The Vanir are brigands and
pirates, from a winter realm beyond Goria that is linked to the world by a
magical rainbow bridge called Bifrost. There are three different races
comprising the Vanir people, these being the stocky and hoary dwarfs, the winged
valkyries and the massive Jötun, or frost giants. All dwarfs are male and all
valkyries are female, so these two different races interbreed, the valkyrie
women giving birth to male dwarf and female valkyrie children. The Vanir’s home
realm is called Midgaard and it is a land of rugged mountains, complex,
fractured coastlines, and frozen coniferous forests. It is the realm of deep
winter and the wasteland spirits howl and blast in the icy wildernesses.
The Vanir that have travelled over the rainbow bridge to Goria are raiders and
bandits. They move from place to place in massive wooden hulled ships with
great, carved dragonheads mounted on the prows. Each of these vessels is capable
of carrying hundreds of Vanir and they ply coastlines looking for settlements to
ravage, slaughtering or enslaving the occupants and stealing their stores of
food and livestock. After a raid the Vanir like to drink themselves into a
stupor and play incredibly dangerous and ill-advised games such as throwing
hammers at one another. Fights between Vanir are relatively commonplace, though
rarely fatal. Their leaders are usually the best warriors,
though
they have a deep respect for the mystical powers of the rune casters, who are
the lore keepers and saga
tellers of their people.
Some Vanir have actually settled permanently on Goria, following the advice of
their rune casters to stay and conquer this rich new world. They have carved out
a domain in the north east of Goria which they use a base from which to raid the
territories of other races. The north east of Goria, particularly around the
coastline, is famous for its unusual geological formations of basalt. These
formations are massive and octagonal, and the Vanir, using their natural gifts
for mining and delving, have hollowed them out to make fortified cities such as
Heimdall and Bodir Dúr. The Vanir rune casters can bind wasteland spirits from
Midgaard into ceremonial standing stones, called vettar-stanes, which once
planted in the soil begin to turn a land into a winter realm. This they have
done in the far north of Goria.
In battle the Vanir are taciturn and immoveable opponents. The dwarfs advance
slowly and with grim determination, bearing down on their enemies relentlessly,
and relying on their sturdy physiques and quality Vanir mail to turn aside the
arrows and darts of their enemies. Dwarf crossbowmen will support this advance
by finding a vantage point from which to fire their clumsy but powerful weapons,
and shrieking valkyries and wolf sleds provide the mobility and the capability
to strike at speed.