Trudvang: The Saga-Born Wilderness
Trudvang is a fantasy setting defined not by high magic and gleaming castles, but by the weight of ancient sagas, unforgiving wilderness, and a pervasive sense of melancholy. Drawing heavily from Norse Mythology and the Finnish Kalevala, the world is characterized by deep, enchanted forests where nature is not a resource to be tamed, but a primal adversary to be survived.
The Tragedy of the Vanir
The history of Trudvang is anchored in a theological trauma known as the Great Betrayal (Savenpaha). In the primordial Age of Dreams, the gods—known as the Vanir—walked the earth alongside their creations, the Elves.
This era of bliss ended with the Falekala (The Long Storm), a war against dragons that introduced death and suffering to the immortal Elves. Following the conflict, the Vanir retreated to the stars, abandoning their children to a now-mortal existence. This abandonment caused the Great Schism, splitting the Elven race into three distinct cultural lineages:
- Illmalaini (Star Elves): Traditionalists who view the abandonment as a divine trial, using Star Harps to search the cosmos for the Vanir’s return.
- Korpikalli (Dark Elves): Nihilistic survivalists who reject the “cowardly” gods, choosing instead to worship the aggressive vitality of the deep forest.
- Talviakka (Frost Elves): Pragmatists who retreated to the frozen north, believing that the gods help only those who possess the strength to survive on their own.
The Philosophy of Time
The central metaphysical conflict in Trudvang is the perception of Time.
For Elves, time is the “Great Enemy.” Every passing moment distances them further from the perfection of the Age of Dreams. Their existence is one of preservation and sorrow.
In contrast, Humans embrace the passage of time through the pursuit of Legacy. Lacking the longevity of Elves, humans seek to achieve immortality through glorious deeds and heroic deaths that will be enshrined in saga and song. This fundamental disconnect creates a friction between the preservationist Elves and the glory-seeking human cultures.
Cultural Geography
The civilizations of Trudvang are defined by their relationship to the supernatural and the landscape.
The Human Kingdoms
- The Stormlands (East): A rugged, violent region where the chaotic tenets of Gerbanis hold sway. Here, warrior culture dominates, and worship focuses on Stormi and the chaotic forces of nature through blood sacrifice.
- Mittland (Center): A realm of high adventure and ancient heroism. The Mittlanders follow the Eald Tradition, a shamanistic faith centered on communing with nature spirits and honoring the legacy of ancestors.
- Westmark (West): The center of knowledge and organized religion. The Viranns follow the Tenet of Nid, a strict monotheistic faith worshipping the One God, Gave. This culture represents the encroachment of medieval feudalism and order upon the wilder east.
The Deep Earth
Beneath the surface lies Muspelheim, the domain of the Dwarves. Dwarven culture is built upon the Three Pillars:
- The Mountain: The physical source of their existence.
- Consanguinity: Strict adherence to bloodlines (Glorkas).
- Runes: The practice of the Thuuls (Rune Smiths), who do not cast magic but rather hammer power into existence, binding the destiny of the mountain into physical objects.
Existential Threats
Trudvang sits on the precipice of the Fimbulwinter. The primary antagonist to existence is the Snow Queen (Valsinka), an entity associated with the Black Sun—a void of anti-matter and chaos. She commands armies of demons and corrupted Elves (Orkhir), seeking to extinguish the sun and plunge the world into an eternal, frozen night.
I wonder…
- How does the Tenet of Nid (Monotheism) interact mechanically with the evident existence of nature spirits in this world? It parallels the real-world Christianisation of Scandinavia.
- Is the “Great Betrayal” an objective historical fact, or purely Elven dogma? Could the Vanir have left for a protective reason?
- How does the magic system (Vitner) differentiate between the “Holy Power” of the Viranns and the “Nature Magic” of the Mittlanders?
- Could the Black Sun be linked to Cosmic Horror concepts, representing entropy rather than just “evil”?
References
- RiotMinds. (n.d.). Trudvang Chronicles.
- RiotMinds. (2017). Trudvang Chronicles: Game Master’s Guide.
- Kalevala. (19th Century). Elias Lönnrot (Comp.).