ASGARD

Avatar: The Godhead ~ AESIR

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ASGARD : THE FORTRESS HOME OF THE AESIR

When the time came to create a Godrealm for themselves, the fierce warriors and dedicated protectors of Northern Europe crafted Asgard, a world as challenging and dynamic as they themselves were. Lush green pastures, thigh-high with fertile grasses, run along the bases of great majestic mountains whose snow-capped peaks stretch far into an impossibly blue sky. Great sea-lakes encompass vast portions of the realm, with deep fjord inlets, black pebble beaches and sheer glacial cliff walls on their shores. Raging rivers crisscross the land, with more peaceful tributaries feathering out from them to provide water for the realm’s cities, villages and halls.

At the center of the realm is the city of Asgard, surrounded by the Plain of Idavoll where the residents of Valhalla come each day to practice their warcraft. The final battle of Ragnarök is prophesied to take place on this plain.

AXIS MUNDDI: YGGDRRASSIL

Yggdrasil, the World Tree, serves as the Axis Mundi for Asgard, as it did for Vanaheimr and Alfheim before their severing. It serves as the supernatural “spine” of the Norse frame of reference, existing on a spiritual and metaphysical level that those with sufficient Legend can perceive as clearly as a human can perceive a mundane tree.

Asgard (and the other Godrealms) nests in the great spirit-ash’s branches, while around its trunk are located Midgard (i.e., the World) and the Norse terrae incognitae: Jotunheim (home of the frost giants), Nidavellir (home of the dwarves), and Svartalfheim (home of the svartalfar). Its roots even stretch “down” into the Underworld.

Those who can perceive Yggdrasil (primarily Gods, Titans, Scions or dead souls of the Aesir’s religion) know it to be a tree unlike any other.

Its trunk is so great as to seem to be a nearly flat wall of light gray bark that, as suits the ancient ash’s age, is rough and scaled with long diamond-shaped crevices so deep a man could hide inside them.

This rough texture provides adequate handholds for those who would climb its heights—or descend to the depths of its roots— although such a journey might take a mortal several lifetimes, assuming he were even able to perceive the tree in the first place.

Yggdrasil’s leaves are verdant and shaped like a long, slim pointed oval. These leaves are constantly nibbled at by four great stags that stand taller than a man at the shoulder and have antlers as broad as a house. (For each stag, Storytellers may use traits for an elephant on p. 331 of Scion: Hero). Yggdrasil is tended by the three Norns: Urd, Verdandi and Skuld. These women spend their days near the Well of Urd, weaving the tapestry of Fate, as well as fulfilling their duties to maintain the health of Asgard’s Axis Mundi.

Yggdrasil can be used by Gods (Legend 9 or higher) to move between Asgard and the World. This is done not by a simple touch, as with many Axes Mundi, but by physically climbing the tree itself while spending a point of Legend and focusing on the location one desires to attain. By climbing down Yggdrasil in Asgard, a God who desires to travel to the World can chose any ash tree whose location she is aware of and, after spending the required Legend, will find herself descending that tree, rather than Yggdrasil. Similarly, by spending a point of Legend and scaling any ash tree that has previously been used as a link to Yggdrasil, a God finds himself arriving (after a lengthy climb) in the Sacred Fortress of Asgard. The ash tree must be alive; dead wood, no matter how freshly harvested, will not work.

ONE OF THREE

For many centuries, Asgard and Alfheim (which is inhabited by the alfar) both remained connected to Midgard and the other realms via Yggdrasil. Recently, however, Alfheim’s connection has also been severed. The separation came almost exactly with the advent of the Titans’ siege of the Overworld.

GREAT WALL

Asgard (the Godrealm) is bordered on all sides by great stone walls that are as wide as Scandinavia’s most majestic mountains and twice as high. Where the Godrealm’s seas stretch for thousands of miles, the wall itself reaches deep into the watery depths and still stands a uniform height above its surface, giving it the appearance of a single height no matter where it is encountered. The circumference of the walls is so great that, while they ring the Godrealm, any given portion seems perfectly straight.

These walls were designed to protect the Godrealm from the gigantic Titans, in the early days before their imprisonment. Strangely enough, the walls were crafted by one e of the Titan avatars in disguise as a mighty jotun, who agreed to craft them in six months in exchange for the hand of Freya in marriage. The Aesir did not believe the task could be completed in the allotted span, even by the giant and his workhorse Svadilfari. When it appeared he would complete e the task (and thus claim one of their number for his own), the Aesir sabotaged his efforts by sending Loki in the form of a mare to tempt the stallion away from his work. Without his horse, the jotun could not finish the final gate in time and lost his s opportunity for a divine bride. After discovering the Gods’ trick, the giant vowed revenge, just one of the many reasons Utgard-Loki and his companions cautiously side with Surtr against the Aesir.

BIFROST — THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

Asgard is unusual in that not only does it connect to the World and the Underworld through its primary Axis Mundi, but it also is the home of Bifröst, the Rainbow Bridge. Guarded (and activated) solely by Heimdall, the Rainbow Bridge can transport any being from Asgard to any destination in the World (including terrae incognitae), or visa versa. As long as Heimdall lives, no other being can control the bridge, although it is prophesied that, during the end times, Surtr will destroy Heimdall and take control of the bridge, which will collapse under the weight of the fire giant army attacking Asgard.

WELL OF URD

Beside Yggdrasil is a well so deep that the waters are thought to come from the heart of the Underworld, stretching into the depths of death itself. The Well of Urd is ancient, far older than the walls around Asgard, or the cities or halls therein. It is as old as Asgard itself.

The Norns use the water from the Well of Urd to feed Yggdrasil. Those who drink from its waters are strengthened mentally, but the Norns will not allow others to drink from it without sacrifice. Odin gave his eye (which now rests at the bottom of the well) for the right to drink from it each day and the Norns will expect similar sacrifice from others who would share in its bounty. Those who are able to bargain for a drink will find themselves similarly gifted. For 24 hours after drinking water directly from the Well, characters are given access to the Prophecy Purview equal to (the drinker’s Legend rating – 1). This effect wears off after 24 hours. Water carried away from the well is refreshing and delicious, but has no supernatural benefits.

Valaskjalf -- Valhalla was, indeed, the hall where Odin received the souls of the warriors who perished in valiant battle. Importantly, Odin ("The Furious") had another hall, Valaskjalf, which contained his throne (Hiloskjalf or "High Seat") from which he surveyed and contemplated the universe. As well, half of the honorably slain in battle were chosen by Freya ("Lady), the goddess of war, to go with her to Folkvangr, translated as "the field of the host" or "field of the army" among other renditions. Please note that accounts of these mythologies are not invariant which can as well be said of the orthography of some of the Norse names which are given here without diacritical marks.

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