Ulfen
Boisterous champions of the frozen north, Ulfen define themselves by their exploits, whether they have defeated a linnorm, sailed to Arcadia, or raided a distant coastline. To an Ulfen, life is a contest to be met with teeth bared in a fierce grin and conquered so completely that skalds will sing of the deeds long after the Ulfen has died.
Ulfen lands are covered with snow for much of the year, so these hardy northerners gather together in closely knit clans. Although many Ulfen live in the inhospitable regions of northwestern Avistan, they consider their independence worth far more than the shackles created by “soft” southern living. They deem themselves the rightful owners of all they can take by force, making pillaging a popular pastime for their warriors and giving them a reputation as rash, fearsome berserkers.
Most Ulfen take great pride in their personal appearances, carefully adorning themselves with jewelry and fine, though practical, clothing. The clothes of wealthy Ulfen are lined with plush ermine, mink, and fox fur, and sport intricate embroidered borders worked in gold and silver thread. Whether or not their tales join those of the heroes in the sagas, Ulfen dress as though they have already achieved acclaim. They believe that the first step to earning a glorious reputation is to look the part.
Most Ulfen identify as part of a clan, an extended family whose members are honor-bound to help one another— and avenge each other, if necessary. They also have usually pledged their service to a jarl or local ruler in return for his protection. The extreme environment in which most Ulfen live doesn’t support large human settlements, so while a few Ulfen rulers (such as the Linnorm Kings) have royal courts, most jarls rule only small villages, and are as likely to be found tilling their own fields and tending to their livestock as they are sitting in judgment or leading raids. In addition to settlements’ rulers, other members of the aristocracy may also be referred to as jarls, a conf lation that is often confusing to non-Ulfen. Ulfen claim, somewhat smugly, that they distinguish between the two uses with differences in pronunciation inaudible to outlanders.
The bulk of the Ulfen are karls: traders and shipbuilders, skilled workers such as blacksmiths and brewers, healers, and other common people. An Ulfen who is defeated in battle or who commits a crime and is unable to pay recompense may be forced to serve another as a thrall for a set period of time. Masters are responsible for feeding and housing their thralls, and mistreating a thrall is considered shameful enough that the community may shun an individual who does it repeatedly. Ulfen consider this sort of service, and the responsibilities of providing for thralls, a point of honor, bristling at any suggestion that it is similar to slavery.
Ulfen are known as much for their rough humor as for their love of battle. An Ulfen whose cheerful gibes come with a hearty slap on the back is one who truly considers the recipient her friend. Though an Ulfen is quick to challenge an opponent to a bare-handed brawl or even a potentially deadly duel if she believes her honor has been questioned in the wrong context or by the wrong person, insults are a form of entertainment for many Ulfen, and insult-dueling is a common pastime around the firepit on cold winter nights. In its most complex form, called flyting, insults become a form of competitive poetry, with the audience awarding duelers points based on the wit, subtle wordplay, and creativity of their taunts, with the loser generally assigned the tasks no one else wants to do.
Tale-telling is central to Ulfen culture, which maintains most of its history through oral traditions. Ulfen spend many months of the year snowed in, and teach their children through stories and parables during that time. They grow up with an understanding of narrative structure, symbolism, and analogy that is both sophisticated and comprehensive. Most Ulfen aspire to be remembered in these heroic tales—or, better still, in the sprawling sagas that compile the greatest Ulfen legends.
The retelling of these sagas is the centerpiece of many Ulfen holidays, during which participants consume enormous quantities of food and drink. The celebrations often include feats of strength and endurance, such as wrestling, mock combat, or jumping into ice-cold water. Afterward, the community often retires to nearby hot springs to soak and talk under the winter stars. Ulfen are notoriously hard drinkers, and most are able to consume alcohol in quantities that would leave others unconscious.
While most Ulfen aren’t pious (and may even switch allegiance from one deity to another as their life circumstances change), they are superstitious, seeing omens in nature and attempting to avoid drawing the ire of creatures or natural forces unless they want to test their strength against them.
Many Ulfen clans revere totem animals and share a deep spiritual bond with their totem creatures. While some of these clans believe themselves literally descended from or protected by a specific divine or supernatural individual of that species, others feel a more metaphorical kinship with creatures of that type. They do not propitiate the totem animal in the sense that members of most organized churches would recognize as worship, but rather honor their berserkers with legends about descent from a mighty divine bear, or leave remnants of a hunt in tribute to the wolves who might be their distant kin. Non-Ulfen are often confused by an Ulfen companion’s simultaneous recognition of a wolf as both a normal wolf and an avatar of the clan’s primeval wolf-mother. In reply, Ulfen simply point to the paradoxes at the hearts of most other religious mysteries and note that their beliefs are no stranger than those. These clans tend to see traits associated with their totem animals as especially virtuous. A clan that claims kinship with the boar, for example, might see a hot temper as a sign of strength and fierceness, while a clan tied to wolves might view the clan’s intense loyalty to one another and ability to coordinate well in the thick of battle as sources of deep pride.
