The Village of Whiteheart

The village of Whiteheart is almost the southernmost settlement in the Northern Reaches, where the Soderfjord Jarldoms meet the hilly realm of Gnollheim. It is only a village, with 750 inhabitants, but it is still the centre of the Ozurfold Jarldom, a small fief of only 1500 folk, half of whom are in Whiteheart itself. The other half are scattered across small hamlets and farmsteads nearby. 

The village is in a vulnerable position, dangerously close to both the Great Marsh and also the hills of Gnollheim. This has been addressed in two ways. Firstly Whiteheart has a sturdy pallisade and wooden gatehouse. Secondly the Jarl, Magnusson Half-Hand, is encouraging other Jarls in Soderfjord to help out with a wall between his Jarldom and the wilderness, the Sodervirk. The grand plan is for the wall to act rather like Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England, with guard towers every half mile, but a lack of funds, labour and political will has left the project in limbo. Nonetheless, Magnusson Half-Hand is persisting with the Sodervirk, sending materials, labourers and guards to the wall as the opportunity arises. Whiteheart does not have a proper standing force, but can muster a militia of about 120 1st level fighters (armed with spears, shortbows, leather armour and sometimes wooden shields) in emergencies. 

Trade involves livestock, some vegetable farming, timber and some fishing. Although there are ores and minerals in the hills to the south, the area is too dangerous to mine. The Otofjord river is the primary trade route and is considered the safest. The fact that it leads almost directly to Soderfjord City itself is very convenient, and means that as long as the villagers have river craft, they have a reliable connection to civilization. There is a road of sorts eastwards to Wilmik in Olvasfjord but this is more of a trail, with parts that are unsuitable for carts and wagons. And of course this trail runs just north of Gnollheim, so the threat of gnoll raiders deters many merchants from using this trail. 

There are two major congregations in Whiteheart, one dedicated to Odin, the other to Heimdall, both with their own clerics who view each other with some rivalry but understand they both have common foes. The village midwife is also a cleric of Frigga. 

Adventurers arriving in Whiteheart will find there is no actual inn, and villagers will be rather suspicious of them. Are they spies? Are they fugitives? Durstig Brightsword might take it upon himself to question any PCs. Initially the PCs may be told they can sleep within the palisade but not in any building until they have proven themselves - there are plenty of problems and tasks that adventurers could deal with. Once the PCs have started to show they can be trusted then certain villagers may open their doors to them. Durstig Brightsword may let them stay at his place, partly out of gratitude for helping to defend his village but also so he can continue to keep an eye on them. 

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Map of Whiteheart

1. The Feasting Hall. Can seat up to 200 people for a feast. If Jarl Magnusson approves, visitors can stay in the Feasting Hall. The upper levels are Jarl Magnusson and Brynhild's personal abode but the ground floor is frequented by many villagers. 
2. The Stone Tower is the last refuge in the event of the palisade being overrun. It is 40ft/4 storeys tall and contains the armoury and various emergency provisions. 
3. The House of Heimdall. This is both a shrine of Heimdall and also the home of Durstig Brightsword. 
4. The gatehouses
   a. River Gate: The path north follows the river towards Soderfjord city. 
   b. Ford Gate
   c. Forest Gate: This leads to the less travelled path east towards Wilmik
5. The Smithy. This is the workplace and residence of Brugnor Bladebringer and his apprentices.
6. The Sheep Pens. This is a collection of enclosures for keeping livestock safe, if either raiders are nearby or in preparation for selling or transporting dowriver. 
7. The Tannery: This smelly place is home to Garthar Gnollbane
8. The Sacred Grove of Odin. Here Thragnir Oathkeeper conducts sacrifices and ceremonies to his patron immortal. 
9. Skald's Rest. This is home to Thorfei Silversong. 
10. The Healing House: This is home to Hraffni Wifefriend and can act as a makeshift hospital, with sick and injured villagers resting here. 
11. The Ford. This part of the Otofjord river is only 2ft deep, and can be crossed on foot or by cart. 

