TEXT: Lands in Shadow for 
  Shadow of the Demon Lord
  ~Credits~
  Writing and Design: 
  Steve Dee
  Editing and Development: Robert J. Schwalb
  Art Direction: Kara Hamilton and Robert J. Schwalb
  Proofreading, Graphic Design, and Layout: Kara Hamilton
  Illustrations: Jack Kaiser and Bob Schwalb
  Cartography: Cecil Howe
  Freeholds of Nar is ©2016 Schwalb Entertainment, LLC. 
  All rights reserved.
  Shadow of the Demon Lord, Lands in Shadow, Freeholds of Nar
  Schwalb Entertainment, and their associated logos 
  are trademarks of Schwalb Entertainment, LLC.
  SCHWALB ENTERTAINMENT, LLC
  PO Box #12548, Murfreesboro, TN 37129
  info@schwalbentertainment.com
   www.schwalbentertainment.com
  On the Empire’s northeastern edge, perched on the giant 
  rocks that tumbled down into the swirling waters of the 
  Auroral Ocean can be found the Freeholds of Nar. Once 
  a string of fortresses belonging to the doughty dwarfs 
  who mined, prying gold and jewel from the stone’s 
  tight grip. The wealth unearthed and the skill of the 
  artisans established the holds as a place of wonder and 
  riches, a reputation that lasted until, one day, the ring 
  of hammering went silent, the light of torches guttered 
  out, and the dwarfs who had made the place their home 
  disappeared.
   Today, the Freehold is a stark place of stubborn 
  people. Founded by the desperate on the bones of the 
  dead, each generation fears this year will be the year the 
  Empire comes to bring them back under the lash. That 
  fear has made them strong, but has also eaten at their 
  minds and hearts. 
  1
  
