                                 HELSDOTTIR



  HELSDOTTIR: THE CHILL OF DEATH - REV 1.01 12/30/94



   1.01 - Some awkward expressions changed. Added bit about "wild
   vampires" to the Draugr entry.

   By Ben Buckner, buckner@enuxsa.eas.asu.edu

  THE WOLF, THE WYRM AND THE WITCH



   "Loki had other children besides. There was a giantess Angrbodha, the
   Ill-Boding, from Jotunheim. Loki had three children with her, the
   first was Fenris-wolf, the second, Joermungand, the Midgard serpent,
   and the third, Hel. The gods knew that they were being raised among
   the giants and learned from prophesies that they would bring great
   evil. Thus the All-father Odin commanded some of the Aesir to go seize
   the children and bring them before him. When they came, Odin flung the
   serpent into the ocean depths where it grew to encircle the entire
   world of men, biting its own tail."

   "Then he cast Hel to Niflheim, giving her authority over nine worlds,
   so long as she shared her provisions with all who were sent to her,
   those who die from sickness or age. She has a great keep there, with
   towering walls and gates. Her hall is Damp-with-Sleet; her plate is
   Hunger and her knife Famine. Her servants are the Shambling Man and
   the Lurching Woman. Hel is half black, half flesh-color and she is
   easily known from this. She looks quite grim."

   "Fenris, the gods raised among themselves...

   " (Adapted from the "Gylfaginningsaga")

   Who are they really? Hel's Daughters, the Ice Maidens, the Winter
   Witches... Those few who know of them wonder, and they will most
   likely keep wondering, for the Helsdottir are as inscrutable as
   glaciers and often as inexorable. Of the speculators on their origins,
   some say they are merely another cursed bloodline, perhaps of
   Nosferatu, that inspired the myth of Hel, whereas others believe they
   are the actual Childer of the Lady of Niflheim, asking themselves what
   relations these "get" of Hel have with their metaphorical Lupine
   cousins. Still others doubt they are Kindred at all, merely something
   outwardly similar. It's a compelling topic -- those familiar with
   Garou lore cannot help but think of the second child, the great
   serpent, the Wyrm?

   Sadly for the cause of knowledge, neither the Wyrm, the Dottir, or the
   Get are saying much about this strange kinship suggested in the old
   sagas, although if you ask a Get of Fenris about it, you are certain
   to get a reply. It's just that you'll never get a chance to tell
   anyone what it was.

   What is commonly known of the Helsdottir is that they are creatures of
   ice, and snow, and winter. Beings of the rime-frost and arctic blast,
   shadowy courtiers of death who stand between this world and the next,
   bridging the twain with abominable sorceries. They are as the draugar,
   the barrow wights, feeding off the living in the long dark northern
   nights. They can be hideous. From one side, a beautiful woman, from
   the other a shrivelled corpse. Even the undead feel too much of the
   grave about them for comfort. Wraiths shudder before them. The
   Wyrm-creatures? Don't be silly -- they don't bother the minions of the
   Wyrm -- they just don't have any good use for them, that's all...

   Surprisingly, this is not far from the truth.

  WAYS AND MEANS



   Helsdottir obey Odin's proviso: By tradition, the Dottir never turn
   away those "who are sent to them." Though, the precise meaning of this
   is often a matter of opinion.

   They are rarely found below the 55th parallel. These secretive Kindred
   mostly dwell in the arctic, although a minority have their abodes in
   chilly regions near the south pole. A few have established themselves
   in high mountainous regions where permanent snow caps are at hand.
   Havens are usually in remote areas, where they spend most of their
   time, although younger and weaker individuals must exist nearer human
   habitation for feeding purposes. It is rumored that a small number of
   elders have achieved Golconda or something like it and have settled in
   the frozen wastes of Antarctica where they explore vast and
   incomprehensible magics.

   Rituals are a continual preoccupation of the Dottir. Much like the
   Garou, they have rituals for every occasion, most of which don't
   really have any specific magical effect. Very often, these rituals are
   reenactments of mythological and cultic themes, and Dottir will
   sometimes go to great lengths to prepare some particular aspect of the
   recreation. Visiters and those seeking favors are often insistently
   "invited" to portray a particular character which they happen to
   resemble. On the rare occasion when a Lupine peaceably interacts with
   them, the creature is asked without fail to take on Hispo form to
   portray Fenris (though seldom is it informed of the role Frey's sword
   plays in the myth - ouch!)

  SOCIETY



   All younger Helsdottir usually give their names as "Hel", much to the
   consternation and confusion of those few who encounter them. For some
   time after the Embrace, they lack a strong sense of individuality and
   often are much like apprentices to elder Helsdottir. Only when they
   get older do they become more independent. At some point, a Helsdottir
   will receive a personal name, usually after accomplishing some
   difficult task. This is similar to being considered an Ancilla among
   the Camarilla. The early decades (or even centuries) are important for
   learning the bloodline's intricate corpus of ritual, myth, and legend.

   The elder members, as in most clans, coordinate any collective
   actions. When they gather, it is usually for the purpose of conducting
   rituals. Otherwise, they meet only rarely.

   Relations with most clans are minimal. Mostly only Gangrel ever
   encounter them, usually at a distance. When Nosferatu happen upon them
   they often display fascination with these half-hideous, half-beautiful
   creatures. Tremere are naturally curious, and sometimes are brought
   into contact with them through a mutual interest in the occult,
   although Dottir guard their knowledge, especially that of rune magic,
   even more jealously than do the Tremere. The necromantic Giovanni are
   rather suspicious of their abilities in death magic, but their paths
   seldom cross.

   Only on the rarest occasions may a Helsdottir actually seek an
   individual of another clan for some purpose. There is one thing which
   will always draw their attention though. Caine. Even the slightest
   rumor of him merits at least a cursory examination. There exist
   certain members of the Dottir who have learned the Obfuscate
   discipline to more easily move within populated areas to investigate
   especially promising leads. Such occasions are frequently accompanied
   by mysteriously unseasonable cold spells.

   They do not have any sort of formal recognition of the Masquerade and
   do not consider themselves part of the Camarilla, but their secretive
   ways usually don't provoke much publicity. Occasional human kills are
   usually not discovered until well after spring thaw, when tell-tale
   evidence of blood loss is long gone or fairly unnoticeable. Death by
   exposure is hardly unusual during the arctic winter.