NPCs of Whiteheart

Jarl Magnusson Half-Hand: 9th level Fighter, human male, align Lawful, Str 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 16, Cha 14
Magnusson Half-Hand is leader of the Ozurfold Clan and Jarl of the Whitereach Valley. He feels he is in a difficult position, caught between the raids, feuds and skirmishes that so often happen between the Jarls of Soderfjord and the predations of the chaotic humanoids of the wilderness to the south, especially the gnolls of Gnollheim. He has a defensive attitude and strategy in his rulership and is perhaps the one keen advocate among the Jarls for the construction of the defensive wall, the Sodervirk. Although naturally wary of complete strangers, once someone has earned his trust, he will treat them as friends and allies, and for this reason he has a careful approach to adventurers. If the adventurers help keep Whiteheart safe then he will offer them food, shelter and whatever Whiteheart can provide. If they prove to be troublesome, Magnusson has no qualms about kicking them out into the wilderness. 

Brugnor Bladebringer: 5th level Fighter, human male, align Neutral, Str 16, Int 10, Wis 13, Dex 14, Con 10, Cha 12
As the village blacksmith for Whiteheart, Brugnor holds considerable sway. He tends to stay out of large-scale politics, but is always loyal to the village and what is best for Whiteheart. He is also keenly aware of the flow of both raw materials (iron ore, charcoal and the like) and finished goods (weapons, armour, tools, iron pots and pans etc) so his opinions are often around the economic wellbeing of Whiteheart. He has three apprentices who often carry out the less skilful tasks around the smithy. 

Hraffni Wifefriend, 4th level cleric, human female, align Lawful, Str 8, Int 14, Wis 14, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 14
Hraffni is both the midwife for the village and also the local cleric of Frigga, goddess of marriage, childbirth and the home. She is Magnusson’s sister-in-law but rarely uses this connection - she prefers to stand on her own merits. She has proven to be a peacemaker, calming down quarrels that might escalate into bloodshed and Magnusson will sometimes ask her counsel in non-military matters, particularly in disputes and delicate negotiations. 

Thragnir Oathkeeper, 5th level cleric, human male, align Neutral, Str 14, Int 12, Wis 15, Dex 10, Con 15, Cha 12
Thragnir is the cleric of Odin, and the advisor to the Jarl in matters of war and rulership. He is faithful to his immortal, but he is also somewhat jealous and insecure, viewing clerics of other immortals as rivals who want a share of his power and authority. For this reason he can be quite cold towards Hraffni and Durstig. He has a pet raven called Gegni who he dotes on. 

Brynhild, 2nd level fighter, human female, align Lawful, Str 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Dex 15, Con 9, Cha 17
Brynhild is wife of the Jarl and sister to Hraffni. She is probably the most beautiful woman in the village (and some would boast in all of Soderfjord). She enjoys the finer things in life and sometimes wishes she was living in somewhere more civilized like Norrvik or Zeaburg. She is fascinated by tales from strange lands like Thyatis, Glantri and Darokin. 

Durstig Brightsword, 5th level cleric, human male, align Lawful, Str 13, Int 12, Wis 16, Dex 10, Con 17, Cha 12
Durstig is the local cleric of Heimdall, god of guardians and those who keep watch. Durstig also helps organise the village militia and ensures that the gates to the village pallisade are manned as often as possible. As befits his patron, Durstig tries to remain on guard against threats to the village, both in the form of humanoid raiders and also troublesome humans infiltrating. If strangers enter the village (such as adventurers) Durstig will keep an eye on them and report any wrongdoing to the Jarl who appreciates his vigilance. 

Thorfei Silversong, 2nd level magic user, human female, align Neutral, Str 10, Int 16, Wis 13, Dex 13, Con 12, Cha 16
Thorfei is unusual - a female Skald, a poet and singer of ballads and epics as well as teller of tales, a job usually reserved for men. She has dabbled briefly in magic and can still cast the most basic spells if needed, but her real talent and her role within the village is as historian and entertainer. Some say she can brew potions but she refuses to confirm this. Nonetheless she knows how to create infusions and poultices that may not work like potions of healing but still seem to speed up the recovery from wounds and prevent infection. She may not be a powerful mage but she knows magicians who dwell in larger places like Soderfjord City and she may introduce PCs to them if the PCs ask nicely. 

Garthar Gnollbane, 5th level fighter, human male, align Neutral, Str 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Dex 13, Con 15, Cha 7
Garthar is the village leatherworker for some of the time but he lost his wife and son to gnoll raiders five years ago and since then he has dedicated most of his time to hunting down and killing gnolls. He is perpetually angry and surly, difficult to get on with and prone to storming off on his own. Nonetheless he has unrivalled knowledge of gnolls, their habits and tactics and their whereabouts. The other villagers are disturbed at his latest practice of making leather out of gnoll skin.