  History
  The history of the Freehold begins in the days of legend, 
  when a great and terrible water genie fell in love with an 
  elven maiden. 
   The lady was not pleased by this state of aﬀ airs, and 
  ﬂ ed the genie in terror. In response, he attempted to 
  drown all of Rûl in water to trap her in his realm. She 
  ﬂ ed then to the only place left, descending into the 
  Underworld. In frustration, the genie pounded upon the 
  door to this realm with the might of all the oceans, until 
  a band of earth genies grew so tired of his roaring and 
  smashing they dropped a small mountain range on top 
  of him. Trapped beneath the earth, the genie fell into a 
  deep slumber.
   Centuries later, the ever-digging dwarfs expanded 
  their great empire, building a great kingdom into the 
  face of the cliﬀ s above Crescent Bay. As well as the 
  iron and lead below, the position let them gain sea 
  trade and enabled them to be a bulwark between the 
  Kingdom of Sails and the Empire, ensuring trade 
  between both nations went via the dwarfs. The trade 
  agreement was enforced by the might of the citadel the 
  dwarfs constructed. Five great fortresses were built, 
  each bristling with dwarfen cannon in the heights and 
  launching dwarfen battleships from the caverns at sea 
  level. Into each fortress was carved the likeness of the 
  greatest dwarfen kings who ruled the kingdom, staring 
  ﬁ ercely out across the waters to warn those who would 
  try to test their mettle.
   But with their power came hubris. The dwarfs of the 
  Crescent Sea fortress believed that if they controlled the 
  fate of the Empire and the Kingdom of Sails, they should 
  also control the fate of the entire dwarfen kingdoms. 
  They cut oﬀ  access to sea trade to others; when the other 
  clans responded with force, the coastal kingdom became 
  paranoid, sure that the other clans wanted their power 
  and fortune. They sealed their borders and attacked 
  any dwarf that came close. The king of the mountain 
  citadel renamed himself Nar, which in the Dwarﬁ sh 
  tongue means “pure.” They were the true dwarfs; all 
  others were traitors. 
   Inﬁ ghting spread across the dwarfen lands and their 
  unity was forever broken. In Nar, their xenophobia made 
  them blind to attack from within. Five hundred years 
  ago, the seas around the mountain experienced a higher 
  tide than any dwarf could remember. A tide so high that 
  waters reached a tiny crack in the mountains, running 
  water down into the genie’s prison, awakening it from 
  its slumber. 
   It had slept for centuries but its passion was still 
  white-hot and it was enraged to ﬁ nd a dwarfen kingdom 
  between it and its love. For a year and a day, it grew in 
  power, drawing water into its prison and pumping it 
  up through the cave system above. The dwarfs noticed 
  the rising water, but thought it a trick of their enemies 
  and plotted retaliation. On the ﬁ nal day, they were
  caught entirely 
  unawares when 
  the genie drove 
  an ocean of water 
  through every 
  cave and tunnel. 
  In moments, 
  every single dwarf 
  was drowned 
  and their bodies blown far out to sea. The genie was 
  again rebuﬀ ed by the barrier across the Underworld. 
  Heartbroken and exhausted from this great expulsion, 
  the genie collapsed once again into his stony prison. 
   A decade later, the ﬁ rst settlers found the empty 
  fortresses and began their occupation. Originally, they 
  were heretics and apostates, ﬂ eeing the Holy Kingdom 
  and the Crusades into the North as they intensiﬁ ed 
  worship of the New God (and intolerance of other 
  faiths), giving the new kingdom a disdain not just for 
  outside rule but the gods as well. Next came bandits 
  pushed out by the latest raid on Tear, pirates ﬂ eeing 
  the wrath of the Kingdom of Sails, criminals ﬂ eeing the 
  injustice of the Nine Cities. So, the new kingdom gained 
  a disdain for written laws, and judgment from on high. 
  The Freehold has unwritten codes, and elects leaders 
  to oversee mining and trade, but they maintain a deep 
  distrust of authority. In the Freehold of Nar, everyone is 
  free, and no laws, kings or gods shall rule them.
   With no central authority, nobody can decide what 
  to do about the rising water. Another high tide has 
  occurred, and once again awoken the mad genie. The 
  lower caves are slowly disappearing under rising water. 
  Mines and homes have been lost beneath the waves. 
  The ﬁ ve thousand inhabitants of the Freehold have just 
  three hundred days left in which to make an impossible 
  decision: leave their trusted homeland, or join the 
  dwarfen dead beneath the sea. 
  Geography
  From afar, the kingdom appears to be ﬁ ve separate 
  fortresses, each with a series of buttresses and smaller 
  towers centered around a singular spire carved to 
  represent one of the ﬁ ve dwarfen kings that ruled there. 
  Behind the facade, the fortresses do connect but few 
  settlers go deep except to mine. The new occupants 
  prefer the sun and fresh air, and so cling to the front of 
  the fortresses, carving new caves out below the parapets. 
  Beneath a great cavern at the bottom of the cliﬀ s is a 
  beachside shantytown that serves as a communal space, 
  and there folk from each of the four inhabited peaks 
  mix. A series of narrow trails and steps have been cut 
  into the cliﬀ s, but most prefer to descend and ascend in 
  the pulley-buckets, a primitive elevator system of rusty 
  chains and old barrels. 
  2
  
