Here are a couple ideas for reflavoring Cairn for a slightly more Scandinavian/Viking flavor. Yes, I know Runecairn exists, but I am looking for a slightly different setting than that.

Desired Setting Elements

Runecairn is set in post-apocalyptic Scandinavian setting. I would want my Scandinavian setting to be more historical, perhaps set at the beginning of the Christianization of Scandinavia (for political conflicts). I would throw in many folkloric creatures and a whole host of ruins from ages past. Include pagan beliefs and believers.

Cairn Changes

• Make spellbooks into runestones (i.e. rune-carved stones)
• Make some Scandinavian folkloric creatures in Cairn stats:
  • Nakki
  • Sea serpents/Kraken
  • Nisse
• De-specify the existing folkloric creatures. Trolls are now all trolls, even though some may be more ice or forest oriented. They are rare enough and the knowledge is decentralized so that no one can really get very specific with ‘types’ of trolls.
• Ritualistic divination magic, in line with Seiðr.
• Set forest adventures in the tagia forests.

Flavoring Prewritten Adventures

• Black Wyrm of Brandonsford: Set now at the edge of a vast swath of taiga, a gluttonous and greedy dragon terrorises… Brandonstad?
  • If trying to include Christianization elements, make a Christian knight NPC who has arrived to slay the dragon.
• Hel’s Crow’s Final Rest: Could be run as written! Already has a Nakki.
• Dolmenring: Perfect for some pagan forest weirdness.

Seiðr

Here are my thoughts on running this kind of magic:

• Make it time-consuming. Several hour ritual.
• Make it fatiguing, literally. Take several faitgue.
• Make it rewarding. Give big information.

Here’s a possible procedure:

• Use GLOG Magic. Dice are rolled at the end of the ritual to determine the effectiveness of the divination.
• Choose a type of ritual:
  • Årsgång: Stay in pitch black and undergo a series of visions in a dream-like state.
  • Coal reading: Burn a large bonfire and read the coals.
  • Haruspicy: read entrals of sacrificed animals
  • … more?
• Before dice are rolled, the referee writes out information or an answer to a question or on the desired event, person, or thing.
• Roll GLOG dice. Up to current diviner’s WIL number of dice may be rolled.
  • Every 3-6 that shows reduces the diviner’s WIL by 1.
  • If a series shows, the diviner is horribly affected: unable to harness magic of any kind, sees a terrible vision.
• Finally, disclose as many words of the referee’s answer as the sum of all the dice. Never reveal any more.

I think this would be fun to do with the diviner in private. Really enhances the mysticality of the divining experience.