World of Darkness - Shadows of Iceland
World of Darkness - Shadows of Iceland
World of Darkness - Shadows of Iceland
Chapter
Three:
Chapter Three:
Isolated
in
the
Ice
Isolated in the Ice
Iceland is a land of extremes. From the vast glacial expanses of the interior
tundra, to the pools of mineral water and hot springs from the volcanic lakes
and baths; from the urban environs of Reykjavik, to the secluded farmlands;
from the fertile fishing waters surrounding the islands peninsula, to the desolate stretches of rock, crag and shard; from the seemingly everlasting darkness
of winter, to the midnight sun in mid-summer. The islands inhabitants know
and recognize the limits, paradoxes and boundaries innate to their homeland.
Living on this island is not easy, nor is it for everyone: Icelands population of
barely 300,000 can attest to that fact. Yet experiencing the radical fluctuations
inherent in the landscape breeds a certain type of culture, a certain of person
and a certain type of monster. Iceland is not for everyone; but everyone living
in Iceland is a product of the land.
youare
are ever
lost
in in
IfIfyou
ever
lost
an Icelandic
forest, just
an Icelandic
forest,
just
stand up.
stand up.
- Magnus Magnusson
Magnus Magnusson
The World of Darkness does not belong to the monsters. Sure, monsters
roam the land in the most obscure recesses. In many ways they seem to own it,
their political machinations and supernatural soirees continually forming the
foundation of the human world. But, in the end, it is still the human world the
mortals are the focus and driving force throughout the lands, and they are the
ones who influence the shape of society and culture throughout. Monsters come
from humans and are judged in relation to these humans, despite the monsters
best efforts to argue to the contrary.
With this in mind, Iceland contains a unique population of supernatural
creatures within its shores. This is due to a number of factors. First, with such
a small population, most supernatural creatures cannot exist in large numbers
without drawing attention to themselves. This fact particularly rankles some
denizens of the World of Darkness; despite their magnificent works and grand
schemes, if too many humans know it will only lead to the monsters destruction.
Second, the supernatural have their own unique form of natural selection, an
evolution that denies them access to certain geographical areas for the plain
truth that a given destination could kill them outright: a vampire cannot live
in the barren desert, for example. Third, some places are just too damn weird for
anybody but the incredibly odd. Iceland is one of those places; it has a strange
culture that is, if not outright supportive, at least more open to the notion of
the others.
Unlike the deeply entrenched supernatural societies of North America and
Europe, Icelands supernatural citizenry is composed of a freer, more independent
group. Or at least thats the impression they like to give. In reality, Icelands
supernatural population is different from other Western societies because only a
few types of monsters really want to live there, whether because of the climate,
the land or the people.
Vampires
56
Another explanation for the dearth of Kindred activity is the geography of Iceland. There are essentially
two seasons in Iceland: summer and winter. (Although a
native Icelander might describe the seasons as cold and
colder.) Vampires absolutely do not travel to Iceland
during the summertime: It is practically suicide to live
where the sun is out nearly twenty hours a day, which
is the case during the height of summer in Iceland. But,
while summer brings eternal sunshine to the islands
shores, winter brings a vampires natural habitat: eternal
night. Where humans might travel to the Caribbean
islands or some other tropical paradise in the middle of
winter, vampires take their vacations in Reykjavik and
the rest of Iceland around the time of the Winter Solstice,
when the nights are at their longest. These are not long
visits; the Kindred often leave the country after a week or
two, the long nights generally wearing them out from the
extended activity. For vampires, a trip to Iceland is like
Carnival, except with cold weather, snow and sparsely
populated cities. No matter the streets of Reykjavik
hold more than enough human chattel for a vampire to
be able to drink his fill, especially during the Saturday
drinking marathons that Reykjavik is known for.
Werewolves
The Tribes of the Moon are not unknown throughout the glacial plains of Iceland. The weather is not
detrimental to their nature, nor is the population density
a drawback for them. In fact, the Tribes can be partial to
Icelands vastness and bleakness, especially in the central
and eastern parts where rugged farmsteads and fishing
villagers are more the norm than in the peninsula around
Reykjavik. The Uratha are not particularly discouraged
by the cold, either.
No, there are different reasons for werewolves to
avoid Iceland: bad spirits. The island is full of nasty
spirits, and its not entirely clear why. Some say its a
reflection of the violence inherent in the early settlers.
