CHapter 3: beyond the WallTribe CreationWhere the people of Westeros rely on noble houses for structure andorganization, the free folk rely on their tribes. These tribes strugglecontinually to survive in the face of limited resources, rival tribes, andancient evils. With some slight modifications the House system fromSIFRP can portray that struggle.Groups of free folk characters belong to a tribe in the same fashionas characters of the south belong to noble houses, only with somestructural differences. The free folk do not believe in heirs or bastards,so while there is a tribal leader his successor may or may not be hischild, if a successor is named at all. In many tribes a new leader ischosen without any attention paid to the wishes of the previous leader.The tribe created by the players may have a Narrator run leader, or oneof the players may be the leader at the discretion of the Narrator, butplayers would do well to remember if they are the leader they mustwork to maintain that position every day. Unlike the South wherecenturies of tradition have reinforced the powers of the nobility, in theFar North one bad decision can cause an entire tribe to turn on theirleader and remove him from power.The process of creating a free folk tribe is much the same as creatinga noble house, with some minor differences that will be addressed stepby step through the creation process. These Resources ratings are meantfor comparison between tribes of wildlings, not between tribes and theHouses of the south.Step One: Starting RegionEach tribe has a specific region of the Far North that it calls home, stayingin that general area most of the time even if the tribe is nomadic.Like choosing a noble house’s realm, this affects the resources of thetribe as each region has its own resource modifiers. The players or Narratorcan choose the region, or they can use Table 3-6: Starting Regionto determine randomly.Frost FangsLocations: Skirling Pass, the Gorge,the upper Milkwater and Ice RiverDominating the western half of the Far North, the Frost Fangs are anextensive mountain range that reaches all the way from south of theTable 3-6: Starting RegionRoll Result3-4 Mountain Valleys5-8 Frozen Shore9-13 Haunted Forest14-16 Frost Fangs17-18 Storrhold’s Point107
CHapter 3: beyond the WallWall to the Land of Always Winter. These mountains are eternallycovered in snow at the higher elevations and are made up of graystone and granite. Home to shadowcats, eagles, and bears, they are aharsh place that gives birth to equally harsh tribes of free folk. Thereare no major settlements in the Frost Fangs, though small hovels andtemporary camps are plentiful.Frozen ShoreLocations: The territory of the Walrus MenNorth of the Frost Fangs on the banks of the Bay of Ice, the FrozenShore stretches north to the Land of Always Winter, a vast expanse oftundra bound by a rocky, broken coastline. Home to whales, walruses,seals, snow bears, and other arctic beasts, the Frozen Shore is also hometo the Walrus Men and their whale bone chariots. With little to be hadfrom the frozen ground of the tundra, the people of this region mustrely on the bounty of the sea to survive.Haunted ForestLocations: Whitetree, Fist of the First Men, the lower Milkwaterand Ice RiverThe heart of the Far North, the Haunted Forest covers the land fromthe Wall to the Land of Always Winter and from the Frost Fangs to theShivering Sea. Covered in thick forests that have rarely felt the axes ofman, the Haunted Forest is an ancient and primal place within whichthe bulk of the population of the free folk find shelter. The people of theHaunted Forest rely on migratory animal herds and the scarce bountyof the forest to survive.Mountain ValleysLocations: ThennNestled between the snow capped peaks of the Frost Fangs, themountain valleys of the Far North are some of the most hospitableterrain north of the Wall. Protected from storms, invaders, and strangerthreats by the Frost Fangs, these valleys are also home to most ofthe mineral wealth of the Far North. Control of these valleys andtheir mineral deposits is heavily contested and any tribe that live inthe mountain valleys of the Frost Fangs will have to fight to retaintheir home.Storrhold’s PointLocations: HardhomeLocated on the eastern edge of the Far North, Storrhold’s Point is the heartof trade north of the Wall such as it is. Home to the largest settlement inthe Far North, Hardhome, it is also the primary place of contact with theworld outside of Westeros. The tribes in this area have become focused onthe pursuit of this trade and improving their lives through it, causing someconflict with more traditionally oriented tribes among the free folk.Step Two: Starting ResourcesResources for tribes are determined in the same fashion as for noblehouses, rolling 7d6 for each resource and adjusting the result accordingto the region the tribe lives in.The functions of the Resources are essentially the same for free folktribes, but there are some minor differences.DefenseThere are few fortresses or roads north of the Wall so most tribes havelow Defense scores. Those fortifications that do exist are usually theremains of ancient fortresses of the First Men or recently constructedwooden structures.InfluenceWhile politics are not as complex a game in the Far North as they are inthe South, each tribe has some level of respect in the eyes of other tribesand power over them, which is represented by a tribe’s Influence. Tribeswith high Influence will be well respected and feared, courted as alliesand avoided as enemies, while tribes with low Influence will be seen asweaklings or cowards to be abused or ignored.LandsThe land a tribe controls do not belong to it in the same fashion as lords inthe South own land. Instead, that land is the territory the tribe commonlymakes use of it throughout the year either by traveling from camp to camp,hunting, and so on. Other tribes may use the same territory as long as thetwo do not come into conflict. There is little sense of ownership of landamong the free folk, but there is a sense of having a right to the resourcesin the territory over which a tribe has influence. A tribe may not care if youTable 3-7: Starting AttributesRegion Defense Influence Lands Law Population Power WealthFrost Fangs -5 -5 +30 -10 -10 +5 -5Frozen Shore -10 -5 +30 -5 -5 -5Haunted Forest -10 +5 +20 -5 -5 +5 -10Mountain Valleys -5 +5 -5 +5 0Storrhold’s Point -10 +10 +10 -5 -5 0108
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