Ulfen ambition fuels the desire to see the world and put one’s own stamp on it, and this remains strong even in older Ulfen. If a young warrior receives accolades for traveling to unknown lands three weeks distant, his rivals plan expeditions to reach the lands six weeks distant, making the original explorer’s coup merely a stop along the way. Such competition has driven the Ulfen to travel the globe, from Arcadia to Tian Xia.
Some Ulfen exploration is born of privation, reducing the number of mouths to feed at home and inspiring hope that the expedition will return with riches. Although most Ulfen explorers choose to raid known southern ports in these situations, enterprising leaders might strike out for uncharted regions, thereby avoiding competition with other Ulfen raiders and potentially increasing their chances of finding a place of plenty.
Ulfen traditions preserve the honor of those defeated in raids with thralldom and weregild (compensation for the family of an injured or dead adversary). Ulfen glory is not only about winning, but about displaying magnanimity in victory and receiving even-handed treatment in defeat.
Ulfen have much in common with Kellids, with whom they share frigid climes and the need to hone practical survival skills. They admire Shoanti for their straightforward strength, and Varisians and Tians for their wanderlust and focus on family. Like Taldans, Ulfen tend toward arrogance and displays of wealth, yet the northerners have little patience for impractical Taldan ceremonies or complicated traditions, and they consider most city-dwellers to be soft and sheltered, though they are not so foolish as to dismiss the power achieved by sheer number in the great empires’ armies.
Ulfen can often be quick to judge others, seeing smaller individuals as weak and reserved people as insufferably grim. Many Ulfen get along well with halforcs, whose solid build and ferocity in battle mesh with Ulfen ideals. They find elven dexterity and connection to nature impressive, but have a hard time believing an elf could stand up to a solid punch or a vigorous brawl. Ulfen appreciate the hardy nature and dependable craftsmanship of dwarves, but otherwise consider dwarven life unnecessarily confining and dour.
Once an Ulfen’s admiration is earned, it’s not withdrawn easily. An Ulfen magnifies the best in his friends, dismissing their flaws as unworthy of discussion in light of their virtues.
In an adventuring party, an Ulfen is equally likely to be brash and outspoken or cantankerously stoic, the latter most common among parties focused on topics or pursuits the Ulfen sees as boring or unworthy. While her companions may find these traits boorish or rude, the typical Ulfen sees no reason to mask her honest opinion. Ulfen are cunning planners and eager to lead the way into danger, and therefore make good leaders of adventuring parties. Ulfen are keenly aware that the lives of explorers and raiders are in the hands of their companions, and are loyal to a fault to their comrades—even if an Ulfen does not particularly like her adventuring partner, she counts on him to have her back in battle and to be forthright with her, and provides him the same courtesy. A companion who particularly impresses an Ulfen or does her a great service may find himself dragged back to her village to be inducted as an honorary member of her clan.
Ulfen lands are covered with snow for much of the year, so these hardy northerners gather together in closely knit clans. Although many Ulfen live in the inhospitable regions of northwestern Avistan, they consider their independence worth far more than the shackles created by “soft” southern living. They deem themselves the rightful owners of all they can take by force, making pillaging a popular pastime for their warriors and giving them a reputation as rash, fearsome berserkers.
Appearance
Ulfen tend to have quick reflexes and well-toned muscles due to a lifetime of keeping a constant watch for danger and regularly practicing for battle. Men and women alike often exceed 6 feet in height. Their skin is naturally pale, but often weathered to a ruddy hue. Given their unwillingness to back down from danger, many Ulfen bear scars, each of which generally has a story attached. Ulfen eyes tend to be large and green, blue, or even bluish-purple. Their hair ranges from white-blonde to red to light brown, though the rare dark-haired Ulfen is considered highly attractive. Women wear their hair in complex braids and gold clasps, while men braid sections of their beards with similar adornments.Most Ulfen take great pride in their personal appearances, carefully adorning themselves with jewelry and fine, though practical, clothing. The clothes of wealthy Ulfen are lined with plush ermine, mink, and fox fur, and sport intricate embroidered borders worked in gold and silver thread. Whether or not their tales join those of the heroes in the sagas, Ulfen dress as though they have already achieved acclaim. They believe that the first step to earning a glorious reputation is to look the part.