Others theorize that, much like the various Diasporas in
the physical world over the centuries, the Spirit Realm
surrounding Iceland have been a generous host to all the
disaffected spirits, both good and bad, from the warring
bands in the Otherworld. Like the United States was for
immigrants during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, so too was Iceland for the emigrating spirits. One
final postulate is that this land has always been home
to a high density of spiritual beings, especially in the
millennia before Icelands settlement; thus, humanity
was only able to colonize the island during a particularly
weak time for the spirits.
Regardless of how the spirits got here, the fact
remains that Iceland has a remarkably high proportion
of spirits and spirit-dwellers within both the physical
and Shadow realms. Most of Icelands human population actively believes in the spirit realm, despite the
57
cultures relative unfavorable position towards organized religion. Christianity, and its subsequent belief
in the preternatural, might have a tentative hold on
the populace of Iceland, but belief in spirits and ghosts
is beyond rampant.
As a result, only the most ambitious (and generally,
younger) Uratha tribes venture into the wilds of Iceland
for any extended period of time. Some Tribes of the Moon
have hunting grounds in the Reykjavik area (particularly
the Storm Lords), but the rest of the island is viewed as
more of a dangerous wilderness than a feasible stretch
for keeping ones domain. For young werewolves, this
spells adventure. For those who survive in these lands,
it means a place to never visit again.
The Shadow Realm of Iceland and its relation to the
Tribes of the Moon is explained in more detail in Chapter
4: The Land of Ice and Snow.
Mages
58
Compounding these studies are the persistent rumors and legends that pop up every few centuries from
rogue scholars claiming that Iceland is one part of the
former island of Atlantis. In the fourth century B.C., the
Greek explorer Pytheas first mentioned a land beyond
the British Isles that had eternal sunshine in the summer months (some claiming this to be a metaphor for
Atlantis). This area, known as Ultima Thule, has been
of interest to all sorts of occult worshippers and mystical
researchers throughout human history. The Guardians of
the Veil were particularly invested in the island during
World War II, often clashing with German spies searching for Atlantis as a part of the ongoing Nazi interest
in occult matters. Legends of a mighty battle between
a cabal of Banishers and an elite cabal of Guardians
are still whispered about in mage society (although the
Guardians will dismiss these stories without hesitation
once asked). Still, the search continues for Icelands
connection to the Atlantean tradition. Despite the hope
of discovering the glorious birthplace of the Awakened,
Iceland remains a land mostly devoid of all but the most
obsessed mages.
More information on the Atlantean connection to Iceland can be found in Chapter 4: Land of Ice and Snow.
The Rest
Changelings in the modern era have taken a particularly strong liking to the freehold of Iceland. While other
supernatural creatures are relatively rare, due in part to their
tendency to prey upon humans to some degree, changelings
have a much different role in Icelandic society. The Lost
are not exactly free to unmask themselves to humans in the
interest of full disclosure; humans are still mortals without
access to the Wyld, after all. Instead, the odd customs and
mannerisms that make changelings stand out from mortal
society are tolerated more in Iceland than elsewhere in
the world.
There are a variety of reasons for Icelanders relatively
open-mindedness in regards to changelings. A surprising
majority of Icelanders hold a firm belief in the supernatural,
particularly in their cultural mythology of ghosts and faeries.
Ghosts are explained in Chapter 4; faeries, on the other
hand, are a little more nuanced in terms of their cultural
definition (see below). Also, the Losts continuum between
beauty and madness is in full effect through the whole of
Iceland. An island full of beautiful geographic fixtures such
as glacial peaks, volcanic rocks, geothermal springs and
glorious landscapes is balanced by the equally maddening
harsh climates, everlasting darkness, desolate stretches and
overall gloom. A city like Reykjavik, surrounded as it is on
three sides by water, gets its name from the steam rising in
the distant waters (its name translating loosely into Bay of
Smoke), an image that perfectly encapsulates the splendor
of its surroundings with its exasperating real-world interpretation. The citizens of Iceland are inundated from within
and without by the sheer spectacle of their surroundings
and the disturbing obstacles to their inner sanity; in every
tranquil scene rests an undercurrent of madness ready to
tear everything apart.
Finally, Icelands inhabitants are better suited for
changeling society because of their trust and belief in
dreams. In some ways, Iceland is a dreamscape trapped in
the real world, a picturesque island where the physical world
is subject to the whims and abstractions of its inhabitants.
Part of this perception might come from the complete
deforestation of the island. Without the forests to break up
the scenery, the crevices and crags of volcanic mountains
and glacial plains can seem warped to ordinary observers.