   As the Dottir dwell far from the Jyhad (some even say that the
   mythical Hel takes steps to insulate them from it), they sometimes
   traffic a bit with the Inconnu, who have similar tastes in a remote
   lifestyle. A few of the eldest Helsdottir are said to be members for
   all practical purposes.

   Garou, whom the Dottir often call "Vargulfar" (Warg-wolves), actually
   see them more frequently than other Kindred, but are mostly unaware of
   what they are, frequently mistaking them for spirits of one sort or
   another. At any rate, the tundra-dwelling Helsdottir are hardly a
   great driving force of human expansion and so are not generally
   considered a significant threat by Garou in the know. Get of Fenris
   that have some idea what the Dottir are will ignore the presence of a
   Helsdottir as though she weren't there and may become quite annoyed
   with anyone who troubles to point her out. Oddly, Get are the only
   Garou in which they show much interest, often observing them
   motionless at a distance, camouflaged to near invisibility against the
   snow by their peculiar Discipline and disappearing at the first sign
   that any take notice.

   Typical statements concerning Helsdottir:

   (It's a tradition, you know)

   Get of Fenris: [GLARE]

   Other Garou: "What the hell was that?"

   Inconnu: "Might as well get along with the neighbors. They make this
   funny kind of drink too..."

   Tremere: "What? I'm supposed to spend six months in a igloo to
   describe yet another piss-ant butt-ugly bloodline? If you're so damn
   interested, you go buy a parka!"

   Nosferatu (male): "Oooh, baby!"

   Gangrel: "Well, they've never troubled me over anything, but they
   still give me the chills. Tried to talk to one once. Might as well
   trade stories with a snowman."

   Magi: "Huh?"

   Wraiths: "Man, one of those bitches cursed me to haunt some totem pole
   in Greenland for *SIXTY* years. The less I see of 'em the better."

   Giovanni: "Could be lots o' trouble if they tried. They've got some
   real pull on the other side."

  OUTLOOKS



   The Helsdottir worldview is very similar to Norse/Germanic mythology,
   with a strong emphasis on magic. Magic is somewhere between a religion
   and an art form for them. They consequently look down upon Tremere
   blood magic as crude. The Tremere too often see it as a mere tool,
   they say. Tradition mages are little better: their problems with
   paradox are no wonder with the slapdash way they attempt to use magic.
   The essence of magic must be skillfully guided and subtly woven. It's
   an intricate dance and one who does not follow the music is sure to
   step on some feet.

   An integral part of Norse mythology is the belief in Ragnarok,
   essentially the end of the world. Some of the details of this event
   are given in the PLAYING THE DOTTIR section. Unlike most WoD denizens,
   the Dottir do not imagine their final apocalypse to be imminent,
   though they do make ritual preparations for it. Hel's role in the
   Ragnarok is not great, though Fenris and Joermungand both have
   significant parts. All three fight against the gods in alliance with
   the giants and assorted monstrous beings. The general belief is that
   the old gods are so weak in this age that Ragnarok would be rather
   pointless. Hel, Fenris, and Joermungand all have maintained strong
   presences in the world and as such do not feel the need to destroy it
   just yet. Perhaps in the next age though.

  LOOKS



   They frequently seem to be Scandinavian in origin but are by no means
   exclusively so. They are occasionally drawn from Inuits, Aleuts,
   Lapps, and other northern peoples as well, especially in the case of
   younger Helsdottir. These non-Scandinavian members tend to hold
   somewhat variant interpretations of their lore based on their native
   cultures.

   Style of dress may depend largely on time and place of embrace,
   although many prefer minimalism in this respect, wearing little more
   than a cloak or long shawl, if that. Helsdottir are for all practical
   purposes immune to the effects of cold and generally don't need to
   worry about maintaining appearances in their usual territories.
   Amulets and mystical bric-a-brac are almost de rigueur though. Ritual
   costumes can be quite elaborate, and heavy concealing winter wear is
   the rule near mortal habitations. The invention of the ski mask was
   considered very fortunate among those who find it necessary to operate
   around civilized areas.

  ESTIVATION



   They frequently estivate, that is to undergo a kind of summer
   equivalent of hibernation, since the "midnight sun" is not
   particularly salubrious for their complexions. They rule, however, the
   seemingly interminable winter nights. When the summer nights shorten
   to a certain point, they simply go into a light sleeplike torpor in a
   secluded place, often in chambers in the permafrost or in the deep
   perpetual snows of high mountains. Their metabolisms are such that
   they do not use blood during this torpid state as would be the case
   with other vampires. If they emerge from this special torpor
   prematurely, however, they may not reenter it until the following
   year. Normal awakening takes place as many days after the solstice as
   days before which it began.

   From the vernal equinox to the autumnal equinox (reversed in the
   southern hemisphere) they are rather difficult to wake, as if they had
   one humanity point less than they do. At Humanity of 1, they just
   don't wake up for anything, unless someone carts them off to the
   opposite hemisphere.

  EMBRACE



   The Helsdottir pick only women who have died non-violent deaths for
   the embrace. The Ritual of Embrace is long and complex. When a
   candidate expires and is buried, a quorum of nine gathers at the next
   new moon to watch the corpse at the gravesite throughout the next nine
   nights, whispering invocations to Hel, as the departed, it is
   believed, journeys to Niflheim to meet the death goddess Hel face to
   face. On the ninth night the body is exhumed and fed the mixed blood
   of the eldest and they say "Sister Modhgudh, she who crosses the
   Gjoell is one with us." After which the body is taken to a secret
   place in the wilderness and exposed to the light of the moon for the
   next nine nights. As the vigil goes on, she takes on the
   characteristic visage, the left side seeming alive and youthful, even
   so as to grow younger in appearance if she was old at the time of
   death. The right side conversely begins to wither and decay, more
   rapidly than it ought.

   Finally the initiate awakes, fully transformed, and speaks the ancient
   formula, spoken by the trickster Loki in his guise as the giantess
   Thoekk, "Let Hel hold what she has."

   Neonates display very little personality or self-will, perhaps the
   result of having been dead for half a month or more. As they grow
   older and more powerful, they become more "human," if the term is
   appropriate.