   The people of Freehold tend to use very 
  descriptive names. The central town below is 
  called Fishgut, because of its most common 
  element of scenery. The ﬁ ve fortresses above 
  are named for what made their great dwarfen 
  monument distinctive. One-Eye is the most 
  southern statue—a ﬁ erce warrior with a scar 
  carved over one eye. Bulger is next, where the 
  sculptor made a decided peak in the trouser 
  area. Then there is Twistneck who faces to the 
  northeast instead of east. The center of the 
  fourth’s face is nothing but smashed rubble, 
  earning him the moniker Bloodnose. Furthest 
  north is Baldnob, a king lacking helmet or hair.
  Nar-Necked
  The people of the Freehold dug out 
  much of the dwarfen stronghold, there 
  are many areas they have left as-is, 
  designed for dwarfen heights. So much 
  so, about a quarter of all inhabitants 
  have crooked backs and twisted necks 
  from a life lived bent over. Across the 
  north, the term “Nar-necked” means 
  hunchbacked or stooped.
   Baldnob has never been inhabited in all the 
  centuries Freehold has stood. Every attempt to 
  explore it leads to death and misadventure. It 
  is here, in the deepest tunnels, that the dwarfs 
  uncovered the door to the Underworld. In a great 
  cavern lies a mist-shrouded lake with a mirror-
  grey surface. Both mist and water are corrosive 
  to everything, and mortal visitors ﬁ nd their 
  equipment, then clothes, then skin stripped oﬀ  
  them with each passing minute. Yet, they also 
  feel compelled to walk into the lake, as the call 
  of oblivion and forgetting is so powerful. As they 
  reach the middle, they are willingly pulling their 
  own ﬂ esh from their bones to shrive themselves 
  for the ﬁ nal, blissful journey into eternal 
  night. At last, the skeletons turn and beg their 
  companions to join them as they sink into the 
  Underworld. With magical aid, it is presumably 
  possible to enter that realm without tearing 
  oneself apart, if you desired to reclaim a lost soul 
  from below. 
   Unsurprisingly, the lake and all the tunnels 
  above it are surrounded with undead and fey 
  creatures. Killing mists, phantoms, shadows, 
  and screeching manes are almost invisible in the 
  darkness. Bloody bones and boneguards keep 
  guard over the gateway to below. 
  earning him the moniker Bloodnose. Furthest 
  north is Baldnob, a king lacking helmet or hair.
  Nar-Necked
  The people of the Freehold dug out 
  much of the dwarfen stronghold, there 
  are many areas they have left as-is, 
  designed for dwarfen heights. So much 
  so, about a quarter of all inhabitants 
  have crooked backs and twisted necks 
  from a life lived bent over. Across the 
  north, the term “Nar-necked” means 
  hunchbacked or stooped.
  3
  
   The bombardment of magic on all ﬁ ve of the 
  mountain networks have ﬁ lled them all with horrifying 
  monsters. Lashcrawlers, boggarts, and oozes are 
  common, while trolls and ogres make their homes in 
  deepest caverns. Fungal hulks and giant spiders lurk 
  among the mushroom farms. 
   Keeping the Freehold safe and functioning requires 
  constant recruitment of adventurers and mercenaries. 
  But the risks of exploring are great, as vast reserves of 
  silver, gold and jewels still lie unclaimed below. More 
  than any other place on Rul it can oﬀ er quick riches to 
  those ruthless or bold enough to seek them. Most ﬁ nd 
  death in cave-ins, gas leaks or falls, or a slower death 
  working poor claims, but a few ﬁ nd fortune.
  Superstition
  The people of the Freehold have no time for 
  gods or rites but their lives are fraught with so 
  much random calamity—and gambling—they 
  depend on a lot on superstitions. Here are six 
  common beliefs:
   
  “Women walk ﬁ rst” There’s a belief that 
  women have better eyesight than men, 
  particularly in darkness, so should always walk in 
  front. This extends beyond tunnels, and is why 
  most Axe Teams and spelunking groups are led 
  by women.
   
  “The East Wind lies” From the east comes 
  ships of traders who cannot be relied on. To 
  make an oath or say something important, face 
  west or lies will slip in unnoticed.
   
  “The ﬁ fth is cursed” They believe this because 
  of the ﬁ fth fortress being cursed, Narfolk 
  believe it applies to everything. If they have ﬁ ve 
  ﬁ sh, they throw one away. If ﬁ ve warriors are 
  journeying together, they abandon or kill the ﬁ fth 
  lest he doom them all.
   
  “Darkest tunnel, brightest silver” This has 
  a metaphorical meaning that the greatest risk 
  offers the greatest reward, but it is also taken 
  literally as a trust of darkness. Freeholders 
  seeking omens prefer night to day, a black bird 
  to a white one, a dark-skinned ally to a lighter.
   
  “The sea remembers” Although the dwarfs 
  lived far above the Freeholders prefer the 
  solidity of sea level. When delving deep into the 
  mountains or high above, they take a shell or a 
  skin of sea water, or ﬁ ll their boots and pockets 
  with seaweed or sand so they return to the sea.
   
