Norwold

The region of Norwold introduced in CM1 "Test of the Warlords" (1984) has developed into a rich, fully realized campaign setting over the years, initially with official products, then through extensive fan publications.

Modules CM2 "Death's Ride" (1984); CM3 "Sabre River" (1984); CM4 "Earthshaker!" (1985); M1 "Into the Maelstrom" (1985); M2 "Vengeance of Alphaks" (1986); M4 "Five Coins for a Kingdom" (1987); and M5 "Talons of Night" (1987) are set in Norwold.

In addition, an excellent YA novel "Rogues to Riches" (1995) by J. Robert King is entirely set in Norwold:

"Rogues to Riches" (1995) by J. Robert King.  Cover illustration by Walter Velez.

"Rogues to Riches" follows the adventures of a pair of thieves through the cities of Landfall, Oceansend, and Alpha into the lands north of the Great Bay.  It's wonderfully written and highly entertaining.  Copies are hard to find, but occasionally turn up in second-hand bookstores.

Fan Gazetteers:

GAZ F6 The Kingdom of Littonia (January 31, 2007) by Geoff Gander, edited by JTR.  Cover illustration by Jeffrey Kosh.

Littonia is one of the oldest fan-created nations on Mystara, a remote coastal kingdom north of Norwold’s Great Bay.  It is a place where the twin populations, Litoniesu and Lietuvan, are united by a common history against the frost giants and other foes – and sometimes little else.

GAZ F7 The Heldannic Order (May 8, 2007) by JTR, Colin D. Wilson, and Honorary Lead Designer Bruce Heard.  Cover illustration by Jeffrey Kosh.

This work covers the Heldannic Territories, a region at the northern edge of the Known World that was once known as the Heldann Freeholds.  Today it is the province of the Knights of the Heldannic Order, a religious military order once created by the Church of Vanya.

GAZ F8 The Streets of Landfall (July 10, 2007), edited by JTR.  Cover illustration by Jeffrey Kosh.

This work covers the town of Landfall, a place of opportunity – both good and bad.  The Empires and Thieves’ Guilds carry out their private wars in the streets, while the population hopes to escape the more violent criminals who lurk in the shadows.

GAZ F9 The Free City of Oceansend (November 15, 2007), edited by JTR.  Cover illustration by Jeffrey Kosh.

The walled-city of Oceansend stands alone upon the Norwold shores, far to the north of the Known World.  It was once an outpost of the Thyatian Empire, but for nearly four decades it has maintained its independence amidst the growing presence and claims of Thyatis’s rival, Alphatia.

GAZ F10 The Kingdom of Kaarjala (July 5, 2008) by Geoff Gander.  Cover illustration by Jeffrey Kosh.

This work covers the Kingdom of Kaarjala, an isolated land situated around the waters of the Landsplit River, far north of Norwold’s Great Bay, whose existence is made possible by a magic windmill that generates gold, grain, and warmth, loosely inspired by the Finnish Kalevala.

Atlante Geographico:

Norwold (April 23, 2020), edited by Omnibus.

This Italian fan publication (198 pages) compiles much of the previously published fan material:

This Geographical Atlas describes the Norwold region.  As usual I collected the canonical material and supplemented it with community-developed fan material and my own additions, trying to make it all come together consistent with historical events and geography.  A thanks to all those who directly or indirectly contributed with the production of material integrated here and in particular to Marco Del Monte for his Codex Immortalis (both in English and in Italian), to Simone Neri for his Demography Mystarana and Norwold (in both English and Italian), also for the various Gazetteers (in English) a thanks to JTR and everyone who collaborated in their drafting.  Thanks to Agathokles for his “Tales of the Norwold”, to Giulio N. Caroletti for his “The Dragon Kingdom of Wyrmsteeth", and to the website www.norwold.net for lots of information about the region, in addition to the myriad of authors present on Pandius.

Introduction to "Norwold" (English translation)