   Only the Ritual allows the blood to work in this manner. They cannot
   otherwise embrace the long-dead. As one might expect, it is possible
   for them to embrace the newly dead, but this produces neither
   Helsdottir nor Caitiff. The disturbance of the powerful mystical
   resonances carried in their vitae shatters the soul of the improperly
   embraced and the corpse arises stripped of all reason and Humanity, a
   frothing Beast, and what's more, a Beast endowed with not only the
   normal vampiric powers but the powers of the first five levels of the
   Hel's Will discipline (very dangerous). It becomes a Draugr, a
   mindless undead beast with a ravenous hunger for human lives.

   These misbegotten creatures are not common, but when they have been
   created through some mishap, the memory of their savage depredations
   can persist in local lore for centuries after they are dispatched,
   that is when they are dispatched. One unfortunate case in which a
   Dottir who had fallen to the Beast embraced a mortal man in this
   manner was brought to an end by the now-legendary Danish warrior
   Beowulf, after an extended reign of terror and bloodlust.

  BLOOD



   The vitae of Helsdottir sometimes betrays a hint of Gangrel in its
   taste, but there's something not quite right about it. Diablerie works
   on them but the diabolist will become a bit queasy afterwards. The
   diabolist's willpower should be rolled. On a botch the diabolist's
   blood becomes seriously tainted and the ghastly physical
   transformation of the Dottir takes hold. A failure indicates a
   crippling illness that persists for a number of days equal to the
   blood points consumed (the character is incapacitated). Success
   results in no adverse effect. When a Dottir diablerizes one of another
   bloodline or clan, a similar roll is made. However, in this case, a
   botch indicates that the Dottir becomes a Draugr, as after an improper
   embrace. (See the SECRET OF HEL for an explanation of this.)

  MOON



   Helsdottir maintain some supernatural connection to the moon. The half
   that appears corpselike varies depending on whether the moon is waxing
   or waning. The live side corresponds to the bright side of the moon
   and the dead side, the dark. At the precise moment of the full moon
   they appear fully human for a brief instant. At the new moon, they
   predictably become all corpse.

  DISCIPLINES: HEL'S WILL, PROTEAN AND ANIMALISM.



   For Shadow of the Beast (Prot. 4) the wolf form is always snow-white.
   The alternate form may often be a seal or a raven rather than the
   usual bat. It is said a few have even learned to take the fearsome
   form of the polar bear.

   Helsdottir frequently apply Animalism and often use ravens or crows,
   traditionally associated with death (and the god Odin), as spies or
   minions. They have on rare occasion been known to use a bizarre form
   of transportation, riding a wolf bridled with live serpents.

  THE BLOOD MEAD



   "Kvasir is so wise that nobody asks of him a question he is unable to
   answer. He travelled far and wide to teach men wisdom and came once to
   feast with some dwarfs, Fjalar and Galar. These called him aside for a
   word in private and killed him, letting his blood run into two crocks
   and one kettle. The kettle was called Odhroerir, but the crocks were
   known as Son and Bodhn. They mixed his blood with honey, and it became
   the mead which makes whomever drinks of it a poet or scholar."

   -- Snorri Sturluson Skaldskaparmal

   Helsdottir brew a unique variety of mead with vitae. The ritual
   involved is moderately complex (2nd level), though any Helsdottir with
   a personal name will almost certainly know it, as the brewing is
   usually performed communally. The mead normally has roughly half again
   the volume of blood used to make it and, unlike most vitae, it
   maintains its potency indefinitely in storage, if kept in suitable
   conditions. Kindred may consume it for nourishment without the ill
   effects usually associated with "normal" beverages, although it does
   have mild intoxicating properties which will affect them.

   The making of the mead requires casks, kettles, and the like, often
   hidden in subterranean caverns, which tend to remain at the
   appropriate temperature for fermentation, or occasionally in
   camouflaged above-ground structures. Sometimes ice-brewing is used,
   though this involves an extremely long period of fermentation. Of
   course, a good supply of honey must be on hand. The fermentation takes
   three to six weeks, depending on the temperature, type of vitae used,
   and concentration of honey, the greater the longer. Human blood is
   preferred, but if animal vitae is used, it is sometimes concentrated
   during the process to reduce its volume. After fermentation, it should
   be aged at least a year for best flavor, although it is drinkable
   before then. If the optional palatability roll is used, the difficulty
   increases by one for every three months less than a full year.

   The mead is important in a number of rituals and serves as a medium
   for a certain type of rune magic (see below). It also allows the
   Helsdottir to stock up on large quantities of vitae at one time so
   that frequent hunting trips are unnecessary. These mass brewings seem
   often to coincide with disastrous avalanches in skiing areas.

   Interestingly, the normal brewing process seems to eliminate the
   potential of the blood bond when used with Kindred vitae. It does
   however eliminate many of its other peculiar properties as well.

   A more advanced ritual can be used to make a special brew that
   temporarily confers some skills and knowledge of the "donor" to those
   who consume the beverage. This 5th level ritual absolutely requires
   the (final) death of the victim and will confer one dot in any
   Ability, Path, or Discipline possessed by said victim at greater
   proficiency than the individual who quaffs a drinking horn full of it.
   The duration of the effect is one day. The statistic affected must be
   chosen during the brewing process, as different incantations are
   required for different types. The brewer must roll Occult +
   Intelligence at standard difficulty and the number of successes
   indicates how many effective doses are produced (never more than the
   number of blood points used.) A botch can produce rather disturbing
   toxic effects.

   With either ritual, an optional Intelligence + Zymurgy roll indicates
   the general palatability of the brew.

   Botch: Some bad bugs grew in it. The batch is totally ruined and can
   make imbibers, mortal or otherwise, rather ill.

   Failure: Vinegary. It tastes like hell, but it still has nutritive
   value. Toreadors are incapable of drinking it.

