Norsca

Norscan Marauder

Born in frost, forged in blood, blessed by the Dark Gods

Founding FoundedBefore history; the first tribes crawled out of the Wastes FounderNo one remembers; the gods were already there Current LeaderNo single king; each jarl rules until someone stronger takes his head Geography CapitalNone; the greatest longhouse is wherever the strongest warlord drinks tonight Major CitiesSkaeling ports, Sarl fjords, Baersonling ice-coves RegionsNorsca and the northern Chaos Wastes Biology Lifespan40-60 years if the axe, the cold, or the gods don’t claim you sooner Height175-210 cm (5′9″ - 6′11″); the gods like them big Culture LanguageNorscan tongue (guttural, full of boasts and curses) ReligionThe four Ruinous Powers first, tribal ancestor spirits second Government GovernmentMight makes right; jarls, champions, and shamans rule by strength Relations AlliesWarriors of Chaos, Daemons (when it suits them), Beastmen (sometimes) EnemiesEmpire, Dwarfs, High Elves, Kislev, anyone south of the Sea of Claws

Norsca is the land that the rest of the world wishes would just sink into the sea. A frozen hell of jagged fjords, wolf-haunted forests, and villages built from dragon bones. Its people are taller, harder, and meaner than any southerner has a right to be. They raid in longships hung with skulls, drink sea-serpent blood for breakfast, and laugh when the winter wind flays the skin from lesser men. To a Norscan, life is simple: take what you want, kill what resists, and offer the skulls to the gods so they notice you before you die.

Overview

If you want to play a seven-foot barbarian who thinks the Empire is a retirement home for cowards and whose retirement plan is “die gloriously and get a daemon prince promotion,” you’ve found your people.

Appearance

Built like a barn door and twice as thick. Pale or wind-burned skin covered in scars, runes, and tattoos that still bleed on holy days. Long hair and beards braided with enemy finger-bones. Armour is whatever they killed last: sea-dragon scales, Chaos plate, or just furs over bare muscle. Mutations are jewellery; an extra eye or a tentacle arm just means the gods are watching.

Culture & Society

• Regions: Norsca and the ever-hungry edge of the Wastes.
• Culture: Strength is the only law. Everything else is weakness.
• Names: Bjorn, Hrolf, Astrid, Sven, Wulfrik, Valkia, Skollaf.
• Religion: Khorne for the brave, Nurgle for the survivors, Tzeentch for the cunning, Slaanesh for the truly twisted.

Morality, Slavery, and Corruption

• Slavery: Common among Norscan tribes. Captives from raids are taken as thralls for labor, trade, or ransom. A thrall’s treatment varies by the temperament of the raider and the customs of their tribe.
• Non-consent sexual relationships: Officially frowned upon within one’s own tribe due to concepts of honor and strength, but foreign captives may face harsh treatment depending on the raider. Practices differ widely from clan to clan.
• Vulnerability to Chaos corruption: High. The proximity to the Chaos Wastes and a culture of raiding and glory-seeking make Norscans especially prone to the temptations of the Dark Gods—though some tribes resist fiercely through ancestral traditions.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Strengths: Fierce, hardy, fearless, and shaped by brutal lands; skilled in survival, hunting, and battle; unshakable in the face of cold and danger.
• Weaknesses: Hot-tempered, superstitious, prone to bloodlust, easily tempted by Chaos, and often distrusted or feared by other nations.

Relations with Other Races

Category	Faction	Relation
Humans	Empire	Hostile
	Bretonnia	Hostile
	Kislev	Hostile
	Sartosa	Neutral
	Araby	Hostile
	Cathay	Hostile
Elves	Asur (High Elves)	Hostile
	Asrai (Wood Elves)	Neutral
	Druchii (Dark Elves)	Neutral
Dwarfs	Dwarfs	Hostile
	Chaos Dwarfs	Friendly
Greenskins	Orcs	Neutral
	Goblins	Neutral
Monstrous	Ogre	Neutral
	Beastmen	Neutral
Affliction	Chaos	Friendly
	Vampire	Neutral

Playing a Norscan

Talk in boasts and threats. Laugh at pain. Never back down, never show mercy, never trust anyone who hasn’t bled beside you. Your life goal is a saga that will be sung until the world ends (preferably because you helped end it). A Khorne follower wants skulls, a Slaaneshi wants perfection through agony, a Nurgle worshipper just wants to share his gifts. All of them want to die with a weapon in hand and a war-cry on their lips.

Physical Appearance

Imagine the biggest, meanest Viking you’ve ever seen, then give him horns, an extra arm, and an axe the size of a horse. That’s an average Tuesday in Norsca.

Gender Roles and Sexuality

Gender Roles

• Norsca is a rough, warrior-based society with a strong male dominance but considerable practical roles for women due to harsh frontier conditions. Strength, survival, and martial skill define social status more than formal rank.
• Warriors and Leaders: Men dominate raiding parties, chieftainships, and military campaigns. Leadership is earned through strength, cunning, and reputation rather than formal inheritance.
• Women: Norscan women are often strong, hardy, and capable of combat. Some serve as shieldmaidens, priestesses of the Mother God, or advisors to chieftains. Women enjoy more autonomy than in many other human nations, though men dominate public and martial life.
• Commoners: Daily survival in harsh environments means women participate actively in hunting, farming, trade, and defending homesteads. Gender roles are flexible out of necessity.

Sexuality

• Sexual norms in Norsca are libertine and pragmatic, shaped by warrior culture and harsh living conditions. Consensual sexual relationships are common, often informal or temporary.
• Taboos: Few sexual taboos exist. Sodomite acts are tolerated if consensual. Adultery is common and often ignored outside the context of honor or revenge.
• Warrior Culture: Sexual relationships are tied to personal strength, status, and conquest. Raiding parties may involve casual sexual liaisons, with women sometimes participating actively.
• Ritual and Religion: Some sexual acts are linked to cult practices, such as worship of Chaos or the Mother God, emphasizing fertility, survival, or blood rites.

Attitudes toward Other Races (Sexualized)

• Norscans are aggressive toward outsiders but have **sexualized attitudes toward other races**, often tied to domination, exoticism, or conquest:
• Elves: Female elves are considered exotic and sometimes dangerously alluring; male elves may be respected for skill but also viewed as potential rivals. Encounters are often sexualized in raider tales.
• Dwarfs: Dwarf women may appear in crude eroticized tales, often emphasizing toughness or rarity; male dwarfs are generally the subject of mockery rather than sexual interest.
• Greenskins: Orcs and goblins are enemies, but raider legends sometimes include sexualized dominance over captured greenskins, often portrayed as violent or grotesque.
• Chaos and Daemons: Sexualized fascination intersects with fear and devotion in cult practices; Chaos-tainted beings may be eroticized as objects of power, corruption, or taboo desire.

Notable Cultural Nuances

• Norsca’s harsh climate and warrior lifestyle give women practical authority and autonomy uncommon in other human nations.
• Sexuality is rough, opportunistic, and often intertwined with martial prowess, danger, and survival.
• Sexualized fantasies of other races are common in tales, poetry, or warrior storytelling, often emphasizing conquest, exoticism, or taboo desire.
• Gender and sexual norms are pragmatic, fluid, and intertwined with raiding, honor, and superstition.

Notable Ranks & Careers

Reaver → Marauder → Berserker → Chosen → Chaos Champion → Daemon Prince (if the gods are kind)