Ire is the first listing within the Alfheim World section of both WORLDS and Master Edition, so I thought this would be the best place to start. It is a cold wilderness that can provide a lot of great adventures and excitement in your game. In the video below, I give an overview of what you can find in CORE and ME, but I also wanted to add a few things. If you’re running games in IRE, check out the tables and details for a few more things you could throw into your game.
Lay of the Land
Ire is a pretty frigid and rocky place, but it’s still an island, which to me means some seafaring elements. You’ve got plenty of ports, but where could players could if they start traveling the coast or want to set out on a maiden voyage? Try visiting these locations next time you’re in Ire
- Harbor’s End: A fishing village nestled among the rocky cliffs of the northern coast of Ire. It is home to a close-knit community of fishermen and fisherwomen who brave the icy waters to bring in their catch. If they come back at all.
- Pelona: Only accessible by magic or gills, the merfolk’s ancient city lies deep beneath the waves, housing lost treasure and the secrets of the deep
- Tolset Isles: The glacial isles just north of Ire are sealed off from the mainland from an endless blizzard battering their shores. No one has set foot there in over an age.
Dangers to Dare
Now if you’re going to spend any time in Ire, you know that it’s going to be a dangerous place. The Primals and the ape-man have their endless war and the Coal Demons are preparing for something, but maybe you want some other difficult thing to befall your party of adventurers.
- The Merfolk: Radicalized by the sea witch, these ocean dwellers hope to drive all trespassers from their waters, enlisting the help of the krakens and other sea monsters.
- Reaver Fjord Runaways: Only a few lucky souls have ever escaped the prison of Reaver Fjords, and those black-hearted criminals are rumored to have made it to the wilds of Ire, free to do as they please.
- The Pale Wraith: Shrouded in mist as it scours the surface for its next meal, the Pale Wraith is a monster of legend. Destroying ships, crew, and anything unlucky enough to cross its path.
Details to Discover
All it takes is one good hook to set off on an adventure. Use these as a roll table or drop them into a scene. Watch what your players do and then run with it.
- A strange piece of ancient technology has washed ashore, but no one knows where it came from or what it does
- Strange lights are visible every night, and some believe that they are a sign of an approaching storm
- A group of smugglers is seen stashing something in a hidden cache before they run off and out of view
- A beached merfolk lies gasping for air in the sun. He only has a few more breaths to deliver the secret he died for
- Glacial ice has floated down from the north, but there are dark shapes instead the larger blocks
- A small folk wander is half frozen in a blizzard. He isn’t dressed for the weather and says he’s from Skar
- A clan of druids is rumored to have earned the trust of the merfolk, but their location is unknown
- More and more sea life is washing ashore, blackened and covered in ash
- A koabi pirate ship went down in the latest storm and their treasure lays unclaimed, at least for now
- A local inventor has been experimenting with underwater travel and needs brave souls to further his pursuits
Folks and Friendship
Friend or foe, the interesting people players meet on their journey are sometimes the highlights of entire campaigns. Now, I’m not saying these characters will save the day or be the next star, but it couldn’t hurt for players to cross their paths at some point.
- Veira the Sorceress: A powerful spell caster who seeks to restore balance to the seas
- Eiryla Crow: With more salt than blood in her veins, few know the sea better than her
- Haldor: Retired Koabi captain that now hunts through the wilds of Ire after giving up his sea legs
Dungeons to Delve
You can’t have too many dungeons. Especially when one could connect all the way to Skar and the other houses a vein of precious, glowing emeralds that even Ogdru would be envious of.
- Hollow Urth Cave: Diving unfathomably deep, the tunnels of ancient volcanos lead to a forgotten world beneath the surface. If adventurers are brave and resourceful enough, they could find passages leading to Skar, Xenos, or even the halls of Duradin. But this world has been sealed away and it may be best to keep it that way.
- Emerald Catacombs: Some of the purest gems in Alfheim can be found beneath the waves in the Emerald Catacombs. Wind through the streets and structures of a sunken city of the second age as you look for treasure. The Merfolk guard their history and their ever-growing hoard with jealousy that could rival a dragon.
Ire Region Rating
This is something I wanted to try out and I’d love your feedback on it before I go over the next region. It’s a little scale of how I would balance my game if I were running adventures in Ire.
- Start/End: How likely would I Start or End a campaign in this region
- Hostile/Pleasant: How hostile or pleasant would I want the region to feel for my players
- Environment/People: Would I emphasize the environment or the people more as I planned adventures or encounters
- Lore/Loot: Would I be exploring the lore of the region more or searching after loot and other treasure
- Fantasy/Sci-Fi: How much fantasy or sci-fi would I include in the region since Alfheim has subtle ties to Warp Shell and the rest of the Runiverse.
So for me, I would more likely start a campaign in Ire and make it feel kind of hostile. The environment would be a focus and aim for a balance between loot and lore while I keep mostly to the fantasy side of Alfheim.
Now, I’m not set in stone on this scale or if this is even helpful, but I’d love suggestions or feedback. How could I “rate” the regions in Alfheim to make them helpful or useful to players and GMs when you’re thinking about adventuring in Ire?