Naming
Ulfen feminine names include Brid, Jorunn, and Svala; masculine names include Gundar, Sjogun, and Einarr; and gender-neutral names include Alva, Inge, and Selb. Ulfen have a system of patronymics and matronymics (-sson, -dottir), and many acquire bynames such as Firebeard or Troll-Biter in honor of notable attributes or events.Society
Although Ulfen are consummate raiders and voyagers, Ulfen life revolves around the intersection of immediate family, clan, and service to one’s liege. Most Ulfen must be largely self-sufficient to survive the harsh winters, and all family members fish, farm a holding’s crops, and hunt to ensure their cellars are kept stocked. While Ulfen children are cherished, they’re also expected to begin helping with such duties almost as soon as they can walk.Most Ulfen identify as part of a clan, an extended family whose members are honor-bound to help one another— and avenge each other, if necessary. They also have usually pledged their service to a jarl or local ruler in return for his protection. The extreme environment in which most Ulfen live doesn’t support large human settlements, so while a few Ulfen rulers (such as the Linnorm Kings) have royal courts, most jarls rule only small villages, and are as likely to be found tilling their own fields and tending to their livestock as they are sitting in judgment or leading raids. In addition to settlements’ rulers, other members of the aristocracy may also be referred to as jarls, a conf lation that is often confusing to non-Ulfen. Ulfen claim, somewhat smugly, that they distinguish between the two uses with differences in pronunciation inaudible to outlanders.
The bulk of the Ulfen are karls: traders and shipbuilders, skilled workers such as blacksmiths and brewers, healers, and other common people. An Ulfen who is defeated in battle or who commits a crime and is unable to pay recompense may be forced to serve another as a thrall for a set period of time. Masters are responsible for feeding and housing their thralls, and mistreating a thrall is considered shameful enough that the community may shun an individual who does it repeatedly. Ulfen consider this sort of service, and the responsibilities of providing for thralls, a point of honor, bristling at any suggestion that it is similar to slavery.
Ulfen are known as much for their rough humor as for their love of battle. An Ulfen whose cheerful gibes come with a hearty slap on the back is one who truly considers the recipient her friend. Though an Ulfen is quick to challenge an opponent to a bare-handed brawl or even a potentially deadly duel if she believes her honor has been questioned in the wrong context or by the wrong person, insults are a form of entertainment for many Ulfen, and insult-dueling is a common pastime around the firepit on cold winter nights. In its most complex form, called flyting, insults become a form of competitive poetry, with the audience awarding duelers points based on the wit, subtle wordplay, and creativity of their taunts, with the loser generally assigned the tasks no one else wants to do.
Tale-telling is central to Ulfen culture, which maintains most of its history through oral traditions. Ulfen spend many months of the year snowed in, and teach their children through stories and parables during that time. They grow up with an understanding of narrative structure, symbolism, and analogy that is both sophisticated and comprehensive. Most Ulfen aspire to be remembered in these heroic tales—or, better still, in the sprawling sagas that compile the greatest Ulfen legends.
The retelling of these sagas is the centerpiece of many Ulfen holidays, during which participants consume enormous quantities of food and drink. The celebrations often include feats of strength and endurance, such as wrestling, mock combat, or jumping into ice-cold water. Afterward, the community often retires to nearby hot springs to soak and talk under the winter stars. Ulfen are notoriously hard drinkers, and most are able to consume alcohol in quantities that would leave others unconscious.
Faith
Ulfen are not particularly devout people, and prefer to put their trust in their own experiences and abilities rather than the vagaries of aloof gods. Even Ulfen clerics prefer pragmatic services and straightforward guidance. Desna is a popular deity among Ulfen because, like Ulfen explorers, she wanders where she pleases. Ulfen revere Torag as the patron of kinship and community more often than as the patron of the forge or careful planning. Deities of brute strength, such as Gorum and Rovagug, are revered by Ulfen warriors and barbarians, while Ulfen hunters and trappers are more likely to honor Erastil. Cayden Cailean is popular among many glory-seekers and hard drinkers.While most Ulfen aren’t pious (and may even switch allegiance from one deity to another as their life circumstances change), they are superstitious, seeing omens in nature and attempting to avoid drawing the ire of creatures or natural forces unless they want to test their strength against them.
