Þýdal (Modern day Tydal, Medieval Thidalen or Tydalen)

Deep in northern Scandinavia where the rivers Þý (Tya) and Nea meet is a small village. Nestled in a dale, an open valley with lush fields and woodlands, the village is home to around 40 families that are mostly farmers.

There is one blacksmith forge in the village, and there are no stores. The rest of the buildings are all longhouses. Most families have some sheep, a few goats, several chickens, and many have a few pigs. Large gardens dot the landscape and separate the longhouses of the village.

An hours travel up the Nea river is the village of Østby which is about half the size of Þýdal. A couple of hours travel down the river leads to Aunet, and another hour's travel beyond that gets you to Gressli. Both of those villages are about the same size as Þýdal. A further day's travel down the river leads to Mebonden, a town on the large lake Selbusjøen. The exit of that lake is the river Nid (modern Nidelva) that leads into Þróndheimsfjord near Niðaróss (modern day Trondheim).

The largest longhouse is the home of Jarl Hoffer Magnuson, his wife Gunhild Steinarsdottir, and their daughter Astrid. Hoffer is the man most folks go to when they have questions or doubts about anything. He is tall and strong, always measured in his speech, and never loses control. He served in the Varangian Guard, where he earned enough wealth to maintain a large plot of land. As a young woman Gunhild was a shieldmaiden, but she got sick of war and now seeks peace and beauty. Gunhild's garden is always filled with the most colorful flowers, and even the most unruly kids treat it with respect. Gunhild is very observant and has earned a reputation for knowing what is happening locally, the people of the town treat her like a wise mother.

A tall and very bulky human, Gobber Haraldson runs the village blacksmith shop. His stout wife Greta Torvisdottir is known for her whimsical woven and knitted clothing, which she sells occasionally at the marketplace in Niðaróss for extra income.

Tall and a bit stocky for a wood elf, Alwin Silverthorn is a master woodworker. If someone in the village needs some furniture they go to him first. He knows trees and wood so well that most people ask him for advice when it is time to chop down trees for firewood or lumber. His slender and elegant wife, Luna Silverthorn, is an expert herbalist and gardener who also tends to any light medical problems folks in the village might have. The couple moved to the village around two hundred years ago because the area just felt right to them. They have extensive knowledge of the village's history but tend to act only as lorekeepers when it comes time for a Thing.

The solemn but usually smiling dwarf Vitr Stonemaster and his thinly bearded wife Uni Rubythane moved to the village twenty years ago when their clan's cave was attacked and overrun by goblins. The clan decided to split up so they wouldn't all be in one place ever again. Vitr, as his name suggests, is a master stonecrafter. Most of the longhouses have a stone hearth that he crafted and placed. Uni often travels into the mountains, returning with gems and silver that she turns into jewelry that she sells locally and sometimes in Niðaróss. When she goes to the Niðaróss marketplace she often travels with Greta Torvisdottir.

Always seemingly busy, the halfling Fulbert Dewfoot and his wife Peony Dewfoot live in a modest longhouse whose walls are made of cut turf. Experts in the growing of root vegetables, their larders are always full of a variety of different carrots, rutabagas, onions, garlic, and surprisingly, brussel sprouts.

The gnomes Gimbal and Nissa Turen are quite a pair. Always cheerful, Gimbal makes children's toys for the young folk of the village and also sometimes sells them at the Niðaróss marketplace. Nissa has a wonderful garden where she grows things that are unusual, and she helps make feasts something special.

On the edge of the village farthest from the river is the longhouse of Morthos and Lerissa Kenning. As tieflings, they are used to visitors being wary around them even though the folks of the village have welcomed them. In the short time they have lived here Morthos and Lerissa have earned the trust and respect of those around them. Lerissa's weaving skills are highly prized and the linen she produces is of the highest quality.