Ysgard
It's a perfect day to die - just like yesterday and the day before ...Ysgard's a plane on an epic scale, with soaring mountains, deep fjords, and dark caverns that hide the secret forges of the dwarves. A biting wind always blows at a hero's back, and many of Ysgard's petitioners are heroes who've been slain in battle a thousand times. These petitioners don't call on proxies to help them in times of trouble, for they are martial, glory-seeking, and fully able to defeat primes and cocky planars who ignore Ysgard's code of honor. From the freezing fjords and many scattered settlements to the sacred groves of Alfheim's elves. Ysgard's terrain is sparsely settled by petitioners and planars who want to triumph on their own. If they fail, they'll do it on their own, too. When they band together, few bloods can stop them, but the proud Ysgardians only join forces in an emergency. Most Ysgardians are stubborn berks, and they consider charity an insult. Here's the chant: Ysgard is where anyone can make a name. A town's founded just by pulling longships up onto shore and turning the masts and ribs into long halls. In Ysgard, a basher can wrestle with the proxies — and even win. In a place where petitioners die each day and then get up for a hearty breakfast, anything is possible.- Hrafnul the Bold, Ysgardian Petitioner
Physical Conditions
Yggdrasil
Ysgard's great highway is Yggdrasil, the World Ash, whose branches reach through the worlds and planes to every place where the Norse gods are worshiped. One major branch of Yggdrasil reaches to Niflheim, the "Abode of Darkness." Niflheim is a cold and harsh realm, the second layer of the Gray Wastes. A monstrous dog named Garm guards the cavern Gniper, where Helvig, the long and troublesome road to Nitbeim, begins. Garm serves his mistress Hel and no other, and, though he allows anyone into Nilfheim, he allows no one out. Other branches reach into the home of the Norns in the Outlands, into Loki's Winter's Hall in Pandemonium, into Arborea near the Gnarl in the realm of Arvandor, and into each of the spheres of the Prime plane where the Norse are worshiped. Within Ysgard, branches reach to Rowan's Hall (the headquarters of the Fated), near the Well of Mimir in Jotunheim, underground in Vanaheim near Smoketop, and in dozens of other sites. Hundreds of the World Ash's lesser branches are hidden or private, and more branches are discovered all the time.Magical Conditions
Though mages are rightly feared by the Ysgardians, magic isn't common on the battlefield. Perhaps tainted by its association by Loki (a knight of the cross-trade if ever there was one), magic and dweomercraft are thought of as a less honorable form of combat than the warrior's way. Most creatures of Ysgard consider it mere flash and trickery, the work of Loki and evil giants. No one but a barmy would underestimate its power, but few proudly claim themselves mages. A berk's far more likely to take pride in being a warrior or bard than a wizard, and in a place so concerned with glory and honor, no one wants to say his calling is less noble than his neighbor's. The Norse deities take a more active interest in magic and the working of magical spells than most powers. Their influence extends not only to their priests and specific power keys, but to all magic on the plane.Transmutation
Spells that make a warrior stronger or faster all work as well as a mage could want; spells like enlarge, jump, enhance strength, fly, haste, polymorph, stoneskin, and darkvision work perfectly. Other transmutations vary. In particular, elemental spells such as burning hands, water breathing, and move earth don't function (see the elemental section below).Space-warping spells such as dimension door, teleport, and misty step require special keys. These keys are rare, though Loki occasionally passes out false ones with fatal results: The poor fools who've taken them generally wind up in Carceri, Pandemonium, or the palace of some Abyssal lord.
Sheltering spells like Leomund's Tiny Hut and Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion require a key sometimes granted by Frigga, goddess of the sky and marriage.
Illusory or deceptive alterations like alter self, and mirage arcana are influenced by Loki. They work normally except in times of danger, when they unaccountably fail unless a berk knows the key.
Rary's telepathic bond, enhance intelligence and other mental spells are the province of Odin, god of knowledge. He guards the runes that release these spells, granting the spell key only to those who are worthy.