   Successes:

    1 First try at homebrew, eh?

   2 Generic beer/wine with a screw-top.

   3 Budweiser, Coors/Cheap wine, but it doesn't come in gallon jugs.

   4 Heineken, Samuel Adams/Moderately priced table wines.

   5 The Braeumeister's personal homebrew/makes French guys drool.

   6 Toreadors are paralyzed with ecstasy.

   7 The Gods come to your door begging for a sip.

  RUNE MAGIC AND SEIDHR



   "Egill then drew his knife and stabbed the palm of his hand; he took
   the drinking horn and carved runes on it and rubbed blood on it. He
   said: We carve a rune on the horn/we redden the spell in blood..."

   -- Egill's Saga, ch. 44

   It is said that the god Odin obtained the knowledge of the runes by
   fixing himself to a tree with his spear and hanging there for nine
   days and nine nights. Helsdottir know this story well, and they know
   exactly what journey it is that takes nine days and nights. Hel is the
   goddess of Death, the ultimate keeper of secrets, and it was she that
   revealed the mystery of the runes to the All-father Odin, they say. It
   should be no surprise then that Helsdottir are usually well versed in
   these mysteries, in runes as well as the ancient shamanistic forms of
   sorcery known as Seidhr and Utiseta.

   They are capable of using Rituals like Thaumaturgists and all are
   taught the Helsdottir Ritual of Embrace (a level 1 ritual). This
   ability is concomitant with the Hel's Will discipline.

   Helsdottir may learn and use Thaumaturgical paths as well but at a
   higher cost in experience points, namely 6 x level rather than the
   usual 4 (making them quite expensive). This reflects the alienness of
   blood magic. This being said, they do have their own Path of Runes
   which costs the standard 4 x level. Each type of rune inscription must
   be learned individually from a teacher, as with a ritual, and each has
   a level based on its power and difficulty.

   Of course, a Dottir who manages to acquire the Thaumaturgy discipline
   somehow would naturally acquire Paths normally. It is perhaps possible
   that a Thaumaturgist could learn the Path of Runes, but it must be a
   very rare occasion. Non-Dottir would certainly not be as adept in the
   use of necromantic runes.

   Rune magic involves several steps:

   1) The carving of the rune/s. They may be carved into a number of
   materials, typically with a knife.

   2) The coloring of the rune/s. This is to rub the runes with a
   coloring agent, vitae in the case of Helsdottir magic, whether the
   casters or someone else's.

   3) The incantation. This may be quite simple or it might involve a
   rather extended litany. In general it will be different from the
   actual text of the inscription.

   4) Ancillary rites. Rune carving often (though not always) involves
   some other action to be performed at this point. Walking backwards
   around the object counter-clockwise is one example. In cases where the
   magic affects a particular individual, such as a curse (known as a
   "nidh"), the object must usually be placed in proximity to the
   affected individual. There is also a procedure by which the runes are
   now scraped off of the object, typically wood, and the scrapings are
   mixed into mead to transfer the spell through consumption of the
   liquid. Helsdottir brew a special variety of mead from vitae, which
   they can use for this purpose.

   5) Nullifying rune magic. The spell may be broken by scraping off the
   runes, as if to be used in a potion, but the scrapings must then be
   burnt in a fire. Runes are often inscribed in less obvious places for
   this reason, as well as out of the general inclination toward secrecy.

   Inscription of a magical rune (or set of them) costs as many blood
   points as its level for the coloring, as the runes almost seem to
   thirstily drink the vitae. The actual text of the inscription may be a
   single rune, though sets of two or three are more common. Stronger
   magic may involve lengthy inscriptions involving various words of
   power such as "leek" (laukr) or "ale" (alu) (really!). The most
   powerful inscriptions always include a formula identifying the
   runemistress. Frequently the caster identifies herself with an occult
   pseudonym. She will always use this name with a particular spell,
   choosing it to be appropriate to the particular magic. E.g. "I,
   Defender-of-Stones carved these runes." for a spell defending a sacred
   stone circle. Those with Occult skill may be able to glean information
   as to the identity of the carver from these, although the difficulty
   for this tends to be fairly high.

   Using the Path of Runes requires the standard Willpower test and the
   inscription requires a test of Occult+Dexterity. After all, the unseen
   powers won't know what to do with it if they can't read your chicken
   scratching. The difficulty of this roll depends on the size. texture,
   and composition of the medium. E.g.:


Medium              Difficulty to carve
------              ---------- -- -----

Flat gold, lead surface   5
Smooth pine board         6
Large Bone (thigh)        6
Small bone (big knuckle)  7
Headstone                 7
Thorn                     8
Natural Granite Rockface  8
Pebble                    9



   Failure will often be apparent, although a botch may be a subtle error
   which is not noticed until the magical properties are called upon.
   This roll also includes the possibility of misspellings and assorted
   "typos".

   In general, one area in which the Dottir do not freely share
   information with one another is the knowledge of runes. Magical rune
   knowledge is jealously guarded, and such knowledge is something of a
   status symbol among them. Note that it is not possible to learn the
   magical use of a rune formula from just seeing it. The proper manner
   of inscription and incantation must be known to empower the runes.
   Complete rune rituals are seldom written down and must be learned from
   an informant, although it is not at all unusual to obtain such
   information via necromancy or from dealings spirits and creatures such
   as frost giants or dwarfs. As difficult as that sounds, it is usually
   much easier than prying the secrets from the cold, undead lips of
   other Dottir.

   Length of efficacy: Rune magic as performed by the Dottir tends to be
   strongly linked to the moon. Three-fold carvings, all simple 1st and
   2nd level formulas last until the next full moon, as do most other
   types, unless otherwise specified. Runes consumed in a blood mead
   preparation are effective on the imbiber for the duration of the scene
   and retain their potency in the mixture until the full moon.
   Helsdottir do not lightly reveal this lunar time limit to outsiders.

   * Tyr rune: This is a common and well-known rune use, found frequently
   on the weapons of the ancient Germanic peoples. The rune is inscribed
   threefold and has the effect of improving the damage done by a melee
   weapon by one die. It can only add one die to a given weapon -- thus
   it is not possible to cover a dagger with tyr runes such that it
   becomes as lethal as a poison-coated flaming chainsaw. The required
   incantation is simply to invoke the name of Tyr twice. The effects
   will last until the next full moon. The weapon delivers one aggravated
   wound to supernatural creatures on a successful hit, but no more than
   one. It can only be cast successfully on Tuesday, the day sacred to
   Tyr.


