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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Norn

Source Monster Core pg. 240
Ancient beyond imagining, norns are powerful fey women who hold in their hands the physical manifestation of fate and destiny in the form of golden thread. They watch over all life, intervening with reluctance when called upon—or with a vengeance when the strands of fate are twisted and abused by lesser beings. They cut imposing figures, standing 14 feet tall and weighing 800 pounds.

Norns' relationship with the Eldest of the First World is complex. Many among norns serve Magdh the Three, the triune Eldest who some norns believe to be the first norn triumvirate bound together into one entity, as Magdh has three bodies: a Maiden, a Mother, and a Matriarch. Magdh claims to be watching the threads of fate for some ominous prophesied cataclysm, and in addition to assisting in her divinations, Magdh expects the norns who serve her to follow her cryptic commands to help nudge the future away from the brink. However, norns are powerful beings in their own right, themselves capable of granting divine power, and many balk at serving the enigmatic demigod. These norns find the other Eldest even more alien and challenging to interact with, for they believe that while the Eldest wield great power, even these powerful beings should not be granted leave to meddle with fate as much as they desire.

While even the weakest of the Eldest could destroy an unaffiliated norn with ease, they tend to obey the proclamations and judgments of norns when they are spoken. These norns, for their part, use their perceived neutrality judiciously. They know better than to issue too many demands to the Eldest, lest the capricious demigods grow frustrated. And so the balance of power remains tenuous between unaffiliated norns and the Eldest, as it has for eons. Norns know that it's merely a matter of time before the Eldest lose their respect for this tradition and start acting entirely as they please, despite norns' best efforts to rein in their most disruptive actions.

Members

Norn (Creature 20)

Sidebar - Additional Lore Lost Norns

When separated from a triumvirate for too long, a norn in the mortal Universe can grow confused and weak. Her powers remain strong, but her ability to interpret fate becomes warped. Lost norns begin to use their abilities for their own goals rather than serving fate, basing their actions on how their skewed visions best serve themselves.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Norn Triumvirates

Norns who visit the Universe often do so in groups of three known as triumvirates. The norns of a triumvirate can communicate with each other telepathically over a planetary distance. Regardless of their appearance on the First World, when a norn becomes part of a triumvirate in the Universe, her apparent age shifts so that in each group, there always appears to be one young adult norn, one middle-aged norn, and one elderly norn—a Maiden, a Mother, and a Matriarch.