Gaz F10 The Kingdom of Kaarjala - Vaults of Pandius

INTRODUCTIONForewordWelcome to The Kingdom of Kaarjala,the tenth region of the Classic Dungeons& Dragons game world of Mystara toreceive the “Gazetteer” treatment underthe fan-produced GazF line.The Kingdom of Kaarjala signals animportant point in the Norwold-cycle ofgazetteers, as the attention shifts to thelands around and to the north of the GreatBay. Kaarjala explores one of thenorthernmost realms of humanity – anation on the very fringes of the worldsetting faced with its own uniquechallenges and adversaries.In addition to the standard features ofthe gazetteers, this product providesoptional information for adventuring inthe freezing wilderness and introducesthe noaid character class, a druid-likegroup unique to the people of Kaarjala,and the kanteleer, a zither-strummingwarrior. This work particularlycomplements the 2007 release Gaz F6The Amber Shores of Littonia, which alsowas written by Geoff Gander.It has been my privilege to serve aseditor for this gazetteer, and Geoff and Ihope you enjoy reading The Kingdom ofKaarjala and using it in your owncampaigns.A Refuge in theFrozen NorthTo those who even know of it, Kaarjalais considered a land apart. The nationlies around the waters of the LandsplitRiver far north of Norwold’s Great Bay.It shares no common border with anyother nation that could be called“civilized.” Instead, tiny barbarian bandsand other tribal groups followingcenturies-old, annual paths trek across thedangerous, half-frozen plains and bogscontained within the Arctic Circle.Yet in the midst of all this tundra waste,Kaarjala stands as a land of wonder. It isinhabited by a people whose stubbornand straightforward nature have allowedthem to carve a strong realm out of thewilderness, and the land is protected bythe warmth of a magical artifact, theGreat Sampo. Two peoples comprise theKaarjalan nation – the settled Saamariwho reside within the nation’s warmconfines, and the semi-nomadic Vaaranawho spend much of their time beyond theSampo’s reach. The kingdom is also aland in need of heroes, for the perils ofthe north are ancient and powerful, andthe kingdom is in many ways the frontierof civilization. So, too, do the legacies ofNorwold’s ancient past lurk beneath theembrace of snow and permafrost.The Final Goal of theCampaignKaarjala lends itself to a number ofcampaign styles, but characters –especially those hailing from the morecivilized Known World – should get thefeeling that they are in a realm farremoved from the affairs of theirhomelands, with its own dynamics,challenges, and opportunities. Theatmosphere is applicable to campaignscentering on native-born Kaarjalans ormixed parties, too, but natives shoulddevelop a sense that what affects theirland may also have an impact on theregion as a whole.Wilderness aspects – be it monsterencounters, sustenance needs orinclement weather – are a recurrentelement to adventures in Kaarjala. Thisland is a veritable island of civilization ina region that is very much untamed –wild animals and monsters abound, andone does not have to venture very far torun into something.Traditional adventures centering onhunting monsters and locating losttreasures are setting appropriate. This isan old land that has seen many conflictsduring a history that pre-dates its currentresidents, and remainders of thosetroubled periods – such as hauntedbattlefields, tombs, and ruins – awaitexploration.Players can enmesh their characters in aKaarjalan political campaign either asnative characters or as representatives ofoutside interests. Kaarjala’s closestneighbor, Littonia, is hoping to establishitself internationally, and the halflings ofthe Leehashire are expanding theirtrading ventures, while King Ericall ofAlpha strives to bring the disparate pettykingdoms of Norwold under hisauthority.For those interested in epiccampaigning, there is the potential forwar with the frost giants of Frosthaven orwestern humanoids, but the major, overarchingantagonist of the setting is theRimal Hag, an ancient adversary to theKaarjalans and now the Littonians. TheRimal Hag is an intelligent and powerfulopponent, so parties must slowly workthrough her numerous minions beforedrawing out the Rimal Hag directly. Thefeatured campaign arc of this bookpresents just such a scenario thatculminates in a final encounter with theRimal Hag once the characters havereached the highest levels.Finally, Kaarjala can serve as thesetting for a few stop-over adventures asparties make their way to Frosthaven, thestrange western peaks, or the BoreanValley beyond them.Who Should Play inKaarjala?Kaarjala is an overwhelmingly humannation, and most characters should behuman, too. The demihuman races arevery rare, having only recently arrivedfrom the south as adventurers or from theconstellation of small communities belowthe Great Bay.Kudos and CorrectionsJames (“Mystaros”) Mishler is creditedwith the creation of the nation ofKaarjala, which was tied, in part, to hisTaymor corpus. To ensure continuitywithin the GazF product line, somedetails of its history and of its peoplehave been changed. The Shonak tribes,who also appeared in Gaz F5, have rootsin Mishler’s work on the Midlands. Inwriting this product, the impressive workon Norwold by the Italian MMB wasconsulted, particularly where geographyis concerned.Kaarjala is loosely inspired by theFinnish Kalevala epic. MarcoDalmonte’s work on Ilmarinen – a centralfigure of the Kalevala that appeared as anImmortal in the original Master’s Set –was also incorporated into this work.The author is indebted to all of theaforementioned individuals.2