But the emphasis on dreams for the Icelandic people might
come from something else, something they share fully with
changelings: isolation. With a culture so readily removed
from Western society for so long (as shown in the few
variances between the medieval Icelandic language and
the modern one), dreams and the sharing of them were a
way for Icelandic society to remain connected to the each
59
60
61
Dusk Court
the
I can tell
you this much:
The only thing
weirder than
those fiends in
Faerie is this
world out here,
the world we
came back to.
The entire time
we were in service to
the Others, we pined
for home; not just pined
for it, but agonized about it,
coveting our former homes, our
former lives like they were trinkets
handed out by the Jolasveinar. We
acted like spoiled children on Christmas morning, unhappy that those bastard elves filled our shoes with
silver when we needed gold.
Have you seen the gifts we have now? The beauty, the
majesty bestowed upon us. Where the fuck is beauty here
in this dingy mudtrap, huh? Where the hell is the magic and
splendor of Arcadia? I tell you, Faerie wasnt the place where
monsters dwelled. This world contains the true monsters, the
true humans, dirty apes they are, who are ignorant of what
real beauty is. We are beautiful. Time to pull the blanket out
beneath them and show them where the beauty truly resides.
The True Fae are evil. Changelings hate them for
what they are and what they did to the Lost: Kidnapped
them, destroyed their lives, took them from their home,
stole their very essence and filled them with thatstuff.
Of course, this is all predicated on the belief that home is
where the kith want to be and belong. Sure, its a struggle
to fit into the human world again, to piece together your
former life and make nice with the hand youre dealt. And
theres always the nagging threat of the Gentry around
every corner, and the humans who you hide from because
theyll kill you if they find out exactly what you are. Not
to mention the complete lack of aesthetics among the
uninspired masses of the world.
So why do we want to be back home again?
Every changeling fights their way from Faerie to their
former home, escaping the True Fae in the hopes of regaining the lives stolen from them. It is as much an obsession for
them as it is for the Gentry to keep them in Arcadia. Fulfilling this mania can go a number of ways once the changeling
returns home (or at least as close to home as theyll get).
Some kith embrace their return to the world with open
arms, experiencing the wonders of the mortal realm as much
as possible. Some opt to remain hidden from everything,
62
of
Confusion)
content to
live their life
in solitude,
removed from
the humans and
the Gentry (but
not their fellow
Lost). Still others
wish to change the
world and make it a
better place.
The founder of the
Dusk Court, Norksdottir, wanted none of these
things. Emerging from
the Hedge after years in servitude,
she looked around and saw only the
uninspired mundanity and crass bourgeois
elements surrounding her. As she wandered the land,
searching for remnants of her lost life, one emotion
overwhelmed her more than anything: confusion. Was
this really the place she had hoped for? Where was the
beauty, the splendor and the richness that she envisioned?
Sure, Arcadia was no picnic, and Norksdottir had no inclination to return for good. But the place she escaped to
was, well, boring.
Disappointed, she turned around, hoping to return to
Arcadia through the Hedge, but stopped. Staring at her
through the gateway was her captor, Jumbler, grinning
and rubbing his crooked walking stick. Before he stepped
through the gateway, Norksdottir mustered her Wyld,
enacting a latent clause. The land around her was littered
with images of changelings just like her. Jumbler stopped,
confounded, and grabbed at the nearest being. No luck;
his arms went straight through Norksdottirs image. He
grabbed again, with the same result. Confused, he turned
and walked away, closing the gateway behind him. Norkdottir had escaped her captor again.
In the world, the only inspiration that Norksdottir
found was in the emerging nighttime allure of her surroundings; the glaciers of Iceland was the only thing that moved
her and made her remember the reason for her return. After
some time alone on the glaciers, Dusk visited Norksdottir. At this point she was incredibly lonely and wished to
form a Court of likeminded kith. Dusk was unrelenting in
his challenge to this, but as he was also incredibly lonely,
he stayed and conversed with Norksdottir. She was a very
cunning orator, and he was impressed with her speeches.
By dawn, he was reluctant to leave, wishing to hear more of
Norksdottirs stories. The changeling had other ideas, and
instead convinced Dusk that he was actually his brother
Courtiers
Rituals
63
Heraldry
The Dusk Court has an altogether different set of aesthetics than the other Courts. Their members do not mean
to show off, but they just cant help their inner nature. The
courtly colors arewell, anything, really. The members of
the Dusk Court very rarely wear matching colors or even
analogous ones, and they offer sneers of contempt for any
kith that does not get their fashion statements. Symbols
commonly associated with the Indigo Court are a four color
rectangle, a three-legged deer, a sideways question mark and
two guns pointing their barrels at each other.
Mantle
Confusion
64
Stereotypes
65