 /|\     Also represents the sound 'T'.  The name simply means "a god"
  |      although it can also specifically refer to the battle god
  |      Tyr (or Tiu - OE)



   * Feh (wealth) rune: Another common one. Like the Tyr rune, it's
   repeated three-fold. The effect is of general beneficence. In game
   terms, it tends to produce minor serendipitous effects such as finding
   a $5 bill on the street and averts minor mishaps. The individual to
   receive the beneficence must carry the inscribed object.


  |/
  |/   Feh
  |



   ** Thurs (Giant) rune (also Thorn in OE)

   : Analogous to the Feh rune, this rune carved three-fold curses an
   individual. It tends to produce minor mishaps such as losing a $5 bill
   on the street or tripping in a gopher hole. The target must either
   somehow be induced to carry the inscribed object, or his name must be
   used in the inscription (hence it's 2nd level status.)


  |
  |>   Thurs
  |



   ** Haegl (Hail) rune: This rune carved three-fold attracts hailstorms
   and foul weather. It is often used as a component in more complex
   curse formulas.

   ** Is (Ice) rune: This rune carved three-fold can reduce the ambient
   temperature in an area by around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It is
   effective for an area the size of a small room. Multiple carvings have
   cumulative effects. Like other three-fold runes, its effects last
   until the next full moon.

   ** Sleep Runes: This is a short inscription which is carved onto a
   thorn. Upon sticking someone with this thorn, the rune carver's Occult
   + Path of Runes is rolled at a difficulty of the targets Willpower.
   Upon success, the target will fall asleep in a number of turns equal
   to his Stamina minus the number of successes. Botches usually result
   in the user pricking herself.

   ** Runes of Draugr Binding: These runes are capable of preventing the
   dead from wandering. In the old days, it's main purpose was to prevent
   reanimated corpses known as draugar (q.v.) from leaving their tombs,
   but a more general use of restraining Wraiths and other varieties of
   restless dead is now much more common. Kindred are somewhat subject to
   this, but may make a Willpower roll once per day at standard
   difficulty versus the Occult + Intelligence of the caster. A simple
   success will break the binding. Runes of draugr binding are permanent
   until removed or overcome in the case of creatures that are capable of
   it. In the area of necromantic runes, Helsdottir inscriptions are
   quite powerful.

   ** Runes of Fertility: Among mortal runemasters such runes were quite
   common, as were the usual blessings, and curses. Dottir can use them
   as well, although they rarely have the motivation to do so. It is
   rumored however that certain higher level versions (perhaps 4th or
   5th) of this are capable of making even Kindred or Garou Metis fertile
   for short periods of time.

   Higher level runes

   Many of these tend to be extended versions of the lower level runes.
   Various forms of blessings and curses are common, although any formula
   over 2nd level tends to be especially secret. As always, feel free to
   invent your own. These more powerful inscriptions tend to be rather
   individualistic anyway.

   *** Runes of Toughness: These runes carved on an object make it
   essentially unbreakable. The runes may also be consumed in blood mead
   as described above to produce a temporary one dot increase in Stamina
   (lasts one scene). Effects are not cumulative.

   *** Runes of Speech: When inscribed on a piece of bark which is placed
   under the tongue of a corpse, these runes enable the corpse to speak
   and answer questions. If the corpse died a non-violent death (and not
   at sea, incidentally) it is obliged to answer ANY question posed by a
   Helsdottir truthfully. Other types of dead have volition in this
   matter. The corpse must not be too decomposed, at least having a
   tongue, and will remain talkative until the next full moon or the bark
   is removed. It is advisable to take care with a fresh corpse, as the
   vitae the Dottir used to color the runes might have certain side
   effects...

   Vampires, garou, and other supernatural creatures which can speak are
   subject to this, although it is rare that they die non-violent deaths.

   *** Runes of Restlessness: These runes when carved somewhere around a
   gravesite causes its occupant to become some form of restless dead,
   typically a Draugr or Wraith. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell which
   is going to happen (ST's discretion). The victim is under no
   constraint to obey the caster and more often than not doesn't even
   realize what happened. This is typically used as a curse. With
   Wraiths, the runes act as a fetter. These runes remain effectual until
   they are destroyed.

   **** Runes of the Shambling Servant (Ganglati): The caster carves the
   runes on a bone of a dead person or animal and with a ghastly
   invocation of dread chthonic powers creates a sort of walking dead
   with the same physical form as the bone's owner. This "shambling
   servant" or Ganglati (see the mythical description of Hel's abode)
   retains shreds of the knowledge and memories of the deceased, but is
   not really intelligent and can only follow the verbal instructions of
   the caster, whom it will obey. It or parts of it will remain animated
   until the original bone (which is incorporated into the regenerated
   body) is broken or destroyed, at which time it disintegrates. They
   ignore wound penalties as do Draugar, although after they reach 0
   Health levels, they are little more than piles of flailing parts.
   These golem-like monstrosities do not regenerate like Draugar. The
   animating runes remain effective until the next full moon, at which
   time the Ganglati falls to dust.

   **** Runes of Hearkening: By carving the name of an individual with
   this formula, the caster causes a powerful summons of the named
   creature. Unlike with the Presence discipline, the summonee is not
   bound to come or particularly enthralled, but will feel a constant
   nagging sensation that will cause a one die penalty on all actions
   after a week. There is no restriction of distance. The subject will
   start to have dreams and short visions of the location where the runes
   are. They are dispelled as soon as the subject looks upon them. The
   duration is indefinite and one caster can only have one set of runes
   in effect for a particular person, but several casters can join forces
   to make life rather unpleasant. If the subject chooses to heed the
   summons, he will have no problem finding the way, finding that he has
   an instinctive sense for it.

   **** Runes of Refusal: These runes carved on an object may be
   displayed to ward off Draugar, Wraiths, vampires, and various forms of
   restless dead as if by True Faith. The effective Faith rating
   corresponds to the caster's rating in the Path of Runes + Charisma if
   the caster is present or simply the Path rating if not. They are
   effective until the next full moon.

