Hailing from the merciless and barren land of Keld on the far northern continent of Icehaven, the brutal Keldons are hulking, gray-skinned humans. Though they are often perceived as a horde of brutish, unthinking barbarians and a threat to civilization in all its forms, the Keldons have a deep and rich culture that goes back many centuries. Having endured devastation on a massive scale and lived through their own prophesied apocalyptic judgment, today's Keldons fight to be worthy of their glorious ancestors, their unforgiving home, and their strongest champions.
Heroes of Keld
Most Keldons live as part of a warhost, fighting at the command of a warlord and living within a community of other Keldons. Occasionally, though, a Keldon leaves their warhost—and sometimes leaves Keld entirely—whether by choice or in disgrace and exile. Their strong and hardy nature makes Keldons excellent adventurers.
Suggested Classes
Consider these class options for a Keldon character.
Barbarian or Fighter
The individual members of a Keldon warhost, sometimes referred to as fists, are all formidable fighters in their own right. Some embrace a modicum of coordinated strategy, while others give themselves over to berserker rage.
Bard or Cleric
Traditional Keldon shamans retain an important place in the warhosts. These shamans are historians as well, keeping alive the link between Keld's past traditions and its present. Their chief responsibility is in maintaining, annotating, and interpreting the enormous Book of Keld. Most Keldon warriors have little patience for reading, so the keepers also act as bards or skalds, recounting the tales within the book to inspire Keldons in battle. Keldon clerics typically choose the Forge domain (presented in Xanathar's Guide to Everything).
| d6 | ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Self-Reliance. I don't wear or use anything I haven't made myself. You can't count on anyone else in this world. |
| 2 | Future. I believe a true Twilight still awaits the Keldon faithful, when our fallen heroes will rise up to fight alongside us as we conquer the world. |
| 3 | Pragmatism. No ancestors are coming to save us—we are our only hope. |
| 4 | Coin. I will happily fight for those too weak to defend themselves, if they pay me enough. |
| 5 | Freedom. The so-called "new Keld" is too safe, too controlled. The fire in Keldon blood demands warfare and pillage. |
| 6 | Keld. I am Keldon, and that is all that matters. I seek the glory and prosperity of my people above all else. |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I fight to prove myself worthy of my glorious ancestors. |
| 2 | Even away from Keld, my loyalty is to my warlord and the rest of my warhost. |
| 3 | I'm inexplicably drawn to the sacred peak called the Mountain. |
| 4 | My favorite weapon is one I forged from the broken weapons of my enemies. |
| 5 | I want to be a warlord someday, and I won't stop there. |
| 6 | I had a dear mentor from another nation who taught me my skills. |
Keldons
The people of Keld are human, but they are like no other humans anywhere. Nearly all adults stand over six feet tall, and heights above seven feet are not uncommon. They are massively muscled and have gray skin, ranging from an ashy gray-white to a deeper blue-gray. The typical Human (Keldon)'s hairline points sharply down in the middle of the forehead and at either temple, but recedes elsewhere—sometimes dramatically. Keldons are remarkably resistant to the cold of their homeland, baring skin even in near-freezing temperatures without discomfort.
Keldons value self-reliance, strength, and courage above all else. Anything that is the product of their own labor is a fine thing. Anything else is treated with a healthy dose of skepticism. At best, they are a proud, pragmatic, passionate people, and their loyalty is fierce once earned. At worst, they can be reckless, hot-tempered, and violent—and no small number of Keldons still consider these qualities virtues rather than vices.
Because of their many exploits as both conquerors and mercenaries, Keldons appear in the legends and histories of other peoples across the world. Sometimes these tales are exaggerated—but many that sound exaggerated are not.
Keld Adventures
The Keldons are a fierce, warlike people. As adventurers—or adventure patrons—they typically pursue objectives with violent ends. As villains, they are a dangerous force of conquest not easily dissuaded from their goals.
Keld Quests
A Keldon warhost is absolutely loyal to its warlord, and the members of a warhost follow their leader's instructions without question. All warlords in turn answer to overseers, who are appointed by the grand warlord to coordinate Keld's military efforts; and to the doyens, who act as advisors and settle civil disputes. Occasionally, a warlord, overseer, or doyen—or the grand warlord herself—identifies a task that is more easily done by a small, skilled team than by a host of brutal warriors. Those tasks are often entrusted to adventurers who are unwaveringly loyal either to Keld or to coin.
| d6 | Quest |
|---|---|
| 1 | Persuade a Benalish house to abandon a colony newly established on Keld's soil. |
| 2 | Carry an urgent message from one warlord to another across a dangerous area. |
| 3 | Convince a wayward warlord to obey an overseer's orders before the situation escalates into full-on rebellion. |
| 4 | Undermine the loyalty of a rebellious warlord's warhost, thus depriving the warlord of power. |
| 5 | Kill a monster lurking in the mountains. |
| 6 | Fend off attacks by frost giants from the north. |
Keld Sites
The Keldons are not builders. As such, sites involved in adventures in and around Keld are likely to be focused on wilderness areas or ancient ruins predating their rise.
| d10 | Adventure Site |
|---|---|
| 1 | At the foot of the Keldons' sacred Mountain |
| 2 | At the entrance to the Keldon Necropolis, where great figures of the past are interred |
| 3 | Inside a glacier |
| 4 | A mountain cave |
| 5 | A tower formed from strange black ice |
| 6 | A forest clearing where the air is cold enough to freeze your breath in your mouth |
| 7 | A smith's forge |
| 8 | A plateau where carved megaliths are erected |
| 9 | A camp with dozens of round tents |
| 10 | At the peak of the Keldons' sacred Mountain |
Keld Villains
With a people like the Keldons, practically every good and noble warlord is balanced out by one who is bloodthirsty and ambitious. But the violent conquerors, as terrifying as they might be, are often the easiest Keldon villains to deal with.
| d8 | Villain |
|---|---|
| 1 | A warlord leads an attack on a different warhost. |
| 2 | A doyen advises several different warlords to provoke conflicts with Benalia, believing that a full-scale war will trigger the true Twilight. |
| 3 | A shaman has secretly made an alliance with the frost giants of the northern wastes to help overthrow the grand warlord. |
| 4 | A shaman dabbles in the hated arts of necromancy, hoping to reproduce the false Twilight caused by the Phrexians. |
| 5 | A frost giant shaman brings a nightmarish winter down over Keld, and it begins spreading farther south. |
| 6 | A warlord leads a host in longboats to the Benalish isle of Avenant. |
| 7 | A warlord directly challenges the authority of the grand warlord, hoping to take her place. |
| 8 | A warlord kills the grand warlord and starts transforming Keld back into the land of bloodthirsty raiders it once was. |