Beasts

Most wild or domesticated animals will rarely fight to the death and usually flee if wounded severely or frightened away.

Bears

Three types of bear can be found in the Dragon Pass area. The common black bear, the larger brown bear, and an even larger white bear variant. All bears are omnivorous, and many types show no fear of humans.

Polar Bears

Polar bears are a distinct threat to the people living in the north of the country. Many avoid traveling alone over the mountains because of the danger they present. These huge beasts arrive in Iceland on big blocks of ice, usually so starved that they attack any animal or person they see.

The Book of Settlements tells the story of the first person to meet a polar bear in Iceland in 890. Ingimundur the Old met a polar bear and her cubs while traveling through the north of the country. Ingimundur barely escaped the encounter but managed to capture one of the bear cubs, which was later given to the king of Denmark as a gift. No one in Scandinavia had seen a polar bear prior to this. Afterwards, the lake in the valley where the bears were first discovered has been called Cub Lake (Húnavatn).

What most people don’t know, however, is that not all polar bears arrive in Iceland on blocks of floating ice. In truth, a colony of extraordinarily intelligent polar bears exists in the Central Highlands. They attack anyone coming near their colony and will do anything to protect the secret of its location. Many people who are thought to have fallen to seemingly random attacks from polar bears were killed because they ventured too close to the bears’ colony.

These are enormous animals, with the largest weighing approximately 350–650 kg (772–1,433 lbs.) and growing to a length of three meters (10 feet). Some grow to even larger sizes.

STR	CON	SIZ	DEX	INT	POW
30	19	31	11	9	11

Hit Points: 15	Magic Points: 13
Damage Modifier: +2D6	Move: 12/14 (swimming)

Armor: 2-point fur and hide.
Skills: Dodge 45%, Listen 70%, Spot Hidden 60%, Track 50%.

Powers

Shapechange: Can change shape into any animal of similar size for 3 magic points per use.

Weapon	%	Damage
Bite	40%	1D3+2D3
Kick	35%	1D6+2D6
Rear and Plunge	50%	2D6+2D6

Hit Location	D20	Armor/HP
Right Hindleg	01–02	2/5
Left Hindleg	03-04	2/5
Hindquarter	05-07	2/7
Forequarter	08-10	2/7
Right Foreleg	11–13	2/5
Left Foreleg	14-16	2/5
Head	17–20	2/6

Ravens

Icelandic ravens are exceptionally intelligent and wise, often more so than people realize. They have a well-structured society with their own laws and assemble at specific locations twice a year—midsummer and midwinter. At these gatherings, they lay the ground rules for their society and settle disputes. Farmers have at times observed these gatherings, calling them “raven assemblies” (hrafnaþing).

These large black birds are widespread in Iceland. They do not migrate south for the winter but stay in the country, often complementing their diet with leftovers from farms.

STR	CON	SIZ	DEX	INT	POW
2	3	1-2	17	9	13

Hit Points: 2	Magic Points: 13
Damage Modifier: -1D4	Move: 1/13 (flying)

Armor: -
Skills: Charm 40%, Dodge 55%, Prophecy 70%, Second Sight 100%, Spot Hidden 80%.

Powers

Speech: Icelandic ravens can speak the Norse language of the humans, as well as the language of the elves and their own raven language.

Note: A raven can attack twice per melee round.

Weapon	%	Damage
Bite	40%	1D4-1-1D4
Claw	60%	1D3-1-1D3

Hit Location	D20	Armor/HP
Right Hindleg	01–03	0/2
Left Hindleg	04-06	0/2
Abdomen	07-08	0/3
Chest	09-11	0/3
Tail	12	0/1
Right Wing	13–14	0/1
Right Wing	15-16	0/1
Head	17–20	0/2

Sea Cattle

Sea cattle live underwater in the seas around Iceland. They possess a type of bladder in front of their nostrils that allows them to remain underwater for long periods before needing to resurface. If this air bladder bursts, they are unable to swim to the depths of the sea and must spend the rest of their lives on land.

When sea cattle venture overland, it is often in herds, mainly to entice the bulls and cows belonging to the human population to follow them into the sea. They are trained by merfolk to do this so that the land animals can be drowned and eaten by the merfolk.

They have larger bodies, are slicker, and are able to yield more milk than land-based cattle. They usually have long tails and large ears.

STR	CON	SIZ	DEX	INT	POW
30	317	30	7	4	7

Hit Points: 22	Magic Points: 7
Damage Modifier: +3D6	Move: 9

Armor: -
Skills: Dodge 25%, Spot Hidden 40%, Track 30%.

Powers

Breathe Underwater: Sea cattle can remain underwater for up to four hours at a time.

Weapon	%	Damage
Horn charge	40%	1D3+3D6
Trample	60%	1D6+3D6

Hit Location	D20	Armor/HP
Right Hindleg	01–02	4/8
Left Hindleg	03-04	4/8
Hindquarter	05-07	4/9
Forequarter	08-10	4/9
Right Foreleg	11–13	4/8
Left Foreleg	14-16	4/8
Head	17–20	4/8