
Ghostwalkers of Gjöll
A downloadable game
The river Gjöll is full of swords.
Ghostwalkers of Gjöll now comes in two formats: bi-fold and tri-fold, available in both Letter and A4!
Print copies are available at the Cairn store!
One week ago, a sword plummeted over the falls of the river Gjöll at Foss-thorp. Every day since, hundreds of swords have rained down the falls, their metallic cacophony echoing throughout Gjöllfjord.
Three days later, a walking ghost emerged from the river and attacked the village. It was a draugr, an undead warrior with distended gray skin and hollow blue eyes.
Every day, more draugr emerge. Most villagers have fled Foss-thorp. Jarl Snorri has sent for help, but he stays behind to protect the village from the draugr and prevent them from terrorizing the whole fjord.
This pamphlet contains a village, a cliffside ascent, and a 5-room dungeon.
Ghostwalkers of Gjöll was written for the Appendix N Jam in July 2025; the title was given to me. This work is inspired by my brief research into Norse myth, particularly the Prose Edda by Icelander Snorri Sturluson. In Norse mythology, the seldom-mentioned river Gjöll separates the world of the living from the world of the dead. Gjöll, often translated as “scream” or “roar,” is sometimes described as being full of weapons.
Text, illustrations, and cartography by Maxim Lowe.
Statted for Cairn 2e by Yochai Gal.
Typefaces: Dicier by Speak the Sky, Junicode by Peter S. Baker, Old Wood by Luis Jerez, and Source Serif.
| Updated | 12 days ago |
| Status | Released |
| Category | Physical game |
| Rating | Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars (5 total ratings) |
| Author | Maxim Lowe |
| Genre | Role Playing |
| Tags | cairn, OSR, Tabletop role-playing game |
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Comments
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Huh, reminds me of Temple of 1000 Swords. Maybe that is also based on the Prose Edda?
A very flattering adventure to be associated with. Who knows, maybe Drukks are from Icelandic myth!
Ran this with my table and we had a blast! They really enjoyed the whole vibe. Ended with a TPK - frozen to icicles by the dragon and a mishap spell, but still so fun!
That’s awesome! Thank you, I’m so glad they enjoyed it :-) Did you use Cairn? Are there any things in particular that you thought worked well, or things that you might change / things that were unclear?
Love this adventure! I’m about to start running Cursed Scroll #3 from Shadowdark, this will fit in perfectly to the setting!
Thank you! I actually have that zine, but I’ve never opened it… Looks like I have some reading to do :-) Please do let me know if you run it!