Credits
FOR SEPTIÉME CERCLE
Original Idea:
Neko
System Concept:
Florrent
Editorial and Art Direction:
Neko
Text:
Kristof Valla, Neko, Florent
Proofreading:
Fr. Xavier Cuende, Neko, Jerome Huguenin, and Kristof Valla
Cover:
Marc Simonetti
Archetype Illustrations (colour):
Tarumbana
Interior Art, Graphic Elements, Maps:
Jerome Huguenin (Jee)
hanks:
To all the team at Septieme Cercle for having started me on this new saga, to Eie for her great
advice, and to Julia, who despite everything still loves the nice monsters. Jee.
A big thank-you too to the playtesters: Eric “Alf ” Alliot, Olivier Darles, Damien Le Cheviller, Jean
Wolters, Jean-Georges “JiJo” Valles, Olivier “Nenech” Benech, Tomtom, Serge Martinez, Antoine “Yaug”,
Bruno “Pix” Pochelut, Geofrey and l’As de Carotte for their patience.
Yggdrasill
is published by 7éme Cercle Sarl, all rights reserved
© 2009 Le 7éme Cercle
All rights reserved
10, rue d’Alexandre
64600 Anglet
www.7emecercle.com
FOR CUBICLE 7
Line Developer:
Andrew Peregrine
Creative Director:
Dominic McDowall-homas
Art Director:
Jon Hodgson
English language edition developers:
Sarah Newton and Andrew Peregrine
Translated by:
Sarah Newton and Morgane Guillemot
Edited by:
Nimrod Jones, Sarah Newton and Nick Robinson
Layout by:
Edel Ryder-Hanrahan
Proofreading:
Matthew Pook
Special hanks to:
Neko, Florrent and Angus Abranson
Yggdrasill
(English Language Edition) © 2012 Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd. All rights reserved.
Published by Cubicle 7 Entertainment Limited, Riverside House, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0ES, UK.
Cubicle 7 Entertainment Limited is a UK Registered Company (Reg. No. 6036414).
ISBN 978-0-85744-054-9
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, carved into the side of a mountain, recording or otherwise, without
the prior permission of the copyright owner. Permission is given (nay, encouraged!) to print or photocopy the
Character Sheet on pages 227-228 and the Character Creation Summary on pages 78 and 79 (this is really handy for
players to have access to when making characters).
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Contents
Introduction 4
What is a Role-Playing Game? 7
Yggdrasill 7
Historical Accuracy 7
hree Concepts 8
In the Shadow of Yggdrasill 9
he Primal Chaos 9
he Aesir and Vanir 9
Yggdrasill & the Nine Worlds 11
he Gods of Asgard 13
he Aesir Triad 13
he Vanir Triad 17
Other Major Gods 19
he Disir Goddesses 21
Cults & Rituals 22
Blot, or the Sacriicial Rites 22
Undertaking a Blot 22
Sacred Places 23
Funerary Rites 23
Sacred Oaths 24
Scandia 25
A Land Ruled by Cold 27
he Kingdom of Denmark 27
Geography & Environment 27
Human Settlement 28
Country Organisation 29
Recent Events 30
Important Figures 31
he Kingdom of Svithjod 32
Geography & Environment 32
Human Settlement 33
Country Organisation 34
Current Situation 34
Important Figures 35
he Kingdom of Norway 36
Geography & Environment 36
Human Settlement 37
Important Figures of Norway 38
Other Provinces 40
he Land of the Gautars 40
Geography & Environment 40
Human Settlement 41
Important Figures 41
Finland 42
Other Regions, Other People 43
he Saxons 43
Angles and Jutes 43
Daily Life 44
Org. of the Northern Kingdomes 44
Family and Clan
Characteristic Tests 75
Unskilled Tests 75
Opposed Tests 76
Extended Tests 77
Special Results 77
he Burden of Fate 78
Heroes of Midgard 79
he Birth of a Hero 79
he Concept 79
Fate 79
Characteristics 82
Gits and Weaknesses 82
Skills 82
Secondary Characteristics 82
Furor
83
Combat Feats & Magical Spells 83
History 83
Fate 84
Runes, the voice of Fate 84
he Runes 85
Frey’s Aett 85
Heimdall’s Aett 86
Tyr’s Aett 87
Archetypes 89
Archetypes & Vocation 89
Nobles 89
Warriors 90
Sages 90
Workers 91
Travellers 91
Characteristics 106
Body 106
Mind 106
Soul 107
Determining Characteristic Values 107
Secondary Characteristics 108
Exhausted & Severely Wounded 109
Reaction (REA)
Disengaging from Combat 127
Combat Round Sequence 127
Using
Furor
in Combat 134
Wounds and Healing 135
Hit Points 135
Combat 135
Major Wounds & Consequences 135
Falling 137
Sufocation 137
Drowning 137
Fire 137
Cold 138
Sickness and Disease 138
Poisons 139
Care and Natural Healing 141
Natural Healing 141
First Aid 141
Medicine 142
Runes of Healing 142
Natural Remedies 142
Combat Feats 143
Acquiring Combat Feats 143
Attack Feats 144
Defence Feats 147
Utility Feats 148
Options 149
Magic 150
Magic in Yggdrasill 151
Seidr: Sorcery or Trance Magic 153
Galdr: Incantation Magic 162
Runes: Sacred Writings 168
Ragnorök 174
Allies & Adversaries 176
Describing Extras 176
Personalities 180
Beasts & Monsters 181
Statistics 181
Beast and Monster Attributes 181
Scandian Beasts 181
Creatures of Scandia 182
Traits 183
Unique Creatures 185
Equipment And Travel 186
Weapons 188
Armour 189
Shields 190
Day-to-day Equipment 190
Accessories & Jewellery 191
Starting Character Equipment 193
Adventuring in Scandia
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109
Physical Defence (PD)
109
Mental Defence (MD)
110
Movement (MOVE)
110
Encumbrance (ENC)
110
Furor
111
Furor
Pool
111
Calling on Furor
112
Savage Warriors &
Furor
112
Initiates of Odin
113
Regaining
Furor
113
44
he Social Hierarchy
45
Gits & Weaknesses
115
193
Gits
115
Social Conventions
48
Travelling in Scandia
194
he Land of the Gods
49
Weaknesses
115
Culture & Civilisation
50
Gits & Weaknesses in Play
116
Experience and Renown
195