Many Ulfen clans revere totem animals and share a deep spiritual bond with their totem creatures. While some of these clans believe themselves literally descended from or protected by a specific divine or supernatural individual of that species, others feel a more metaphorical kinship with creatures of that type. They do not propitiate the totem animal in the sense that members of most organized churches would recognize as worship, but rather honor their berserkers with legends about descent from a mighty divine bear, or leave remnants of a hunt in tribute to the wolves who might be their distant kin. Non-Ulfen are often confused by an Ulfen companion’s simultaneous recognition of a wolf as both a normal wolf and an avatar of the clan’s primeval wolf-mother. In reply, Ulfen simply point to the paradoxes at the hearts of most other religious mysteries and note that their beliefs are no stranger than those. These clans tend to see traits associated with their totem animals as especially virtuous. A clan that claims kinship with the boar, for example, might see a hot temper as a sign of strength and fierceness, while a clan tied to wolves might view the clan’s intense loyalty to one another and ability to coordinate well in the thick of battle as sources of deep pride.
Culture
Ulfen face their difficult lives with a fiery bravado, constantly pitting themselves against the environment, other nations, or distant horizons. Part of this boldness stems from necessity. In the frigid northern climes, Ulfen must range far and take risks just to find enough resources to survive. They embrace this culture of competition and exploration, idolizing their kin who travel far and return with great riches or impressive, heroic tales. Each exploit preserved in the sagas further strengthens Ulfen ties with each other and to the land in which they live.Exploration
Despite the unforgiving natural environment their people call home, the Ulfen have faith that the next valley, island, or season will bring opportunities to seize riches and glory, so exploration into uncharted seas or unknown lands seems logical and appropriate.Ulfen ambition fuels the desire to see the world and put one’s own stamp on it, and this remains strong even in older Ulfen. If a young warrior receives accolades for traveling to unknown lands three weeks distant, his rivals plan expeditions to reach the lands six weeks distant, making the original explorer’s coup merely a stop along the way. Such competition has driven the Ulfen to travel the globe, from Arcadia to Tian Xia.
Some Ulfen exploration is born of privation, reducing the number of mouths to feed at home and inspiring hope that the expedition will return with riches. Although most Ulfen explorers choose to raid known southern ports in these situations, enterprising leaders might strike out for uncharted regions, thereby avoiding competition with other Ulfen raiders and potentially increasing their chances of finding a place of plenty.
Glory
Ulfen define themselves by their most impressive or dangerous deeds. An Ulfen might talk for hours about journeying to the Crown of the World, besting the ice trolls there, and returning with gold aplenty without ever mentioning that he is a blacksmith or trapper. Ulfen shamelessly recount their own exploits, but prefer to hear others—particularly the professional tale-tellers known as skalds—describe their deeds with awe. The pinnacle of Ulfen glory is to be immortalized in the great sagas, which preserve Ulfen history, record which clans are most closely allied and which have longstanding feuds, and teach cultural practices and ethics. Like most residents of the Inner Sea region, Ulfen believe in an afterlife, but they also place profound importance on the idea that true spiritual immortality is gained through others’ remembrance of one’s deeds, and through having one’s name spoken after one has passed on.Ulfen traditions preserve the honor of those defeated in raids with thralldom and weregild (compensation for the family of an injured or dead adversary). Ulfen glory is not only about winning, but about displaying magnanimity in victory and receiving even-handed treatment in defeat.
Lycanthropy
Ulfen admire and mimic the traits of predators that thrive in their inhospitable homelands, with clans frequently revering specific totem animals. As a result, Ulfen lycanthropes are often celebrated rather than shunned, though their pragmatic kin still prepare for the full moon with silver shackles and locked cells. New lycanthropes may place themselves freely under lock and key to protect their communities from their bloodlust. Despite this, most Ulfen don’t fully accept the conventional view of lycanthropy as a curse, and believe that, despite their overwhelming animalistic urges, some spark of humanity remains within a lycanthrope in the throes of the moon. This belief instills deep shame in lycanthropes who harm others while under the change, and leads communities to hold lycanthropes accountable for crimes they commit while in the grip of lycanthropic frenzy. More than one famed warrior has gained the title berserker not because he was truly out of control in battle, but because guilt over his lycanthropic crimes rendered him incapable of caring whether he lived or died.Relations
The specter of starvation constantly hangs over many Ulfen communities, as the growing season tends to be short in the north, and winters are long. As a result, Ulfen are quick to take any opportunity to raid neighboring nations for food, thralls, and valuables. Communities in Varisia often suffer Ulfen raids originating from Irrisen or the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, but even distant nations such as Cheliax and Nidal are within the reach of Ulfen longships. Many non-Ulfen therefore view the northlanders as no more than brutal raiders, and the Ulfen have little incentive to undermine this fearsome reputation.Ulfen have much in common with Kellids, with whom they share frigid climes and the need to hone practical survival skills. They admire Shoanti for their straightforward strength, and Varisians and Tians for their wanderlust and focus on family. Like Taldans, Ulfen tend toward arrogance and displays of wealth, yet the northerners have little patience for impractical Taldan ceremonies or complicated traditions, and they consider most city-dwellers to be soft and sheltered, though they are not so foolish as to dismiss the power achieved by sheer number in the great empires’ armies.
