Hjodd and Hjoddsrest

The town of Hjodd was named after an Elk who earned his reputation after settling down out of a warrior’s life. Hjodd was riding ahead of his herd one day and came across an entire herd of wild horses in full rut.

Taking this as a sign from the gods, Hjodd decided that he would use that land and those horses to make the finest riding horses ever known to the Sjonderwold. His persistence and faith paid off, and he became the most sought-after horse breeder in the Elk lands.

His favorite method of testing his prized horses was to race them to Varnshall and back. Eventually, as he grew older and more experience, Hjodd put his hands to work taming and shaping the majestic beasts that gave his clan its name, and even achieved a measure of success in this endeavor. While he passed into the names of his herd many years ago partway through one of his races, the spirit of Hjodd lives on in the towns that bear his name. His descendants continue to raise and breed the finest horses in the land, and offer them for sale to all who can afford them (or to the Wolf after a considerable markup).

While they cannot take their stock on the same race that Hjodd once did, the current breeders of Hjodd now compete to see whose horses are fleetest to Hjoddsrest, Fort Stalholt, or Varnshall, and back again.

On the anniversary of Hjodd’s death, the breeders release their prime stallion into the wild to commemorate the loss of their greatest teacher. Hjodd is also the best place to find one of the magnificent golden stags that are prized so highly by Elk varns, although they are only available as a gift in recognition of great deeds.