Asgard

Character

Warriors flaunt their mettle, for heroism and bravery are rewarded. Cunning riddles and daring deeds are the hallmarks of a hero. Everyone should prove his worth in battle, and a coward meets only with the scorn of his fellows. 'Course, it's easier to be brave when a basher knows he'll be reborn.

Powers

All the gods of the Aesir dwell in Asgard, including Odin, Aegir, Baldur, Forseti, Frigga, Heimdall, Idun, Loki, Sif, Thor, and Tyr. Loki's often saved the rest, but as often as not the trouble was of his making, so he's got a bolt-hole in Pandemonium as well. The rest of the powers often travel the realm in disguise, or go to Jotunheim to pit themselves against the giants when they crave adventure. Frey and Freya of the Vanir also live here part of the year, as part of a treaty to guarantee peace between the Aesir and Vanir.

Description

Asgard is a cold realm, with seasons that swing to extremes. The land is surrounded by a solid stone wall 40 feet thick and 80 high. Several gates lead out from Asgard into the surrounding countryside.    Asgard's largest river, the Iving River, never ices over and forms part of the boundary between Asgard and Jotunheim. In fact, it can't freeze, even through the use of magic, and its water remains warm all year round.    Lake Amsvartnir is a lake just outside Asgard. The sagas say that the monstrous Fenris Wolf is chained in the middle of the lake, on Lyngvi Island. The wolf's saliva forms the River Von, which flows into the lake. Fenris chews up anything he can get his jaws on, so there's nothing on Lyngvi Island except dirt, dung, and a musky, doggish odor.    The Plain of Ida is the Asgardian name for the great field between the point where Bifrost enters the plane of Ysgard and the hall of Gladsheim. In the center of the plain stands Himinborg, the great free city of Ysgard.    The Plain of Vigrid is a great green field that stands between the walls of Asgard and the nexus point of Bifrost. Oracles say that final battle between gods, men, monsters and giants (Ragnarok) will be fought at Vigrid.    Vidi is a land of tall grass and saplings where Vidar keeps his hall and stables. The land's an empty region of Asgard, where the powers go to hunt for sport. The animals are often of heroic proportions here, so unless a basher has a big appetite and a sharp spear, he'd best tread softly.    The Well of Urd (in the Outlands) is a magical spring that has its beginning from the ground in Asgard, where one of the major roots of Yggdrasil enters the land. The Norns, the goddesses of Fate, are worshiped nearby in Rowan's Hall, the headquarters of the Fated.

Principal Halls

Asgard doesn't have towns, only halls built on numerous huge estates. The halls of the Aesir are huge, splendid affairs, gold and silver mansions that serve as the home of powers only rarely. More often, they are the site of feasting, harvest festivals, weddings, and other celebrations of the petitioners and planars that live in the surrounding estates. The halls themselves often cover several acres, but even so the carousing often spills out onto the fields surrounding them.    Every basher with a pair of eyes agrees that Breidablik, or "Broad Splendor," is the most beautiful hall of the plane. Baldur's standards are very exacting: only the most beautiful petitioners are found here, as others are turned away. Though the petitioners here are as prone to feats of valor as others, they are also more vain.    Fensalir is the mansion of Frigga, Odin's wife. It's a clean, well-organized hall high up in the mountains, as befits the sky-goddess. Frigga spends little time here, and only her most devoted worshipers make the pilgrimage to the heights. Fensalir is notably less inclined to violence than the other halls.    Glitner is Forseti's hall, in which the pillars are bright gold and the roof is inlaid with silver. Only the richest and most generous of warriors are allowed entry. The Ring-Givers come here often to exchange gifts with the petitioners.    Thor and Sif's estate is called Thrudheim, a significant region of Asgard. Thrudheim is prone to violent storms, floods, and landslides. Thor's hall here is named Bilskimir, though fewer visit it than the others. The hall is an oak and iron-shod palace.    Gladsheim is both Odin's hall and the common hall of the Norse gods, after which the plane is sometimes named among clueless primes. The powers gather here often for feasts and celebrations, or to swear fealty to Odin. Petitioners avoid it, for an argument between powers is something few witness, much less survive.    Valaskialf is the second of Odin's three halls, a silver-roofed marvel with rune-carved pillars and a colony of ravens that perches in the rafters and feeds on the scraps from the feasts. Hlidskialf, his all-seeing throne, stands at the head of the hall, guarded by a proxy and the mass of his petitioners.    Valhalla, the "Hall of the Slain," is the most important of all the halls. It's the famed council hall of Odin, where the spirits of the greatest heroes dwell. These bloods are the einheriar, who are fated to fight the giants at Ragnarok, the "twilight of the gods." Valhalla is immense and has lodging and dining space for several hundred thousand warriors at once. The roof is made of shields, and the rafters and walls are built from spears. The hall has 540 doors for the einheriar to pass through when entering or leaving. The river Thund flows by Valhalla, and must be crossed by wading in order for anyone to get to Valhalla's main gate.

Special Conditions

Asgard draws the most battle-mad petitioners the way Sigil draws adventurers. A berk'd better be ready to prove himself in battle or word play, or he'll be cut down without a thought. In addition, most planars here are members of the Fated. Crossing swords with the Fated isn't recommended, they'll kill a sod who can't defend himself and turn back to their mugs.    There's a dark to their casual attitude: Anyone who dies heroically in Asgard - even a player character - is reborn the following day. The Norse powers and valkyries honor brave warriors, and those that're slain in valiant situations wake the next morning in Valhalla. There's a condition, though. A cutter's got to die heroically. He can't just be cut down in battle; he's got to hew his way through a horde of foes, defending his comrades and shouting battle cries with his last breath. He's got to take on the biggest, meanest, most powerful creature on the battlefield and deliver a death-blow while his life's blood pours onto the plain. A second (or third, or fourth) life's got to be earned.    On the other hand, cutters who've proven themselves (either through deeds in their first life or by earning a second chance) are thereafter welcome in Asgard's halls, and counted among the heroes of the plane. If a feat's grand enough for the skalds of Ysgard to sing about, a cutter's proved herself a blood and can hold her head high - until her next defeat, of course.

Principal Non-Player Characters

The most loved and almost worshiped figures of Asgard are the valkyries. These warrior-maidens bring the spirits of the petitioners here and they watch over the warriors, taking them to Valhalla to rise again each morn. Their leader, Reginleif (Proxy/valkyrie/Fighter 20/Fated), is respected and deferred to in all matters: if she ordered a sod captured, every petitioner would turn against him and anyone who harbored him.    Many bloods have made a name for themselves here, honing skills day after day and being reborn if their skills fail. Among the einheriar, champions rise and fall daily, but a few have been around so long that their names are known to everyone. One of these is Harald the Left-Handed (Proxy/male einheriar/Fighter 13/Fated), the de-facto leader of the einheriar.    Finally, there's Thorval Barensen, a great berserker who's a respected member of the Ring-givers (Planar/male human/Barbarian 16/Ring-Giver). Generally unassuming, he spends much of his time traveling the land in bear form; unlike true lycanthropes, he can assume this form whenever he pleases.

Services

Most services are available in Asgard for a price: repairs for armor and weapons are especially cheap, and the dwarves of Nidavellir sometimes travel to Asgard as tinkers and smiths to the einheriar.    Magical components are both rarer and more expensive than elsewhere; a few priests and wise women can provide some such components for 50% more than the usual cost, when a basher can get them at all. Pack heavy.