The Wilderness around Ozurfold Jarldom

 The village of Whiteheart  in the Soderfjord Jardloms is beset by many threats, so adventurers willing to investigate and confront these are cautiously welcome. 

The village has stretches of wilderness in all directions bar north, along the river towards Soderfjord City. To the south and east are the hills of Gnollheim. To the west is the Great Marsh and to the north away from the river is the forested Whiteheart Valley.

based on cartography first by Thorfinn Tait and also 
Patrick Sullivan, source

Gnoll Tribes of Gnollheim. 

The map of the region here has been changed by Patrick Sullivan to show his gnoll tribes. He has also written a series of posts detailing these gnoll tribes in this thread.  Although I don't necessarily take literally everything he has written, I think this is a good starting point: what he has written about the gnoll tribes can be assumed to be true unless I change it. 

According to the Basic Rules, gnolls in the wilderness are encountered in groups of 3-18. This is what I consider to be a patrol or hunting party. Actual clan lairs usually have 20-80 individuals (2d4 x 10) , and may be based above ground in a crude fort, or underground in caves. Some clans are nomadic, living in tents and wagons. Between half and two thirds of a clan will be warriors capable of joining a hunting party. The fifteen tribes of gnolls shown on the map consist of a network of eight or more of these clans. Each tribe is capable of gathering its clans into a great gnoll horde under the command of the clan chieftain. The tribal chieftain is an exceptionally tough and cunning gnoll whose lair usually has double the usual gnolls (40-160, 4d4 x10) and is suitably imposing and well-defended. Shamans and mercenary monsters (ogres, trolls and the like) are more likely to be found in the tribal chieftain's stronghold than lesser lairs, as well as giant hyenas (sometimes known as hyaenodons or dire hyenas) that are used as both hunting animals and cavalry mounts by the strongest and bravest gnoll warriors. 

In Gaz7 p31 it mentions two gnoll personalities, Kaberu of the Mountain Wolf Clan and Suant of the Black Cliffs Clan. The Mountain Wolf clan is the most powerful clan of the Rubble Chiefdoms, although not strong enough to unite them into the same level of unity as the other fourteen great clans of Gnollheim. The Black Cliffs clan is the largest clan of the Scarp Empire. 

Other Creatures of Gnollheim

The gnolls are certainly the dominant race of the Gnollheim hills though not the only ones. Just to the south the Hardanger mountains are home to a wide range of creatures, some of which will wander down into the hills and then Soderfjord and maybe Ozurfold. These include:

• Kobolds (who have taken over numerous ruined gnome settlements around both Hardanger and Gnollheim)
• Trolls (small wandering bands, though in the Hardanger mountains there are larger tribes including troll hags, troll leaders and cave trolls)
• Hill Giants
• Stone Giants
• Griffons (a particular threat to the livestock of human farmers)
• Wyverns
• Red Dragons (rare but at least three have made their lairs in the Hardanger mountains)
• Grugnir is a small male red dragon found close to the coast near the gnollish Scarp Empire with a retinue of kobolds and orcs. He occasionally roams the coast, extorting merchant ships then burning them anyway once he has their treasure.
• Eldodla is large female red dragon  deep in the Hardanger mountains due south of Whiteheart. Although often asleep, when she wakes she is a menace to the whole region
• Brinnandeljus is a small female red dragon not far from Castellan and the road south to the Emirates. She has occassionally extorted or simply raided caravans travelling the road. She is served by a band of gnolls formerly of New Graakhalia.
• Dwarves, both normal (hill) dwarves and molder dwarves (modrigswerg). The former are gruff and cautious (often settlers or prospectors) but not hostile. The Modrigswerg are much rarer (and usually below ground) but also a lot more tricky and unpredictable, with a tendency towards treachery. 

Normal animals in the Gnollheim hills include:

• Wild Boar
• Brown Bear
• Cave Bear
• Wolf
• Dire Wolf
• Mountain Lion
• Giant Elk
• Giant Boar
• Great Ram
• Giant Hawk
• Herd Animal (1HD wild goats, 2HD hill ibexes)
• Driver Ant
• Killer Bee

The Great Marsh

This huge stretch of wetlands is populated by both wildlife and weird monsters. There are some human settlements but they tend to be on the northern and eastern edges, close to established towns and Jarldoms. 

Wildlife include 

• Giant Toads
• Giant Frogs (borrowed from AD&D)
• Giant Hawks
• Wild Boar
• Black Bear
• Auroch
• Herd Animal (2HD Marsh Deer, 4HD Moose)
• Giant Otter (stats as giant weasel but without blood-sucking)
• Giant Catfish
• Pit Vipers (known here as Water Vipers, can swim well)
• Giant robber fly
• Giant swamp termite

Monsters of the Great Marsh include:

• Bullywugs
• Eblis (Heron-men, avian humanoids with long legs and magical powers)
• Lizardmen (possibly degenerate descendents of the Mogreth civilization)
• Black Dragons, particularly Frätandedregla, large male black dragon, self-styled King of the Swamp. Smaller black dragons in the marsh are believed to be his offspring.
• Nekrozon/Catoblepas - only one of these deadly creatures is thought to dwell here. 
• Kobolds - a few tribes have become competent boaters, rowing and punting rafts and canoes around the swamp. 
• Trolls: at least four large tribes of trolls, each with a troll leader and a troll hag, have their lairs in the marsh. There are of course smaller bands of normal trolls. 
• Various fel sorcerers and witches have found dark sanctuary within the Great Marsh, particularly Carrah the Witch-Queen of Hel (Gaz7 p22) and Shamir Al'Menoo (MU15, human male, chaotic, formerly of Cinsa-Men-Noo but expelled for studying dark magic) both of whom are known to practice necromancy and have undead servants. 
• Some bands of brigands have established bases here from which to raid the farms and villages of southern Soderfjord, or sometimes waylay travellers on the Marsh Road. At least one band of brigands is under the leadership of a Chaos Warrior. 

The Forests of Soderfjord

Although claimed by various Jarls, and therefore borderlands rather than true wilderness, the forests that cover much of the Soderfjord Jarldoms are by no means safe or civilized. There are plenty of fey creatures in these woods and village folk sometimes tell of being enchanted or tricked by magical beings. Lycanthropy is also a significant problem, though the conflict between the werebears (who are usually not violent to humans) and the werewolves seem to mitigate this. 

Natural animals include:

• Hawks & Giant Hawks
• Herd Animals (1HD fallow deer, 2HD red deer, 4HD Moose)
• Wild Boar
• Giant Elk
• Giant Boar
• Auroch
• Wolf
• Dire Wolf
• Brown Bear
• Giant Weasel
• Giant Ferret

Monsters include:

• Sprites
• Pixies
• Dryads
• Elves (though often more mischievous than benevolent)
• Treants
• Werewolf
• Werebear
• Wereboar
• Gnolls, often infiltrating from Gnollheim as small raiding parties
• Trolls maurauding from out of the Hardanger Mountains or the Great Marsh
• Kobolds sometimes establish hidden lairs under the forest floor. 
• Human bandits and brigands, sometimes led by worshippers of Chaos. 

Specific Locations

In future posts I intend to add to the map above and add locations of interest and adventure to the areas around Ozurfold and Whiteheart. It should also be noted that although Whiteheart is the largest and primary settlement in Ozurfold, it is by no means the only one, which is something I intend to address later.