Warding spells such as Mordenkaines Faithful Hound and magic mouth come under the influence of Heimdall, the guardian of Bifrost. They function normally within sight of Bifrost, but nowhere else without a key.
Fog, wind, and weather spells are guarded jealously by Thor, and no keys are known for any of them. When it rains in Ysgard, a basher can't do much but pray to Thor or appeal to his priests.
Conjuration
Monster summoning spells bring only einheriar on the first layer of Ysgard, giants or ogres on the second, and dwarves or trolls on the third. Conjuring elementals from the Inner Planes is impossible, and calling creatures from other Outer Planes only has a 10% chance of failure.Divination
These spells operate at higher than normal effectiveness, perhaps due to the influence of Odin, the patron of wisdom and knowledge. Their range and duration are both doubled, but, in keeping with the individual character of the plane, only a single creature can be spied on at a time. Attempts to scry locations, mobs, or epic events tail.Necromancy
Curing and healing spells are generally looked down upon; those who can bear pain and wounds and still accomplish their a tasks are much respected. As a result, all necromantic spells are effectively one level higher here (spectral hand becomes a third level spell). Destructive necromantic spells may attract Hel's attention if used against her followers.Wild Magic
Wild magic's enhanced here, just as in Pandemonium. In addition to the extra spell level, a caster of wild magic has to roll twice for wild magic, taking the higher result. If either of the results indicates a wild surge, the surge occurs. A variety of wild surge results have been released in Ysgard, including berserker rages, shapeshifting into animal forms, gigantism, frost and steam effects, and elemental storms.Elemental
Weather spells have no effect when cast by mortal wizards. All other elemental spell work normally once the spell key for them is known; otherwise the spells aren't available. Fire spells work without a spell key in Muspelheim, and ice spells work in Jotunheim. Elemental light spells work in Vanaheim.
Paradise is in the shadows of swords- Sava the Valkyre
Spell Keys
Ysgard's magic is contained in the runes, a set of mystic symbols that govern spells. Odin was the first to learn the runes and spell keys from the Well of Knowledge, and he passes that knowledge along to worthy followers. The spell key for each college of magic is an individual rune or set of runes. These runes must be carved onto the material components of the spell if it has one, or spoken during the spellcasting if it doesn't.- Abjuration: shield-rune and iron-can't-bite rune
- Transmutation: change-rune and strength-rune
- Conjuration: gathering-rune
- Divination: fortune-rune and lore-rune
- Enchantment: charm-rune, follow-rune and nith-rune
- Illusion: sight-rune and speech-rune
- Evocation: triumph-rune and berserk-rune
- Necromancy: dead-rune, disease-rune, help-rune and limb-rune
- Wild Magic: chaos-rune
- Air: shout-rune
- Earth: strength-rune
- Fire: quench-rune and spark-rune
- Water: sea-rune
Power Keys
In the Norse realms, power keys are gotten from the Norse powers if a priest's earned them in the eyes of his or her deity. Odin, Thor, Frigga, Loki, and Heimdall are the powers that most often bestow power keys on their followers. These keys release spells related to that power's sphere of interest (see Transmutation above). In particular, only Thor's most faithful priests hold a power key that releases the weather spells, and the key isn't available to worshipers of any other deity. Keys may also be obtained by searching Yggdrasil, where the runes are carved deep under the bark near the World Ash's roots. They're also found at the Well of Mimir, though few thieves are quick enough to get past the giant guardian of the Well and live. Those who try to steal power keys are fools, since the keys stop working as soon as the power who formed them discovers the loss. The only exception is Loki: as a god of thieves, he rewards anyone able to steal from him. The other powers of Ysgard hand out keys as the whim strikes them, and as in other realms they're usually the symbol or holy object of the deity. Keys for Evocation and Abjuration spells are most freely awarded, to protect followers from the battle-crazed Norse petitioners.Ysgard's Inhabitants
