Homebrew Vyrkalfi Species Details

 

He stood upon the mountain top, watching as the Arkeldan fled on stolen longboats. His soldiers flocked behind him, a sea of black and grey cloaks, each one a harbinger of death. One carried a bloodied blade, having just survived his first raid. Another, a veteran vyrkalfi with a round gold-painted shield, brandished their sword, wiping the blood of their pitiful victims off the blade. The third, a norman, or Huscarl, stood ever vigilant. One of the gray-cloaked brutes moved to chase them, but Kurril stopped them. There would always be another isle, another day to chase those faith-blinded fools. For now, they would rest, because no matter how hard they might try, my father would neve cease hunting them.

— Orkel, Son of Kurril, Chieftan of the Astulak 

Long ago, a group of long forgotten gods chose two races to be blessed with their powers. The Vyrkalfi of Vyrkel, and the Arkeldan of Norstland. The two races lived in relative peace as centuries passed by. But when the gods betrayed both races, the Vyrkalfi declared war on their creators, while the Arkeldan fled to find other deities. The cost of war was great, and casualties were catastrophically high for the Vyrkalfi. When the Arklians finally arrived, they arrived too little too late. The casualties of the Vyrkalfi were as high as mountains. When the Vyrkalfi and Arkeldan finally killed the traitor deities, the Vikolings blamed the Arkeldan for their casualties. Had the Arkeldan stayed, the two races could have defeated the gods much quicker. The Arkeldan argued that had the Vyrkalfi should have fled to seek the help of others, and had they stayed, the two races would have been eradicated. After a century of uneasy peace, the Vyrkalfi declared war on the Arkeldan and took the latter by surprise, mercilessly raiding the isles of the infinite sea. The Arkeldan attempted to resist the Vyrkalfi onslaught, but their efforts were futile, and the last banner of the Arkeldan fell into a sea of blood. The Arkeldan were no more, and the Vyrkalfi had finally succeeded in their vengeance.

Forged in Iron and Darkness

Vyrkalfi are humanoid, and normal Vyrkalfi are about as tall as humans. Most wear iron armor and dark black cloaks. Some where bone masks instead of helmets, while larger brutes will often wear grey cloaks and blank white masks. Under their armor, blackened iron scales coat their hides, reaching to just below their jawline. 

Clans & Religion

To the Vyrkalfi, clans are family, and to harm one's one clan for your own desires is the greatest dishonor of all. Clans provide for themselves, and often, different clans will enter an alliance, forming a Heim. A Heim is a group of clans, usually four clans, that have entered an alliance. Members of each Heim care for and provide for each other, and the warriors of a Heim are a force to be reckoned with. The largest Heims are Vrykulenheim, Valhalla, and Niflheim, with Muspelheim and Surturheim following close behind. Each have more 

Clans: Astulak, Voldrik, Vukol, Vyrkuli, Wrykelt, Dragonmaw, Bloodied Axe, Ravenskull, Ironmaw, Darkstone
Heims: Lucanheim, Fenryrenheim, Heim of Dawnbreaker, Vampyrenheim, Mawheim, Vrykulenheim, Surturheim, Niflheim, Muspelheim, Valhalla

Vyrkalfi Names

Vyrkalfi names are norse in origin, and are often shared with Arklian names.

Male Names: Aage, Aarne, Agnarr, Asbjørn, Baldur, Bård, Bjark, Beckett, Cayson, Dagfinn, Einar, Eiríkur, Finn, Fenris, Fenrir, Freyr, Lief, Lufhildr, Mjorn, Surtur 

Female Names: Alfhildr, Aili, Annbjørg, Ástríðr, Bergliot, Björk, Borghildr, Brunhildr, Cori, Dagmær, Dagrún, Edda, Eir, Freja

Surnames: Ahlström, Beckett, Bergfalk, Björnsson, Berglund, Dahl, Hellström, Holme, Ingólfsson, Keir, Kjeldsen, Lång, Nordström, Oliver

Vyrkalfi Traits

The gifts of the gods manifest in many ways, spread amongst your people.

Darkvision

You gain Darkvision up to 60ft. 

Raid Training

You gain proficiency with Greatswords, Greataxes, Shields, Longswords, and Handaxes. You also gain proficiency with water vehicles.

Child of The Storm

As a Vyrkalfi, you have an uncanny connection to the sea. As a bonus action, you can cause a rain or thunderstorm to appear in an area of 100ft radius, centered on you. The storm remains centered on the point which you casted it. When there is rain, you can use a bonus action to roll an amount of d4s equal to your character level. You take that damage, which cannot be reduced in any way. For one minute, you can either gain advantage on a weapon attack roll and change the damage type to cold, or deal an additional d6 of lightning damage when you hit a target. Both options can only be done once per turn. The amount of d6s rolled is equal to your character level divided by two, rounded down, to a minimum of one. You can use this trait an amount of times equal to your strength modifier. You regain all charges after a long rest. 

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age

Vyrkalfi young are more akin to slimes and spirits than jotun, their masks being the only things holding their bodies together. Within a year or two of birth, most vyrkalfi are knowledgeable, and have a great passion for the sea, as well as carrying on tradition. When they reach the age of six, their bodies have solidified, and their masks are now removeable. They mature at age 16, and can rather long lives. Most vyrkalfi become elders at 300 years old, but the longest living vyrkalfi is still in their prime at a thousand centuries of age. 

Alignment

Most Vyrkalfi are Lawful Neutral, perferring to stick to their personal codes of honor, while some beserkers and renegade vyrkalfi tend towards chaotic alignments. 

Size

Vyrkalfi vary in size. Normal Vyrkalfi can reach up to eight feet tall, but most are at least five feet tall. They weigh anywhere between 150-250 pounds. You size is medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Damage Resistance

You have resistance to cold damage.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Giant. Giant, called Jotun to those who speak it, is one of the oldest languages around. Most Vikolings and Goliaths speak the language, and it's often written with runes.