Svärdets Sång (Forbidden Lands in English), is an OSR revival tabletop RPG. Which is published under Free League Publishing and Modiphius Entertainment. Though initially appearing to be a traditional Tolkien-esque inspired High Fantasy world, Forbidden Lands is actually set in a morbid Dark Fantasy.
Forbidden Lands is set in a vast remote valley that was once known as Ravenland, a land home to the Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, Goblins and some of their Half-Human prodigy. Until it was conquered by the Human army of Alderland, under the command of the Half-Elf spellbinder Zygofer over three centuries ago. But when Zygofer’s forces were overwhelmed by the brutal savagery of the Orcs, the slave army used by the Elves and Dwarves, he opened dark gates to seek the help of demons. Unfortunately, this would be his undoing. As the demons spread chaos and corruption in their wake, they spawned foul twisted abominations that cursed the Ravenland. Zygofer lost his will to the dark corrupting evil of the demons and in his maddened state, he claimed his throne and pronounced himself king of the Ravenland, with his daughter Therania by his side.
To keep their vile corruption from spreading, The King of Alderland in the south built a great wall called The Iron Lock across the mountain pass that segmented the lands between the two. Then he forbade all to ever speak of what had happened in Ravenland, banishing all those who brake this law across the border; as well as stripping all records of the Ravenland from the annals of history. Since that day, the spellbinder’s domain is now known as the "Forbidden Lands". Zygofer's henchmen, the feared Rust Brothers, still haunt the land, but the spellbinder himself has not been seen for many years. Fearful whispers say he has transformed into another demonic creature called Zytera.
Today, the Forbidden Lands is a lawless place where demons and dark creatures roam the countryside, while common folk barricade themselves in small villages. Only the brave and the foolish, the raiders and the rogues, dare venture out to seek treasure and glory in the ruins of old. The inhabitance of this world has only just been freed from their three-hundred years of forced geographical imprisonment and isolation by a phenomenon known as "The Blood Mist", freeing thousands of Kin to explore and rediscover their lost world. Players will quickly find it’s a grim world that’s very much froth with twisted demonic mutants and a number of prejudicial races that often despise the other races not like them for one reason or another.
Unlike Dungeons & Dragons and most other RPGs of its kind; ‘’Forbidden Lands’’ doesn’t have its players take on the roles of noble adventurers or messianic heroes, instead players take on the roles of highwayman and raiders. Because they’re the only types of Kin brave enough, or crazy enough, to brave the ruins of their world.
The Bitter Reach sourcebook expands the game to a new setting, the frozen wastes north of Ravenland. Zygofer and the blood mist didn’t reach that far north, but the land of the Reach is cursed in other ways - and the environment can be as deadly as any enemy.
The game provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: The Player’s Handbook does not paint a pleasant Tolkien inspired home life for Halflings. Instead, it’s a Stepford Smiler society that ignores the unpleasant problems, with children at the mercy of parents coming home drunk to beat their children bloody.
- Beneath the Mask: Halflings like to portray themselves as jolly little people with idyllic lives and without any problems. Feeling great shame for the past deeds of their race’s predecessor they try their best to make up for their racial misdeeds by being as good as they can be. However, in reality they’re not as kind-hearted little folk as they let on. In truth they’re no better than their Goblin counterparts; sometimes they can be even worse than Goblins. As their efforts of virtue are not genuine, often only being done to hide and excuse their disreputable behavior behind closed doors.
- Chocolate Baby: When a Half-Kin's pregnancy is close to term, the mother and father goes out to a secluded location agreed upon by both Half-Kin. The Cradle. Where the men are to guard their women outside, whilst their women give birth to their child. However, unbeknownst to the fathers; it's random whether or not the baby will be born as the same Half-Kin as the mother and father. If they're not, the mother will swap hers with an opposite Half-Kin mother. Sometimes, mothers will not return to their men until such as swap has occurred with them. When they do return, the Half-Kin mothers never tell their husbands if the child is truly theirs.
- Evil Counterpart Race: Both the Halflings and Goblins were originally a part of the same race called Dark Elves. Who were made from the moon goddess Eor’s jealousy, as she tossed blue moonstones after The Red Wanderer's elves as they fell to the earth. That is until they were split into two by the Raven God as punishment for trying to trick him; now both races are jointly called Half-Kin. One would think that would make Halflings be the good half and the Goblins being the bad, but this is not always the case, as they can be just as bad if not worse than each other.
- Hobbits: Halflings in Forbidden Lands are not too dissimilar from their traditional depictions in other RPGs. Living in small villages where they’ll work as farmers and presenting themselves as humble, good natured creatures that enjoy most days eating, drinking and sleeping. After the Dark Elves were divided by the Raven God, Halflings inherited most of the better traits of their Dark Elven ancestry. But although they initially seem like the Halflings most TTRPG players have come to know, but not everything as it seems. See Beneath the Mask above.
- Invading Refugees: The Ailanders in Ravenland fled from Alderland to escape religious prosecution in their homelands, the Elves graciously welcomed their guests whilst the Dwarves begrudgingly them so long as they behaved and obeyed the Law of the Land. However, three-hundred years later, The Rust Church from Alderland attempted to conquer Ravenland. Under Teramalda she annexed the refugee settlement villages, converting them to the Rust Church and drafted the farmers into her Iron Guard.
- Land of Faerie: Before they became 'The Forbidden Lands' by the people of the world; the 'Ravenland' was the only known county where mythical and fantastical creatures and races dwelled.
- Standard Fantasy Races: As one would expect from an OSR revival TTRPG, Forbidden Lands offers eight playable races to choose from. The Alderland invaders' descendance of Humanity; the indolent forest dwelling Elves; the indecisive bastards known as Half-Elves; the obstinate stunted race of Dwarves; the brutal savages of Orcs; the vicious lycan descended Wolfkin; the drunken pigs called Halflings, and finally their twisted sister race of vile Goblins.
- Switched at Birth: This is done within both Halfling and Goblin society. The mothers keep the child of their own Half-Kin, if they're not the same, the mother swaps her child with the opposite Half-Kin mother.