Like the inhabitants of Arborea, Ysgard's petitioners and planars are epic and larger than life, strapping tough berks who depend on themselves and rarely extend a helping hand without good reason. Few towns exist in Ysgard: the rugged denizens prefer to make it on their own, though they gather in the great halls of the plane often enough for mead, song, and battle. The herds of bariaur keep well away from the petitioners and the most violent inhabitants. They travel a fine line between the good grazing of the plains and meadows and the desolate safety of the hills and high-lands. Like all nomads, the fact that the bariaur are always on the move makes them difficult to track down. No one knows when or where they'll show up, and that's the way they like it. The natives of Yggdrasil can be numbered among the creatures of Ysgard, since they have access to many sites on the plane through the World Ash. The most numerous of these are the ratatosk, a race of climbers who consider the World Ash their patron god.The Powers
The most famous powers of Ysgard are the Norse gods and particularly Odin and his kinsmen, the Aesir. Their cousins, the Vanir, are often lumped together with the Aesir, though the two are really two different families, with separate realms, a history of feuds, and a rivalry that has continued for aeons. Even some of the Clueless know it, so get it right. Unlike most other gods, the Norse powers often wander the land in mortal disguise. Though their plans and schemes rarely intersect with those of planars, they are far more closely involved with their worshipers than most pantheons. The Norse rule most of the first layer of the plane. Surtr and Thrym rule the Norse giants in Muspelheim and Jotunheim. Many other powers make their home in Ysgard. Aasterinian is the playful dragon messenger god who serves lo as a divine herald and vision-bringer. Between trips to the Prime, Aasterinian lives in a small realm deep within Nidavellir, a set of caverns just large enough to contain her hoard. Trespassers are devoured unless they are amusing; some members of the Society of Sensation have survived a visit to her realm. Aasterinian does enjoy the inventions of the Norse dwarves, and sometimes her avatar walks among them in dwarven guise. Aerdrie Faenya visits Aliheim frequently from her realm bordering both Arborea and Ysgard. Her flying processions of eagles, falcons, and other flying creatures can fill the sky for hours, and when they find perches for the night they fill entire forests. Anhur, the Egyptian god of war, has a small realm called Netaph. Netaph shares the same earthberg as the realm of Bast. Only ancient weapons and equipment are available here, but all schools of magic are enhanced. Old forms of magic thrive in Netaph, many of them long since forgotten. His followers aren't expected to fight one another as the Norse do; instead they travel to the Gray Waste, the Abyss, and elsewhere to fight the forces of evil. Netaph is known for its birds of prey, which include domesticated eagles, falcons, and owls. Hachiman and O-Kuni-Nushi are the rulers of Kenyama, the realm of war and heroes. Hachiman is particularly suited to the plane, and his violent petitioners can match the Asgardians blow for blow. O-Kuni-Nushi, patron of heroes and friend of animals, is less interested in battles than in heroic actions and adventures. Shou Hsing and Idun both take turns watching over the fruit of immortality, though they serve two different pantheons. Shou Hsing watches the peaches claimed by the Celestial Bureaucracy, and Idun watches the golden apples of the Norse. Shou Hsing wanders the realm when his turn at guardianship is done: Idun rarely leaves her estates. Selune and Soma rule a moonlit realm on a milky sea, a place called the Gates of the Moon. Rumors say that the waters surrounding their realm are slowly drawing the River Oceanus over the boundary from Arborea, connecting Ysgard to this planar highway, but this tenuous link is as changeable as the tides.The Proxies