  “Never eat alone” Originally a safety measure 
  so that no-one would be caught off-guard 
  when relaxing, this is now a semi-sacred ritual. 
  Most of the Freehold leaves their mines and 
  ﬁ shing boats to return to tables in camps, towns 
  and gatherings for three meals a day, to mark 
  strength in a shared fate.
   
  Of course, if eating together would bring ﬁ ve 
  people together, then one will “eat alone”, a 
  Narfolk way of saying they will die.
  Politics
  Nar has always been about mining. The only law in Nar, 
  the saying goes, is if you work a claim, you own a claim, 
  and vice versa. If you’re not actively digging material out 
  of a shaft, then anyone who can work it can take it from 
  you. This was meant to stop people squatting on more 
  claims than they can work; in practice it means claim-
  owners will work men to death out of fear of poachers. 
  Meanwhile poachers will ﬁ nd subtle ways to kill miners 
  to make a claim appear unworked. As a result, every 
  claim is guarded as well as worked.
   When the ﬁ rst settlements of Nar began, the new 
  arrivals divided themselves beneath dwarfen logos —
  Pick or Axe. Picks dug out the precious ore that funded 
  the Freehold, Axes kept them safe while they did so. The 
  division exists to this day. Anyone can join whichever 
  they prefer—everyone in Nar is free—but family lines 
  and identities are built around the division. Each claim 
  typically has a head Pick (usually a man) and a head Axe 
  (usually a woman), adding a familial feel to small claims. 
  Each of the four strongholds elects a Chief Pick and 
  Chief Axe, to handle any overreaching issues and deals 
  with the other strongholds. 
   Every full moon the eight Chiefs meet in Fishgut at the 
  Gizzard (see below) to answer any grievances or issues. 
  Generally, there is a lot of drinking and with each pair 
  acting only in their own interest, very little is decided. 
  This is one reason why the rising water issue has not 
  been greatly discussed. Another is that each fortress is 
  sure the other fortresses will suﬀ er the most.
   But the biggest reason is fear. 
   The Freehold was built by desperate people sure 
  their old masters would snatch their freedom away at 
  any moment and that psychology runs to the bone. 
  An existential crisis like rising ﬂ oodwaters is the 
  embodiment of that fear. Few in Nar are brave enough 
  to face such facts long enough to consider a solution. 
  Better to stare blindly ahead then look back at the 
  demon behind.
  Culture
  Of course, there are more than just Picks and Axes in 
  Nar. Fishermen feed the population, traders broker 
  deals with those who seek their precious ore, and all 
  the occupations found in any city mill between them. 
  Fishgut is full of inns for visitors and locals alike. The 
  biggest one of them all, reserved for locals only is The 
  Gizzard. It is run by Vat, an ancient trolley clockwork 
  built to move vast quantities of beer up and down the 
  dwarf mines. Now he steams back and forth across the 
  Gizzard at breakneck speeds belching foamy drinks from 
  dozens of oriﬁ ces. Vat is an excellent host, but he’s rusted 
  in the head—all he really cares about is more customers 
  and more drinking and he does anything to make that 
  happen. He spikes the drinks of anyone talking about 
  gathering their friends to leave. Suddenly those party-
  poopers become sleepy, nauseous, and deeply thirsty. 
  Vat has no sense of proportion and will kill a man to 
  keep the party going, or otherwise ensure things turn 
  to his favor. 
  Superstition
  The people of the Freehold have no time for 
  gods or rites but their lives are fraught with so 
  much random calamity—and gambling—they 
  depend on a lot on superstitions. Here are six 
  common beliefs:
   
  “Women walk ﬁ rst” There’s a belief that 
  women have better eyesight than men, 
  particularly in darkness, so should always walk in 
  front. This extends beyond tunnels, and is why 
  most Axe Teams and spelunking groups are led 
  by women.
  “The East Wind lies” From the east comes 
  ships of traders who cannot be relied on. To 
  make an oath or say something important, face 
  west or lies will slip in unnoticed.
  “The ﬁ fth is cursed” They believe this because 
  of the ﬁ fth fortress being cursed, Narfolk 
  believe it applies to everything. If they have ﬁ ve 
  ﬁ sh, they throw one away. If ﬁ ve warriors are 
  journeying together, they abandon or kill the ﬁ fth 
  lest he doom them all.
  “Darkest tunnel, brightest silver” This has 
  a metaphorical meaning that the greatest risk 
  offers the greatest reward, but it is also taken 
  literally as a trust of darkness. Freeholders 
  seeking omens prefer night to day, a black bird 
  to a white one, a dark-skinned ally to a lighter.
   