   ***** Runes of Vengeance: These runes are carved and then mixed with
   blood mead, which is then poured over some mortal remains (anything
   will do) of a murder victim. the victim will then recorporate,
   becoming a vengeance-Draugr, an Aptrgongumadhr, bent on the
   destruction of its killer/s, and it will seek said individuals out
   until they or it are destroyed. They have the physical characteristics
   of normal Draugar (5 dots) and the social and mental attributes and
   abilities they had at the time of death and will use them considerably
   more often than normal Draugar. They can be quite violent and
   single-minded, whatever their former dispositions, but they do show
   some calculation in their actions. For every wound inflicted on a
   target of revenge, such Draugar gain one health level, even going over
   the maximum, as they are supernaturally energized by vengeance.

   Vengeance-Draugar may be destroyed in the same manner as normal
   Draugar (q.v.), by fire or decapitation, are immobilized by staking,
   and have the same curious habit of regenerating at dusk at their
   gravesites. Once successful, the creature crumbles to dust. They are
   often created using greater blood mead (from the 5th level ritual) to
   enhance their abilities.

   The creator has no direct control over this creature, though it won't
   bother her unless she gets in its way or is one of the killers,
   naturally.

   (Now you can all create your Crow-inspired characters.)

   ***** Greater Runes of Speech: Similar to the level 3 runes of speech,
   these permit the same sort of access to the dead but do not require a
   corpse, only the name of the deceased. The runes are carven on a horse
   skull which speaks to the caster.

   ***** Greater Runes of Fertility: These are said to tap the very
   essence of the vital spirit of the Earth, perhaps Gaia, and can bestow
   procreative power on almost anything, including Garou metis and all
   manner of undead. The runes are mixed in blood mead but have only a
   short duration of potency, a few hours at most, so the imbiber had
   better hurry about it. They always produce results... of some sort.

   Runes of Protection

   These are special class of rune formulas that confer protection from
   malevolent Rituals of Tremere, Garou, or others.

   They tend to be lengthier inscriptions and do not have a set text,
   although there are rules and formulas governing them which must be
   learned as with specific rune formula types. In order to create
   effective runes of protection, the caster must be familiar with the
   ritual to be warded against. Occult + Wits must be rolled to determine
   the proper runes to outmaneuver the magic of the offending Ritual. The
   difficulty for this roll depends on the level of familiarity with the
   Ritual:

   Created the Ritual 4

   Performed the Ritual 6

   Seen the Ritual Performed 8

   Heard of the Ritual 9

   For instance, if a friend says "I've heard they know a spell that can
   stake you from a distance," a runemistress of sufficient power can
   attempt to counter it, but the chances of success are slim, with a 9
   difficulty. A botch in this instance would certainly have most
   distressing results.

   The number of successes determines how many times the runes will
   counter the Ritual before they lose their power.

   Once an opposing formula for a particular Ritual has been developed,
   it can naturally be used again for the same Ritual. Of course, there's
   no way to know if it works until it's been tested...

   The level for a Runes of Protection formula is equal to the level of
   the Ritual which is being countered. Any attempt by a caster of lower
   level than this to use the appropriate runes of protection will
   obviously fail.

   Seidhr and Utiseta Rituals

   Seidhr and Utiseta are essentially ritual frameworks. Seidhr rites are
   performed on a high platform (a seidhhjallr) while utiseta is always
   performed in remote areas at special site such as a crossroads, a
   grave mound, or a prominence. Utiseta literally means "sitting out".
   Objects frequently used are tall poles, ceremonial spears, and certain
   plants such as the flax, the leek, and the samphire (or whatever you
   think "salu" really is). Horses and parts thereof are commonly used in
   these rituals. Also important is a type of flat metal amulet known as
   a bracteate, which will typically bear a cultic scene with some runes
   on one side.

   Rituals of Transition

   Several forms of this ritual exist; all are difficult. They allow the
   caster and some companions to travel into the Umbra and the realms of
   Hel's paradigm, through the Midgard domain.

   The first form requires two horses for every traveler. Each pair of
   horses must be slain simultaneously with the same spear while a rider
   sits upon one. Their spirits are magically combined in the umbra
   through the ritual to form an eight-legged spirit horse. Upon their
   deaths the rider is drawn with them into the umbra and can travel upon
   its back.

   The second form requires a boat or ship of some sort. Helsdottir tend
   to have a sentimental preference for Viking longships, but any vessel
   will do. During the ritual, the ship is launched and everyone who is
   to go along boards it. The ship, which is piled with flammable
   materials, is then set afire. As it burns it becomes umbral as do its
   occupants, who are not harmed by the fire, if the ritual is done
   correctly. Obviously if things don't go exactly right, this can turn
   into a rather bad situation. Rotschreck is also something of a problem
   when this is done with Kindred -- sometimes the less courageous must
   be lashed to the mast. It is however sometimes much more convenient
   for a large group than sacrificing a small herd of horses, two by two.
   The looks of umbral garou as a longship full of half-corpse women
   glides by through the umbra is said to be almost worth the trouble.

   The third form is much simpler to execute, but tends to leave its
   subjects rather vulnerable. Each traveler must be impaled on an ash
   tree with a ceremonial spear and left hanging. His/her spirit is
   separated and sent to the umbra for exactly nine nights, during which
   the body is helpless in the physical world, similarly to the Auspex
   Astral Travel ability. The traveler cannot be recalled earlier and
   this must be performed in a remote open area as it is an utiseta rite.
   During this period, the body does not die or degenerate from the spear
   wound (if a mortal), although upon return the traveler will be in dire
   need of medical attention without some sort of regenerative ability.
   If the body is removed from the tree prematurely, the spirit is
   trapped in the umbra and the normal effects of having been impaled by
   a spear (often death) commence.

   To summarize, none of these Rituals of Transition are particularly
   easy. Some work has been done to create a ritual in which an
   automobile is used, by driving it off a cliff for instance, but these
   efforts have not been successful to date.

  SKILLS



   Helsdottir almost always have Survival and Occult, with
   specializations in runology or seidhr magic. Lupine or Spirit Lore is
   not uncommon as well. In general, they tend to be well-versed in
   occult mysteries and practices. Also common is the brewing skill,
   Zymurgy.

  THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NORTHERN NIGHT



   Draugr (pl. Draugar): This is a sort of Nordic vampire/zombie. Draugar
   are essentially reanimated corpses which guard their burial places,
   sometimes catching and devouring mortals who happen by, sometimes even
   extending the range of their depredations (a wandering Draugr was
   known as an "aptrgongumadhr," but I won't bother much with the term
   for obvious reasons.) They are similar to vampires in that they must
   be destroyed by decapitation or fire, and may be at least be stopped
   by driving a stake through the heart. However, they cannot embrace new
   Draugar and have no particular need of human blood to survive; they
   just seem to like it. They have straight fives for their physical
   traits. Draugar usually have the mental and social attributes they had
   in life, but these are deeply submerged by its bestial nature and
   mostly unused. In most circumstances, Draugar are not functionally
   very intelligent and should essentially be considered to be in a
   perpetual state of frenzy. It has been speculated that this is
   evidence that they are animated purely by the vampiric Beast without
   the benefit of a counterbalancing influence. They occasionally do
   display elements of their former personalities and knowledge, but
   these are usually rather warped displays.

   The Draugr is not harmed by sunlight, though it shuns the light of day
   as a rule. If in its burial place, it regenerates all damage every
   night at dusk, until it is cremated, decapitated, or staked.

   The occurrence of Draugar is extremely rare in this day and age. They
   only come into being in areas where the gauntlet is particularly low,
   especially near caerns and nodes. What it is exactly that foments the
   change from dead body to ambulatory dead body is unknown. Some have
   opined that the Draugar are sort of a "wild vampire".



   Helsdottir can enter the nine worlds of Hel's paradigm (including
   Hel's own, Niflheim) through certain Rituals of Transition. They most
   often do this to obtain occult secrets and conduct nefarious dealings
   with the inhabitants of these realms. The umbral domain of these
   realms is known as Midgard and to reach any of them requires first
   travelling to Midgard through the near Umbra. Midgard (and the realms
   of icy Jotunheim and fiery Muspellheim) was once practically joined to
   the WoD realm, but the raising of the gauntlet has cut it off almost
   completely. Some of the more common creatures of these realms:

   Aesir & Vanir: The old gods, the Aesir and Vanir, are said to be weak
   and decrepit in these times. They are sometimes encountered in their
   home worlds (Asgardh and Vanaheim) but are still much superior to mere
   mortals and most vampires in their power. They are rather hostile to
   Helsdottir, Get of Fenris, and Wyrm-creatures of any sort. Among them
   are Odin, Frigg, Frey, Thor, and Loki (who is a bit tied up at the
   moment). The gods have many powers and are often capable of
   shapeshifting or changing their appearance.

   Frost Giants (Jotun): These creatures, typically 8 to 10 feet in
   height, are no longer found in this realm, although from time to time
   one has been known to enter it for a short time from its native world
   Jotunheim. Frost giants are often quite intelligent and many are
   gifted sorcerers. Shapeshifting is a very common ability. Their
   character creation is as with humans only they get an automatic two
   dot bonus in Strength and an extra health level.

   Dwarfs: These are similar to the traditional RPG dwarf (being the
   inspiration for them). They have their own realm like the frost
   giants, where they hoard wealth and constantly plot and conspire to
   steal others' treasures through clever and deceitful means. They know
   many secrets which are to be had for a price.

  PLAYING THE DOTTIR



   With supplemental character types such as the Dottir, there is always
   a question as to whether they should merely be non-player characters
   or actually playable. I myself, who once invented a sentient
   photosynthetic organism with a silicate/silane-based biochemistry for
   a character, have long believed that such characters can be a positive
   thing in an RPG. Some will strongly disagree, and I can see reasons
   why they would. Those individuals can just use Helsdottir as NPCs, if
   they want to use them at all. I'm sure people will ask "Are these
   intended as PCs?" Well, yes, if you want to use them that way. It may
   not be as smooth as established character types, but I tried to
   provide a power balance, and I think I've succeeded. Looking like some
   B-movie monster severely limits one's interactions with normals and
   many of the discipline powers are quite useless in warm weather. These
   two features should offset the power and flexibility to the point
   where Helsdottir characters are not overly powerful compared to PCs of
   other types at the same experience level. In addition, much of the
   Ritual magic is provided with limitations, most of which were quite
   natural. The Rituals of Transition are a good example of this. The
   runes could be a little much, but I should stress that it ought to be
   very hard to find the formulas, two separate rolls are always
   required, they require blood points (though not necessarily the
   caster's), and the Path costs experience to learn.

   Although this is intended to go with White Wolf's Vampire: the
   Masquerade, it refers often to Werewolf: the Apocalypse and mentions a
   few things from supplements. Much will be unintelligible without
   knowledge of Werewolf, but the other references are incidental and
   intended for the masses of people who do know them and are sure to ask
   things like "Doesn't Helsdottir necromancy infringe on Giovanni
   territory?"

   If the Dottir are to be an integral part of a Chronicle, I would
   recommend some reading on the mythological and cultural background.

   I just had an urge to make up some background that captured the look
   and feel of Norse mythological world, which in many ways was easily as
   grim as the World of Darkness; a world that was inhabited by
   malevolent beasts and wicked giants who fought gods that weren't
   really much better. A world that would ultimately die in an
   uninterrupted four-year winter followed by an all-consuming fire, an
   all-covering flood, and finally a great internecine battle over the
   charred, drowned earth in which the gods themselves would perish at
   the hands of the mustered forces of darkness, who would sail upon them
   in a ship built from the fingernails of corpses. That's darkness.

   Anyway, I tried to build some hooks in too. There's the Hospitality
   ability (Hel's Will 3) so a Helsdottir can provide a good enabler for
   arctic activity -- for a price of course. The sorcery aspect is always
   a good one too. Who doesn't need a little magical assistance now and
   again, especially assistance that can propel one into the Umbra or
   possibly even temporarily restore the ability to procreate in the
   human manner?

  THE SECRET OF HEL



   What practically no one knows is that Hel is not an Antediluvian, nor
   a Methuselah, nor even an Elder. She is simply not a Cainite at all.
   Neither are the Helsdottir, exactly. Hel was the first among the
   Incarna and Celestines of the Germanic pantheon to recognize the
   inevitability of the Christian threat to their base of worshippers.
   She knew the Kindred well, being the mistress of the northern
   underworld and used her considerable mystic connections in her old and
   by that time mostly neglected aspect as the tripartite Greek moon
   goddess Selene/Artemis/Hecate. It was most likely her experience with
   the decline of Classical Greek paganism which convinced her of the
   necessity to act to preserve her power while she still had it. As
   Hecate, the goddess of the black art, she also knew rumors which
   foreshadowed the coming of the static reality.