The Norse powers are served by the valkyries, warrior-maidens who collect the slain from every battle. The most famous of them are Reginleif, Skuld, Skogul, Svava, Gunn, Held, Gondul, and Geirskogul. Their lesser proxies include hosts of einheriar and swarms of punishing berserkers. Aasterinian's proxies are brass and copper great wyrms, though she rarely calls them to Ysgard. Bast's greatest ally and confidant is the cat lord of the Beastlands. Proxies of both deities often band together to achieve similar ends, or just to enjoy a romp in the sun together. Bast's proxies are more powerful than those of the cat lord, including creatures such as asuras, celestial lammasu, and sphinxes. These and other prowling, stalking horrors are unleashed on any-one who harms her followers: even the einheriar fear being slowly flayed and torn by a mob of Bast's cats. Hachiman and 0-Kuni-Nushi are served by kenku, warrior petitioners, and spirits of the air. They rarely show themselves as more than a violent gust of wind or a steady, strengthening breeze. Selune and Soma are served by greater lycan-thropes and the lillendi, though Soma also commands a legion of asuras. These servants are rarely seen outside their realm, and most petitioners of Ysgard wouldn't recognize them.The Petitioners
The Ysgardian petitioners are a rowdy lot of warriors, reborn each morning no matter how they were slain the night before. This makes them nearly fearless. Many of the most battle-glad become werebears or wereboars in time, and half of them are crazed enough to like it. Selune's influence is thought to have some hand in this. The petitioners in Alfheim are elves, those of Asgard, the Moon Gates, and Vanaheim are humans, and those of Nidavellir are dwarves and a secretive bunch of dark elves. Bast's petitioners are humans, elves, and intelligent winged cats.The Fated
Main Article: Many if not most of the planars of Ysgard are members of the Fated, though a few are Sensates, Ring-givers, or Chaosmen. Lots of Ysgardians are also members of the Free League (Indeps). The Fated have their headquarters on the first layer of Ysgard. Called Rowan's Hall (for their factol) or the Heartless Hall (by the Ring-givers), the Fated's fortress is a single great citadel of stone and timber, rising like a mountain from the midst of a great forest. A conduit leads from the fortress to the Outlands, near the grove of the Noms. The factol in Sigil makes occasional use of this conduit to travel back and forth. Factol Rowan Darkwood spends most of his time in sigil, but he's been known to return to Ysgard to "renew" himself before he plunges back into the grimy business of politics. He usually makes a token appearance at the Fated's hall but spends most of his time in and around Himinborg, where his deity Heimdall rules.If I can pry it out of a cutter's hands, it's mine.- Shublik of the Fated
The Ring-Givers
Main Article: While a beat end up paying for their favors in one way or another, its the Ring-givers sect that makes Ysgard a bit safer for clueless berks: unlike the battle-crazed petitioners and the hard-edged Fated, they'll greet a traveler with a helping hand rather than a battle cry. Skeinheim's the place to find the Ring-givers, and it's a fair place for a weary traveler to grab a kip and a bite to eat. Outside of Skeinheim, the most well-known Ring-giver's a wandering bariaur named Kara the Forester, most often found tending her flock.What cannot be taken can be given.- Kara the Forester
Other Encounters
Ysgard is home to the bariaur, giants, and Ysgardian trolls. The flocks and clans of the bariaur roam from hall to hall, never staying anywhere long, and always ready to defend themselves from the bloodthirsty petitioners. Most of the petitioners of Ysgard leave the bariaur alone, but there are always a few leatherheaded, glory-seeking fools who don't realize that the bariaur aren't reborn each morning. As a result, the bariaur shoot first and ask questions later. Likewise, giants and rampaging trolls are always a danger. The Norse giants are a bit more civilized than most of their prime counterparts, but even more full of contempt for shorter folk. They're also far more adept with magic, so a berk wanting to take on a giant had better be ready to fend off spells as well as clubs and enormous fists. Ysgardian trolls, or fensir, are nothing like those found on the Prime, and tend to keep to themselves: but certain conditions send them on rampages, and even the petitioners flee in their wake.Ysgard's Layers
Ysgard consists of three layers: Ysgard itself, Muspelheim, and Nidavellir. All three consist of earthbergs burning on one side, but the earthbergs are more closely together in Nidavellir.Ysgard
Ysgard is the first layer of the plane named after it, and it's certainly the best known most widely inhabited. It's the layer of the largest and most important realms, dotted with dozens of huge halls, smoking battlefields, and hilly terrain leading down to cold seas. At night, the skies are filled with the earthbergs, burning ribbons of earth that glow like rivers of lava.Alfheim
