Human

The human kingdoms that had the easiest time surviving Ragnarok were, for the most part, the ones with the wisdom to respond to the signs of its coming. There are Nordic settlements in Scandinavia, Iceland, and the Faroese, and scattered throughout the continent and across the waters – Bjarmaland and Gardariki (Russia), the British Isles (Jorvik/York and Dyflin/Dublin), Istanbul (Miklagard) and in Hulluland, Markland (Canada/Labrador) and in Vinland (Newfoundland). The status of the rest of the world is unknown.
Cities are few in number, though Norse villages maintain much of the culture inherent to them before the Great Winter. Each village has a chieftain elected by vote or by legacy, who is the sole source of authority and law (though for the most part, tradition is upheld). Most villages underwent a period of anarchy before the caste-system re-emerged. It came about peacefully through the acknowledgment that some lacked the skill and experience to run a shop or a farmstead.
Farms and docks were quickly built or rebuilt, and each freeman (bondi or karl) practices whatever trade or craft most suits him. Those who stake a claim to land build farmsteads to be worked by generations of their families and thralls, bringing their surplus to market. Still others choose to become professional fighting men, setting themselves to the chieftain’s bidding as a retinue of bodyguards and enforcers of the laws and customs and wardens of the wilds.
The unfree in Norse society are treated with more respect and dignity than one might expect. Though still tasked with the dirtiest and most unpleasant jobs, their lives are protected under law and a thrall’s owners are expected to feed and clothe them. Thralldom is hereditary, but the children of thralls are thought of more as fosterlings. What’s more, a thrall may seek to buy his or her own freedom by making and selling cottage craft or doing odd jobs in their free time. Favored thralls may be given managerial positions over other thralls.
In the past, under rule of larger governance such as a jarl or king, all capable men were expected to take up arms when it came to defending their realm. Much of one’s childhood is spent playing at sports such as foot racing, swimming, wrestling, stick-and-ball games, mock-combat and skiing with other children. It is not uncommon for a brother or uncle to foster a child until the age of 10 winters, and going a-viking – coastal raiding, is thought of as a rite of passage for young men, a popular summer activity that earns them both honor and wealth for their success.
Norsemen were and are bound rigidly by law and honor. Every man and object commands a weregild – a set value of silver, due to the owner or the owner’s family in case of insult, injury, or destruction. An average man’s life is worth 200 silver pieces, a thrall half of that, and a highborn male two or three times as much. It is evident from their laws that respect of life, image, and personal property is of the utmost importance.
In Iceland legal matters are settled in a public court called the Althing, overseen by a knowledgeable, elected man called a Lawspeaker who both recited the law and acted as arbitrator. A gothi from each district, akin to a priest and chieftain, acted as judges in dispensing justice, granting exemptions from law, and adopting new laws. The Althing has been reformed in Iceland and the more fair-handed of the new kingdoms seek to form similar bodies. In other lands, confiscation and/or execution are the primary forms of justice.
Dueling as a form of resolution and retribution was banned in many parts of the northlands prior to Ragnarok, but the middling court systems have led to its resurgence. Now it is commonplace that issues of honor or ownership may also be resolved by holmgang – “island-walk,” a formal duel to the death or to first blood wherein deaths are not treated as murder (and so no weregild is due to the family of the fallen) and the winner may be awarded monetary compensation or the all of the loser’s holdings. Often the challenge is issued in public so that it could be public knowledge. Of course, einvigi, single combat, a less honorable duel nearer to a lawless brawl, has also reappeared as well. So important is the defense of honor to the Norsemen that any man refusing a challenge to holmgang is called niding – honorless, and may be subjected to outlawry and the forfeiture of his holdings. Note, however, that a clearly outclassed man may have a champion fight in his place.
As for the workings of men nearby, the Holy Roman Empire persists, and so the rebuilding of central Europe is much more organized than it is the northern lands. Little is known of the Emperor’s plans, as the appearance of Norsemen on their coasts is met with extreme resistance, due in no small part to the actions of frequent raids.
Men and women display their wealth on chains on their neck, rings, and bands of precious metal around their wrists and forearms. Men wear tunics and either straight-leg or baggy trousers over their underclothes. Some wear legwraps (vinding). A cloak bound by an ornate pin is a popular winter accessory. Women wear apron-dresses over woolen gowns, with a number of strapped pouches to hold tools. Both men and women favor bright colors in reds, blues, greens, and yellows.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The average human is between 5 and 6 feet tall. Men weigh between 170 and 185 pounds, and women weigh between 120 and 140 pounds. Adventurers are generally aged between 15 and 30 winters. Humans rarely live to their late 60s or early 70s, and seldom exceed 80 winters. Common hair colors are brown, red, and blond. Human men typically grow beards which they keep neatly trimmed (if not for style then for practicality in battle). Some grow large mustaches trimmed and waxed to a point, or mutton-chops. A beardless man is thought of as cowardly and a eunuch. A man’s hair is typically worn at collar or shoulder length, but others wear Norman-style bowl-cuts. Archers favor colorful headbands. Unmarried women wear their hair long and loose, sometimes braided, or perhaps bound in a circlet (kransen) or filet. Married women wear their hair in a knot or coiled at the top of their heads, in either case covering their heads with a hood, veil (hustrulinet), or headdress. Both men and women can be seen bleaching their hair with lye. Thralls of both sexes wear their hair closely cropped to their heads.