert J. Schwalb

Proofreading
Bill Hopkins

Illustrations
Ger Curti

Viking Ornaments
Jonas Lau Markussen

Published By
Schwalb Entertainment LLC
PO Box #12548
Murfreesboro, TN
Nobody Dies in Hjálpmakaar, Thought & Memory Saga and When the Wolf Comes: A
Vikingverse Roleplaying Game are © 2023 Ian Stuart Sharpe. All rights reserved.
Shadow of the Demon Lord© 2015 Schwalb Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.

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