Main Article: A brilliant, sunlit region populated primarily by the spirits of elves who worshiped Frey and Freya. Alfheim seems infused with so much light and joy that the entire realm sometimes feels suspended in midair, ready to be carried away by a puff of breeze. Makes a basher go all mushy, it does. But it's a fair land, right enough, and a joy to visit — though not for everyone. Elven hospitality is only extended to a few. Dwarves and gnomes aren't welcome in Alfheim, though they are regarded neutrally by Frey and the other Vanir. The elves who live here do everything possible to make dwarves and gnomes feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.Asgard
Main Article: 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.Himinborg
Main Article: Himinborg is a transient place, always watchful, never settling down. It's a city of strangers, travelers, and migrants. More than the rest of Ysgard, it's oriented toward the rest of the Great Ring, but its attitude is suspicion, distrust, and cautious acceptance. Himinborg doesn't mean to be cold, but it never reaches out a hand for fear that it might be bitten.Biforst
Main Article: Bifrost is the creation of the Norse powers and the conduit of their power to and from their worshipers in the Prime. Unbelievers can't set foot on it, but any true believer in the Norse powers can travel Bifrost if he finds it. It sets down where Heimdall commands, for it is the planar road of the powers. The Clueless are more common near Bifrost than anywhere else in Ysgard, often found milling around with their mouths open. Knights of the cross-trade gather in Himinborg just to fleece these innocent sheep, but most of them tumble to it quick enough. Some of the Clueless even stay near the bridge to trick those who come after them.Jotunheim
Main Article: "Giant Land," the country where the Norse giants live, is a harsh and demanding country where all small creatures are hunted by larger ones. Raw strength, elemental passions, and a sense of arrogant superiority make Jotunheim noxious. Abrasive weather and residents combine to make the giants' realm one of the least hospitable places among the Upper Planes.Gates of the Moon
Main Article: The Moon Gates is a tranquil place compared to all the battle-hungry plains of the Asgardian mainland, but it shifts under its own rhythms from the bright calm of a moonlit night to the howling terror of the moonless dark. Ebb and flow, light and dark, all aspects of the moon are revealed.Merratet
Main Article: Stretch, lick, groom, slink, stalk. Wait. Wait in silence game comes. Sniff the wind, Leap run run run kill. Tear the hide, lick the blood, eat and crack the bones for the marrow. The kill is good. Stretch in the sun and groom bloody paws, then nap and dream about the next kill.Vanaheim
Main Article: The Vanir gods are less inclined to violence than the Aesir, and their realm reflects it. Seize the day, and earn glory through triumphs told round the fire. Blood and adversity can be overcome, and victories won alone are better than victories shared.Muspelheim
Named after its best-known realm, Muspelheim is a land that most planars and petitioners have abandoned to the giants. Muspelheim is the "Land of Fire", the second plane of Ysgard, and its the opposite of the first layer in many respects. Here the earthbergs' burning flames face upward. making the layer uncomfortable at best and deadly at worst. Even the philosophy of the fire giants is opposed to most creatures of Ysgard. It's a hostile land, not fit for man or beast, with surly inhabitants and flat, warm ale. There ain't much here for petitioners from the first layer, and they stay away in droves. The layer's earthbergs hang upside down, so that the flames are on top. Sharp volcanic rock is the most common terrain: it cuts most boots, sandals, and eventually feet into bloody ribbons. The only silver lining to whole miserable mess is that the flames cauterize most wounds instantly, so at least a basher won't bleed to death.Muspelheim
Main Article: Flame is pure, cleansing, and sterile: those who purge themselves in fire grow strong. The weak burn, the impure burn, the strong survive.Nidavellir
The third layer of Ysgard is Nidavellir, meaning "Dark Home." Two principal, warring realms spar over territory: Nidavellir and Svartalfheim. though neither realm is evil, their differences and long-standing feud lead to frequent bloodshed. A basher might think that in an infinite plane there'd be no wars over ground. She'd be wrong.
Alternative Name(s)
Gladsheim
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