Base Requirements

• Races: Human, Dwarf, Firbolg
• Classes: Any
• Ability Requirements: Health 14, Stamina 10
• Alignments: Any
• Starting Cash: 4d4 x10 gp
• Bonus Languages: Ulutiun
• Recommended Languages: Tharian, Erakic, Naric, Uluik, Sossic, Imaskari

Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: By class
• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class
• Bonus Weapon Proficiencies: Spear
• Bonus Proficiencies: Endurance, Survival (arctic)
• Required Proficiencies: none
• Recommended Proficiencies: none
• Forbidden Proficiencies: Modern Languages (Common), Literacy

Overview: This massive glacier is home to the Ulutiuns and the Inugaakalikurit, short, primitive races of humans and dwarves, as well as numerous giants. They are not as well-equipped as their counterparts elsewhere in the Realms, but their ferocity in battle and tenacity to survive are cold hard facts.

Description: Life amid the frozen expanses of the Great Glacier is not easy. The people there have spent centuries adapting to the frigid environment and learning to make do with the meager resources they have available. This spartan existence is apparent in the dress of the Ulutiuns, who clothe themselves in animal hides with hoods, fur mittens, and thick-soled boots.

Role-Playing: Members of the Ulutiun tribes are not comfortable when out of their natural environment. Some of this is physical, for they have adapted to the colder climate of the North so well that warmer regions are almost painful to them. On the other hand, much of it is mental. Even the wisest Anagakok does not understand or trust the strange devices and magic of outsiders. While an Ulutiun might find these things interesting at first, he will soon come to loathe them and long to return to his home.

Despite their cold clime, the Ulutiuns are a very warm and friendly people after you get to know them. In their language, they have two dozen different words for “snow”, and not a single one for “sand”. When they fight, they battle to the death with no quarter given or asked. They know that in their climate, battle is a fact of life and death is rarely far off.

Special Abilities:

• Characters from the Cold Lands are very well adapted to their climate. They have a +4 bonus on any saving throw they must make to escape or lessen the effects of a cold-based or ice-based attack. Any damage they suffer from such attacks is made with a -2 penalty per die rolled.
• The Ulutiun are masters at survival in arctic climates. Their Survival non-weapon proficiency rolls get a +2 bonus to their adjusted ability score in cold environments.
• Each Ulutiun starts off with an exquisitely-carved spear that tells the story of his clan in the form of pictograms. This spear allegedly contains a portion of the collective soul of the warrior’s family. It is jealously protected at all costs. The Ulutiun wields this spear with +1 bonuses to attack and damage rolls in addition to other bonuses.

Special Disadvantages:

• Characters of the Cold Lands suffer greatly from heat-based or fire-based attacks. Any saving throw made to escape or reduce the effects of attacks like this suffers a -2 penalty. These characters also suffer an extra point of damage per die rolled from any such attack whether or not they successfully save against it.
• Life in the Cold Lands can be harsh and brief. As a result, most dwellers in these lands marry and produce offspring at an early age. Most Cold Lands folk are married at age sixteen, and have one child soon after that. Each starting warrior has a 50% chance of being married, with his or her mate “back home.” Fifty percent of those characters without a mate “back home” are widowed. If the character’s starting age is eighteen (or equivalent for non-humans), there is a 70% chance that he or she has a child. Roll again for every year beyond eighteen. A twenty year old warrior could start out a game campaign as the parent of three children!
  Unless the character is childless and widowed, he must set aside 20% of his earnings for his family’s welfare. Once every season (three months), characters who are married or parents must return to their land to visit their families, and bring them the money.
• The nature of life atop the Great Glacier makes it difficult or even impossible for Ulutiuns to interact in society outside of their own. This manifests itself in game terms with a -2 reaction penalty whenever the character is dealing with cultures outside his own.
• Metal is, of course, scarce on the Great Glacier. There are no shields, helms, or suits of armor made of metal available for a starting characters of this area. Allowable starting weapons are limited to the following: staff, sling, short bow, long bow, spear, dagger, short sword, hand axe, harpoon, ritiik, iuak, and club.
• The spear that each Ulutiun starts out with is considered a sacred tool. If it is ever lost or destroyed, the Ulutiun is affected as if fear and feeblemind spells have been cast on him. These effects last for 20 rounds minus the character’s level. Once the immediate shock is over, the character’s immediate priority is to return to the Great Glacier and have a new spear carved in a special tribal ceremony.

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