  “The sea remembers” Although the dwarfs 
  lived far above the Freeholders prefer the 
  solidity of sea level. When delving deep into the 
  mountains or high above, they take a shell or a 
  skin of sea water, or ﬁ ll their boots and pockets 
  with seaweed or sand so they return to the sea.
  “Never eat alone” Originally a safety measure 
  so that no-one would be caught off-guard 
  when relaxing, this is now a semi-sacred ritual. 
  Most of the Freehold leaves their mines and 
  ﬁ shing boats to return to tables in camps, towns 
  and gatherings for three meals a day, to mark 
  strength in a shared fate.
  Of course, if eating together would bring ﬁ ve 
  people together, then one will “eat alone”, a 
  Narfolk way of saying they will die.
  Politics
  Nar has always been about mining. The only law in Nar, 
  the saying goes, is if you work a claim, you own a claim, 
  typically has a head Pick (usually a man) and a head Axe 
  (usually a woman), adding a familial feel to small claims. 
  Each of the four strongholds elects a Chief Pick and 
  Chief Axe, to handle any overreaching issues and deals 
  with the other strongholds. 
   Every full moon the eight Chiefs meet in Fishgut at the 
  Gizzard (see below) to answer any grievances or issues. 
  Generally, there is a lot of drinking and with each pair 
  acting only in their own interest, very little is decided. 
  This is one reason why the rising water issue has not 
  been greatly discussed. Another is that each fortress is 
  sure the other fortresses will suﬀ er the most.
   But the biggest reason is fear. 
   The Freehold was built by desperate people sure 
  their old masters would snatch their freedom away at 
  any moment and that psychology runs to the bone. 
  An existential crisis like rising ﬂ oodwaters is the 
  embodiment of that fear. Few in Nar are brave enough 
  to face such facts long enough to consider a solution. 
  Better to stare blindly ahead then look back at the 
  demon behind.
  Culture
  Of course, there are more than just Picks and Axes in 
  Nar. Fishermen feed the population, traders broker 
  deals with those who seek their precious ore, and all 
  the occupations found in any city mill between them. 
  Fishgut is full of inns for visitors and locals alike. The 
  biggest one of them all, reserved for locals only is The 
  Gizzard. It is run by Vat, an ancient trolley clockwork 
  built to move vast quantities of beer up and down the 
  dwarf mines. Now he steams back and forth across the 
  Gizzard at breakneck speeds belching foamy drinks from 
  dozens of oriﬁ ces. Vat is an excellent host, but he’s rusted 
  in the head—all he really cares about is more customers 
  and more drinking and he does anything to make that 
  happen. He spikes the drinks of anyone talking about 
  gathering their friends to leave. Suddenly those party-
  poopers become sleepy, nauseous, and deeply thirsty. 
  Vat has no sense of proportion and will kill a man to 
  keep the party going, or otherwise ensure things turn 
  4
  