Ulfen can often be quick to judge others, seeing smaller individuals as weak and reserved people as insufferably grim. Many Ulfen get along well with halforcs, whose solid build and ferocity in battle mesh with Ulfen ideals. They find elven dexterity and connection to nature impressive, but have a hard time believing an elf could stand up to a solid punch or a vigorous brawl. Ulfen appreciate the hardy nature and dependable craftsmanship of dwarves, but otherwise consider dwarven life unnecessarily confining and dour.
Once an Ulfen’s admiration is earned, it’s not withdrawn easily. An Ulfen magnifies the best in his friends, dismissing their flaws as unworthy of discussion in light of their virtues.
Adventurers
Ulfen take naturally to adventuring. They train in combat and are encouraged to explore from a young age, and in settlements where wild beasts aren’t a constant threat, they regularly duel each other. Many Ulfen go on at least one raid as a rite of passage, and though the reputation of all Ulfen as merciless pillagers is a bit overblown, it’s true that even most farmers and herders in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings remember how to swing a sword.In an adventuring party, an Ulfen is equally likely to be brash and outspoken or cantankerously stoic, the latter most common among parties focused on topics or pursuits the Ulfen sees as boring or unworthy. While her companions may find these traits boorish or rude, the typical Ulfen sees no reason to mask her honest opinion. Ulfen are cunning planners and eager to lead the way into danger, and therefore make good leaders of adventuring parties. Ulfen are keenly aware that the lives of explorers and raiders are in the hands of their companions, and are loyal to a fault to their comrades—even if an Ulfen does not particularly like her adventuring partner, she counts on him to have her back in battle and to be forthright with her, and provides him the same courtesy. A companion who particularly impresses an Ulfen or does her a great service may find himself dragged back to her village to be inducted as an honorary member of her clan.
Where on Golarion?
Ulfen are perhaps the most widely traveled people on Golarion, as their raids have taken them to the far reaches of the planet. As a few of them tend to settle wherever they visit, Ulfen colonies stretch from the mysterious western continent of Arcadia to the dangerous land of Iobaria, though they are most concentrated in Avistan, where they sail, homestead, or hire themselves out as bodyguards and mercenaries to the wealthy of other nations.The Ulfen are most numerous in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. There, they gather in towns and freeholds to help each other tame the harsh land and keep its ravenous beasts at bay. Ulfen sail from these lands in their longships, either to raid southern lands or to explore the Arcadian Ocean.
The Ulfen denizens of Irrisen are subject to the whims of the winter witches who rule that harsh land. Although several small Ulfen communities go unnoticed by the Jadwiga, Ulfen populations in larger cities such as Whitethrone serve the winter witches as second-class citizens, their loyalty secured through gold and fear of the witches’ magic.
In Taldor, Ulfen are a distinctive sight, clad in their northern furs and towering head and shoulders over the Taldans. Opportunistic Ulfen pledge themselves to foppish Taldan nobles, who pay a high price for intimidating barbarian bodyguards after the fashion of the Grand Prince, who surrounds himself with his hand-picked Ulfen Guard.
Playing an Ulfen
Far-ranging explorers and good-natured hired muscle, Ulfen are known across the Inner Sea region as expert sailors, fearsome raiders, boastful drunkards, and useful allies to have in a fight.If you’re Ulfen, you likely:
- Prefer the cold, and view those who can’t handle frigid climates as weak.
- Feel a deep obligation toward your blood kin—including the need to avenge them if necessary—and see long-time traveling companions as family.
- See nature as a mysterious force that can be helpful or harmful, and treat supernatural events as a normal part of existence.
- Admire other cultures’ accomplishments and artistry, especially as trophies to be taken.
- View life as a heroic saga of which you are the star; you assume you will fight a legendary monster at some point.
- Enjoy taunting, use it as a sign of respect or affection, and respect those who can handle your rough humor.
- Are wary of your temper and respect your strength.
- Bristle at your boasts and self-confidence.
- Expect you to be an expert on wilderness survival, monster slaying, and seafaring.
- Suspect you might be a lycanthrope, berserker, or raider.
- Assume you worship Gorum and are from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings.
- View you as a savage northerner unfamiliar with civilized life.
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