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Expanding the Northern Reaches: Qeodhar Helmsman (Whale-Hunter)

by Marc Saindon

(Ranger variant)

"Call me Ishmael..."

Yes, these guys are politically incorrect in modern times, but in a medieval society with low possibilities for agriculture, sometimes you need to harpoon whales and club seals, collecting the meat, fat and fur so you can survive the next winter. They can't really summon food from UberEats. While Rangers weren't part of Mystara originally, they could easily be retconned for different environments, including the northern seas and cold coastal areas where they would excel in harpoon throwing (rather than archery), not a common ranged weapon used in D&D. Vanir (Druidic) magic involve using seagulls to track stocks of fish, divination to predict the weather and some air magic to conjure favorable winds. Aside from whaling, threats like Krakens, seawolves, and mundane raiders and pirates could also keep the whale-hunter busy. Most people aboard whaling boats won't be Rangers, but several elite ones will be.

Besides Qeodhar (Mystara Iceland), they could also be found in Ostland (in the smaller islands), in coastal Heldannic territories and among the Atruaghin's Turtle Clans (tweaked to Haida culture instead of norse).

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If it's not eco-friendly enough for you, just call these guys Kraken Hunters, and what they do instead is kill krakens and sea monsters to save whales and dolphins. Cue the theme from Flipper.