The Snowlit Fjords of the North
The snowlit fjords of the north run deep and blue between white mountains and dark green pines, dotted with cosy longhouses whose windows glow warm amber against the snow. Above them arches the Great World Tree, and on clear nights the sky dances with the colours of the aurora. The fjords are full of gentle wonders: a chattering squirrel who carries messages along the tree, two thoughtful ravens, light spirits who dance in the dark, and frost giants who look fearsome but are mostly just cold and lonely. Here a hero is not the strongest or the loudest, but the one who keeps a warm heart, dreams up ideas, and shares the fire. The grandest deeds are done by being brave and kind and full of ideas, and even a giant met with a friendly word often turns out lonelier than it is fierce.
Stories in this world
Ratatosk's Muddled Message
Adult-ledThe Great World Tree is huge. It goes from deep roots far below to a high nest right at the top. All day, a quick red squirrel runs up and down it, carrying...
The Long Winter's Night
Tonight is the longest night of the whole year. In the Hearth Hall, the great fire that warms the whole valley has gone out. The longhouse is cold. The...
The Lost Little Aurora
It is winter in the fjords, and the long night should be full of colour. On clear nights the Aurora Spirits dance, and the sky glows teal and green and...
Example heroes
Siv
6 to 8
Strengths
Carries
Bjorn
6 to 8
Strengths
Carries
Astrid
9 to 12
Strengths
Carries
Leif
9 to 12
Strengths
Carries
Who's who and what's what
Strengths
- Imagination
- Imagining ideas and trying them. In the north, a good idea is worth more than a strong arm, and a riddle is solved with a cool head.
- Courage
- A warm, steady heart on the longest, darkest night. Courage is not being unafraid; it is staying kind and trying anyway, even when you are afraid.
- Heart
- Care for others and a place by the fire for everyone. The greatest heroes of the fjords are the ones who share, help, and stand by a friend.
- Patience
- Waiting kindly and trying again, through the longest, coldest night. In the fjords, patience keeps a small flame alight until the dawn returns.
- Kindness
- A warm word and a helping hand, even to a fearsome-seeming stranger, which turns most foes into friends. In the cold fjords, kindness is the warmest fire of all.
Characters
- Edda the Saga-Keeper
- The kind old story-keeper of the Hearth Hall, who knows every saga of the fjords and sends the heroes out with a warm word and a good gift.
- Freya the Kind
- The warm-hearted goddess who watches over the fjords, and who smiles on heroes that win by thinking and caring rather than by force.
Creatures
- The Lonely Frost Giant
- A huge giant of pale blue ice who sits in the way of travellers. He looks fearsome, but he is really just cold and lonely, and a warm word and a shared fire do more than any axe.
- The Aurora Spirits
- Gentle spirits of the northern lights whose dancing fills the winter sky with colour. When they are happy and brave, the long night glows with teal, green and purple.
- Ratatosk the Squirrel
- A quick, chattery red squirrel who races up and down the Great World Tree all day, carrying messages between everyone, though he does sometimes muddle them up.
- Nori the Tomte
- A small, kindly hearth sprite in a red cap who looks after the longhouse and loves to hand out helpful hints, and the odd harmless prank, to folk he likes.
- The Two Ravens
- A pair of thoughtful black ravens, Thought and Memory, who fly over all the fjords and bring back news. They nod kindly to heroes who travel with good intentions.
Places
- The Hearth Hall
- The cosy turf-roofed longhouse at the heart of the village, the heroes' home, where the great hearth-fire keeps everyone warm through the long winter.
- The Frozen Fjord
- A long, deep arm of blue water between the mountains, frozen smooth and silver in the heart of winter, easy to cross if you are careful and kind to the ice.
- The Great World Tree
- The vast tree whose roots and branches hold the whole world together, from the deep roots to the high nest of the eagle. A squirrel runs along it all day, carrying news.
- The Rainbow Bridge
- A shimmering bridge of soft colours arching from the fjords up to the high halls of the gods. It holds firm for those who cross it with a kind and honest heart.
- The Whispering Pines
- A snowy forest of tall dark pines where the wind carries soft voices, and a friendly hearth sprite likes to play and point lost travellers the right way.
Items
- The Everwarm Ember
- A glowing coal from the great hearth that never goes cold. It can carry the warmth of home safely across the coldest, darkest night.
- The Ball of Red Yarn
- A ball of bright red wool. Tie one end where you start and you can always follow it back, however far you wander.
- The Warm Honey Bun
- A soft sweet bun, still warm from the hearth. Shared with a lonely giant, it can turn a frown into a friend.