Lifestyle
50
List of Gits
116
Experience
195
Everyday Life
52
List of Weaknesses
117
Renown
197
Food and Festivals
54
Skills
119
Oferings to the Great Winter
203
Habitations
57
Skill Levels
119
Introduction
204
Work
62
Skill Tests
120
he Lady of Ice
205
Travel and Transport
63
Gaining Skills
120
he City of Chains
212
Care of the Sick
64
List of Skills
120
he Jaws of the Wolf
216
Norsemen and the Sea
64
Return to Hirsk
220
Raiding and War
66
Combat
125
he Rhythm of Combat
125
Appendix
229
he Game System
72
Movement within Combat
126
Rolling Dice
73
Index
231
Free Movement
127
Tests
73
Engaging an Opponent
127
Character Sheet
235
Simple Tests
74
A hoarse roar, like that of a wild animal, came from
the berserker. Standing in the midst of a dozen enemy
corpses, he brandished a ist towards the reddening
sky, thanking hor for this new victory. In his other
hand, he spun his axe, a weapon so heavy that most
men of the Northern Kingdoms could barely have
lited it. A groan rose from his right, drawing the wild
warrior’s attention. Despite the hideous wound in his
stomach, one of his enemies was attempting to crawl
away. A savage grin deformed horgrim Olavs-
son’s features. Slowly, like a predator who knows its
prey cannot escape, he closed upon the dying man.
Keeping his eyes locked on his foe, he raised the hat
of his axe over his body. he wounded man looked up
at the warrior as he realised escape was impossible.
He made a inal desperate attempt to preserve his life,
begging for mercy, tears streaking his face. horgrim
Olavsson deliberately lited his axe and, swinging it
three times, let the blade fall on his victim. He spat on
the mutilated corpse. Let him rot with Hel, there was
no place in Valhalla for the weak!
Come now! She needed to get a hold of herself. Ater
all, the king, her father, had given her command of
this expedition. She could not show any weakness. A
chief had to be strong, so her companions could be
too. Jorun Hrolfsdottir quietly drew in a deep breath
and stood up straight. It was not a time to think
about herself, but of making the most of this ight.
She glanced around. horgrim was crouched a
little to one side, near a stand of conifers from which
their assailants had sprung. His impressive war axe
rested in front of him and he seemed to be giving
homage to hor in a respectful ritual of veneration.
He had abandoned his leather shirt and the bearskin
jerkin he almost never took of. On his naked back
and torso, Jorun saw the lattice of scars telling the
tale of the berserker’s glorious battles. His blood ran
with that of their enemies, tracing a new page on his
skin.
She could not deny the power horgrim brought
to their group. But his fury terriied her sometimes,
while the rest of the time she found it hard to deal
with his crude manners. Turning away, she looked
back at the sea and their ship drawn up on the beach.
She spotted Klemet Gandalvsson, the clan sorcerer;
he was leaning over the hirdman, Sigurd Ivarsson,
who was grimacing in pain, sitting propped against
the broken stump of a tree. A javelin had struck his
shoulder and, while he had not given any ground for
the rest of the battle while protecting the young noble’s
lank, he was now unable to stand without assistance.
If she had used a shield, as she had been advised to,
the warrior would not have had to stay so close and
take the blow meant for her. Jorun felt guilty, but
she knew she could not let it show. he hirdman was
doing his duty; he did not need any justiication from
his leader. And in any case, she preferred to use both
hands to wield her long, straight sword. She stepped
close and glanced in a questioning manner at the
sorcerer, who was attempting to remove the studded
leather shoulder guard to examine the wound. Sigurd
gritted his teeth and did not make a sound.
A sound came from behind. he warrior let out
another bestial growl and turned, ready to attack the
newcomers.
“Peace!” Jorun Hrolfsdottir ordered, holding a hand
out to the berserker. “here’s no one let to ight.”
he young aristocrat from the Kjari clan took of her
helm, wiped the blood from her sword and sheathed it
in the leather scabbard at her side. Spotting a nearby
boulder covered in moss, she sat upon it, exhausted.
Jorunn passed a hand over her face. he feeling of wet
blood on her face made her jump. At least it wasn’t
hers. Besides a light cut on the calf of her leg, she
had not been wounded. Unlike Sigurd Ivarsson. he
hirdman attached to protect her had accomplished
his task with zeal. Even so, she felt weak and shaken.
She had always been in close contact with violence,
so inevitable in the life of the northern peoples; in the
recitals of sagas by skalds, when the men returned
from an expedition or battle, in the death of a friend at
the claws of some monster haunting the forest around
their domain. But this time, she had been at the centre
of the battle. She had killed. Maybe to defend herself
and her companions, but she had still killed. Of course,
she had trained for this, but this reality had nothing
to do with the training she had done since childhood
with a wooden sword.
“he shoulder muscle is torn,” Klemet commented
with an expert glance. “Your bodyguard is weak-
ened, he has lost a great deal of blood, but the joint
has not been afected. He will recover quickly; I will
make sure of that.”
he hirdman nodded.
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