Outlaws of Sonderlund

In Sonderlunding culture, there are some crimes so severe, it is deemed that not even execution will suffice.. Murder of a kinsman, the breaking of an ancestral oath - there is no codified set of circumstances for when such punishments may apply, as they are often meted out in an ad hoc fashion as an individual ruler sees fit, particularly in the disorganized Highlands, where thanes and kings rule by tradition and force of arms. But everywhere in Sonderlund is the concept of an outlaw understood, and the threat of being outlawed known and feared.

In most lands, to be declared an outlaw means that one can expect no protection from the law of the land, and that any matter of crimes directed against them shall go unpunished. In Sonderlund, however, there is more to the idea than that. Because of Sonderlund's long tradition of ancestor worship, it is believed that if an outlaw cannot be forgiven in this life, they may at least do something worth remembering with their dying breath, so that their progeny may still look back on them with honor. To this end, the greatest honor for an outlawed Sonderlunding is to die valiantly in battle against a worthy foe.

Sonderlunding outlaws roam the roads in search of a glorious death - their sentence is not the executioner's axe, but the battlefield, and they may never know peace. To die of natural causes, in fact, is considered a grave dishonor, and a sign that the outlaw was too much of a coward to face their fate, or else that they lacked the drive to redeem themselves with a death that may live on in the annals of history. So too, it is dishonorable for an outlaw to meet death at their own hand. Their dying breath must be made with a heroic effort, against an opponent that they must give all their effort against. It is even more honorable if they die while inflicting mortal wounds on their foe, but this is not necessary - only dying in battle is.

The life of an outlaw is not an easy one. While in the domains of their kin, they can expect no mercy or hospitality, for to aid an outlaw is believed to bring ill fortune upon one's household - the outlaw must meet their destiny by their own efforts. This leads to them being rather itinerant, going from place to place to seek new challenges and to avoid persecution. All the same, outlaws often acquire somewhat of a fearsome reputation, both for the nature of their crimes as so severe as to warrant their punishment and for the rugged sensibilities that allow them to survive on the road. Many petty thieves and brigands have actually given outlaws a wide berth, either out of fear of retribution, or because they know that it would dishonor the outlaw to fall victim to such an ignoble fate.

The travels of an outlaw may even take them beyond the lands of their people, or even beyond Sonderlund, and many outlaws have become great heroes in other lands, whether as slayers of monsters or generals on the battlefield. Beyond their homelands, outlaws are not necessarily shunned, but it is rare for them to lie about their status as an outlaw if they believe they will not be recognized, as this is seen as incredibly dishonorable. The pursuit of a heroic death is a solemn and important one, and one that outlaws are wont to accept as their fate, grim as it may be.

A quirk of this practice is that an outlaw who has slain many foes and survived to tell the tale is, technically speaking, not very successful as an outlaw. It means they are a mighty warrior and warranting of respect, but also that they have not been able to find an enemy that will grant them the death they seek. If an outlaw manages to best a foe without dying in the process, they often set their sights on an even greater challenge, hoping this will be the one. After all, they do not merely want to die, but to die heroically, and there is not much heroic about dying to rabid rats when you have slain dragons in the past. Though Sonderlunding honor culture may seem primitive and barbaric to outsiders, they have a great reckoning of the merits of many deeds and how they should be ranked, and this is not to be taken lightly.

For an encounter with a Sonderlunding outlaw, see here.

Art by Roman Zawadzki

Background: Sonderlunding Outlaw

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: One set of artisan's tools of your choice (your trade before being outlawed) and one musical instrument of your choice (a hobby you picked up to pass the time on the road).

Languages: Sonderlunding, one other language of your choice.

Equipment: A cloak with the tartan of your former clan, a dungeoneer's pack or an explorer's pack, a musical instrument of your choice, and a pouch containing 25 GP.

Feature: Worthy Foe. You seek a glorious death in battle, and you have an eye out for a foe worthy of doing the deed. You can issue a challenge with the effects of the compelled duel spell, so long as the target's challenge rating is equal to or higher than your level. If the target of this effect is a Sonderlunding, it has Disadvantage on the saving throw. If you drop to 0 HP during this duel, you have Disadvantage on all death saves made and cannot cheat Death.

Reasons for Being Outlawed (d12)

1. Committed murder against a member of your clan.

2. Broke an ancestral oath issued by one of your ancestors.

3. Partook in an affair with the spouse of your thane.

4. Toppled an important runestone.

5. Committed treason against your clan during a time of war.

6. Defiled a sacred grove.

7. Killed a sacred beast revered by your clan.

8. Lost an heirloom belonging to an important ancestor. 

9. Neglected a task entrusted to you by your thane. 

10. Killed a druid your clan was in service to.

11. Brought a fey curse upon your people.

12. Aided a necromancer.