   Hel discovered some of the secrets of Caine, notably the fragment of
   his avatar which burns in every Cainite. She learned how to replace it
   and substitute a fragment of her own divine being with a sort of
   spirit virus. After several dramatically unsuccessful experiments in
   the days following the fall of the Roman empire, she captured a
   powerful Gangrel of the fifth generation -- taking a more powerful one
   might attract undue attention. She warped the hapless creature into
   her own image to reinforce the magical signature-bond (the Doctrine of
   Signatures) so that it could accept her avatar and infected it.
   Amazingly it worked, for the most part. Disappointingly, the new
   creation had a few problems procreating. The Hel-avatar simply wasn't
   completely compatible with the Caine-avatar or else some of the
   mystical restraints on the Beast were compromised in the process.
   Whatever the case, it was clear that every neonate would require
   personal attention to stabilize the Embrace, hence the Ritual. The
   strong resemblance of the Dottir to Hel herself is necessary to prop
   up this arrangement, the price of "hacking into" Caine's
   thaumaturgical artifice for her own purposes. All along she has
   expected to find an angry Caine knocking on the door of
   Damp-With-Sleet, but he has yet to appear. And she still watches,
   intently, keeping her brood ever vigilant for him.

   But the project succeeded in its main objective -- to provide Hel a
   power base when her less foresighted peers had shrivelled up and blown
   away with the winds of change. The Gods were mighty, but the children
   of Loki and Angrbodha were the ones left standing after all was said
   and done.

  AUTHOR'S NOTES: READ FIRST, FLAME LATER.



   The term "Helsdottir" is really an Anglo-Norse hybrid of my own
   creation. The actual Old Norse might be "Heljar dottir" (plural
   "Heljar doetr") or Heldottir (and "Heldoetr") depending on whether the
   genitive phrase or an actual compound is preferred.

   I have represented the "eth" character as "dh." In many English
   translations this is appears as a "d." The pronunciation is a voiced
   dental fricative, as the first consonant in "they." Certain words such
   as "Odin" and "Midgard" appear commonly enough that I decided to use
   the conventional English spelling.

   The vowel combination "oe" represents the "o-umlaut", a rounded vowel
   which does not exist in English. (The same vowel appears in the names
   of Icelandic pop singer Bjoerk and the German poet Goethe.)

   The adaptation from the "Gylfaginning" ("the Deluding of Gylfi," part
   of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda) contains a few omissions and
   licenses for dramatic purposes. The essence follows the original. View
   it as an alternate version of the story preserved in Dottir tradition.

   I use a number of allusions to Norse myth, particularly the myth of
   Baldr's death, which is one of the most important concerning Hel.

   The section on rune magic attempts to incorporate as much of the
   actual pre-Christian magical practices of the ancient Germanic tribes
   as I could find. There are a few other details I didn't bother
   searching out and including, such as the restriction to 24 types of
   things on which runes can be carved from one particular source. I
   think it's plenty detailed as it is. My primary reference for this
   area was Runes and Magic [1]. It's not a light read, but it's pretty
   solid.

   My vision of Hel as a goddess of sorcery as well as death is slightly
   extrapolated. The strong personification of Hel as seen in the Prose
   Edda may be of relatively late origin, perhaps ca. the 10th century,
   although the concept of the relation between the death and magic is
   clearly quite old. In Old English we see the word "helruna" ("hel" +
   "rune") for "sorceress" or "necromancer" and a similar cognate existed
   in Gothic.

   The section on mead brewing was drawn from a little research and a
   little personal experience. Don't have conniptions if the details
   aren't exactly right; it's only color, and, besides, the actual
   details vary enormously from one recipe to the next. I actually have a
   theory that blood was used as a yeast nutrient at one time, as
   reflected in the Kvasir myth. Honey is very nitrogen-poor.

   Draugar are an authentic and fairly important part of Norse legend.
   Most of the details about their characteristic and behavior are found
   in at least some original sources.

   The exact relationship among Fenris, Joermungand (the Wyrm), and Hel
   in the WoD is left vague purposefully. I didn't want to make too many
   aspects dependent on a particular interpretation, though I do feel
   that some relationship is necessary for Helsdottir to work. For
   instance, I have indicated their particular interest in the Get of
   Fenris and the peculiar reaction to them by the Get. One possible way
   to view it is as a response to the intrusion of a different reality
   paradigm into theirs.

   I also tried to avoid too many references to the Aesir and certain
   details of cosmology such as the "nine worlds" and the relations of
   the various -Gards and -Heims, partly because these vary greatly from
   source to source and partly because I wanted to leave room for people
   who might want to do other stuff with it.

   A couple of the books I used:

   [1] Runes and Magic: Magical Elements in the Older Runic Tradition by
   Stephen E. Flowers from the American University Studies Series I,
   Germanic Languages and Literature; Vol. 53, Peter Lang Publishing,
   Inc., New York, 1986.

   [2] The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson translated by Jean I. Young.
   University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 1954.

  QUASI-LEGAL REMARKS



   Quasi-legal remarks which probably wouldn't stand up in court, but
   it's worth a try:

   All uses of trademarks herein should not be considered challenges as
   to their ownership. The author makes no claims about them and honestly
   doesn't know what is or isn't a trademark of somebody or other.

   Also, certain themes involving ritual magic are explored in this
   document; these are merely fictional extrapolations from supposed
   historical practices for use in a role-playing game. The author does
   not advocate the actual performance of these rituals or claim that
   they actually have the stated effects. For example, if some idiot goes
   out and sets his boat on fire in order to enter another dimension,
   said idiot is the master of his own fate and the author disavows any
   responsibility for such silly acts. The author also does not care if
   anyone considers the work "Satanic." -- such people are entitled to
   their opinions, however wrong they may be.

   Finally, the author kindly requests that this work not be plagiarized
   or sold by a person other than the author or his authorized agents, in
   the off chance that he ever has any. Not-for-profit reproduction of
   the work is freely permitted.