   Besides drinking, Fishgut, and by extension the whole 
  Freehold, runs on gambling. With little to set each of 
  the four citadels apart, they created identities through 
  ﬁ elding teams to compete in sporting competitions and 
  betting heavily on the outcome. Pit-ﬁ ghts are common 
  but so are climbing and sailing races, cliﬀ  diving, and axe 
  throwing. By far the most popular sport is Stakes, a game 
  played by two four-man teams. Each player is ﬁ tted with 
  a metal stake chained to a collar around the neck, and 
  the aim is to pin each man down with the stake so he 
  cannot get up without assistance from his teammates. If 
  all of one team is staked, the other team scores a point. 
  Weapons are not allowed but every manner of hand-to-
  hand violence is, and although regular games go for an 
  hour, ﬁ nals are played on the beach at high tide, and last 
  until the ﬁ rst person drowns (which docks a point from 
  that team’s score).
   Since bets on the game can be more than a year’s 
  worth of ore sales, the outcomes of games is life and 
  death for the spectators as well. In Nar, everyone is 
  free—free to die in the mines, or the gutter. The 
  choice is yours. 
  Memory Mist
  The mist that pours out of the Underworld spreads all 
  the way across the high peaks, and is not mere water 
  vapor. Much like Killing Mist (Shadow, p243) it is a 
  deadly predator, with a silver sheen instead of red. It 
  too hides in regular fog and picks clean its victims but 
  instead of feeding on ﬂ esh, it feeds on minds. Victims 
  are left with no memory of their past or identity and 
  wander away not knowing they have anywhere to return. 
  Often such folk end up chained to a pick, making sure 
  a claim keeps turning out ore. It happens enough in the 
  other four fortresses to be nicknamed Cave Madness; 
  few realize its true cause.
   Use the statistics-box for killing mist with the 
  following adjustments. 
  MEMORY MIST 
  DIFFICULTY 250
  Size 10 frightening undead
  SPECIAL ATTACK
  Memory Wipe Each creature within the mist’s space must 
  get a success on an Intellect challenge roll with 2 banes 
  or take a –1d6 penalty to Intellect and become fatigued. 
  If already fatigued, the creature becomes slowed and the 
  penalty worsens by 1d6 points. A creature reduced to 
  0 Intellect by the penalty become dazed and the penalty 
  is permanent. While dazed in this way, the creature has 
  no memories. Otherwise, the penalty is reduced by 1 
  each time the affected creature completes a rest.
  Character Backgrounds
  If your character comes from the Freeholds of Nar, you 
  can roll on the following background table in place of 
  the one from your ancestry.
  Background Table For Freeholders
  d20
  Background
  1
  You are so Nar-necked your face is almost upside 
  down.
  2
  A loved one disappeared in the tunnels and you 
  have sworn to ﬁ nd them.
  3
  You inherited a gambling debt from your parents, 
  which will take a lifetime to repay.
  4
  You’ve killed many times on the Stakes ﬁ eld, and 
  both relatives and fans of those players are out 
  for revenge.
  5
  You almost died in a pulley-bucket accident and 
  since have a great fear of heights.
  6
  You have no idea how you came to Nar, and 
  strangers accost your for not recognizing them.
  7
  You’ve eaten so much salted ﬁ sh in your life you 
  can no longer taste anything, and seek ﬁ ery spices 
  that might make an impression.
  8
  You felt so cursed with bad luck that you cut off 
  your ﬁ fth ﬁ ngers and toes. 
  9
  You like cave mushrooms so much you grow them 
  on your own clothing.
  10
  You promised your parents you would be an Axe 
  but you love stone and want only to be a Pick.
  11
  You spent most of your youth drinking and 
  ﬁ ghting those from the other three citadels, and 
  have your fortress’ symbol tattooed prominently 
  on your body.
  12
  You have spent so much time in the caves you 
  ﬁ nd bright light painful.
  13
  You and a fellow spelunker found a great vein of 
  ore, and you killed your partner so it was yours 
  alone.
  14
  You built a boat with your own hands and dream 
  of sailing away from Nar.
  15
  Your lover is a Chief and people from other 
  citadels have offered you great sums of money to 
  inﬂ uence your love’s political opinions.
  16
  You damaged your spine as a youngster and now 
  prefer to walk on all fours.
  17
  You are such a natural climber you believe the sky 
  is your ally and you can never fall.
  18
  You secretly worship the dwarfen gods or some 
  other faith brought to the Freehold.
  19
  You are addicted to gambling and can’t go a few 
  minutes without speculating on anything random 
  around you.
  20
  You lost almost your entire memory when 
  you glimpsed the silver lake that leads to the 
  Underworld. Whatever your actual age, you are 
  mentally only ten years old.
  5
  
  6
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Shadow of the Demon Lord/Lands in Shadow/SotDL - Lands in Shadow - Freeholds of Nar.pdf