Ysgard
Ervenian Era, 1051 AB
Ysgard is the heroic afterlife of defiance, a riot of auroras, thunder, and saga-worthy battle where the law of the land is oath and reputation, not magistrate and code. It stands in the upper marches of the Outer Planes as the great mead-hall of freedom: strongly chaos-aligned, mildly good-aligned, and eternally tilted toward daring over safety. Petitioners here rise with the dawn to fight, feast, boast, and try again.The Heroic Domains of Ysgard, also called Gladsheim, is the plane where chaos burns brightest, yet heroism thrives. Straddling the alignments of chaotic good and chaotic neutral, Ysgard embodies both the freedom of unbound valor and the tumult of endless strife. Here, courage is tested not once but daily, for the very land itself shifts, collides, and remakes itself in eternal upheaval. The plane is composed of colossal rivers of earth and stone, each one spanning millions of miles and drifting through the void like tightly packed asteroid belts. These “earthbergs” grind and crash against each other at a glacial pace, raising mountains one year and swallowing valleys the next. Gravity pulls uniformly to the “upper” side of each mass, where civilizations thrive, while the undersides burn with radiant, cosmic fire, casting a ruddy glow into the void below. Earthquakes, landslides, and sudden collapses are constant threats, for the land is alive with chaos. Yet to its petitioners, this is no curse — it is the proving ground of heroes.
Geography
Rough-hewn landings of the Infinite Staircase connect to each of Ysgard’s three layers, though mortals more often arrive through wells that serve as portals. From Ysgard’s upper realms, one can step into Arborea, Limbo, or even the Outlands, though such gates are rarely used save by petitioners bound to quests. Astral color pools exist here, but they are said to shimmer like half-remembered dreams, as they are tempting, but seldom chosen.
The Three Layers of Ysgard
Asgard
The uppermost and most storied of the layers, this realm is synonymous with the plane itself. Its lands stretch vast, each continent the size of empires on the Material Plane, yet always impermanent, what rises today may crumble tomorrow. It is here that mortals and immortals alike fight, feast, and fall, only to rise again with the dawn, driven by the eternal call of glory.Muspelheim
Here the order of creation is inverted: the earthbergs burn above, fire and stone blazing across the heavens, while the fertile underbellies lie hidden below. It is the dominion of Surtur and the fire giants, who keep vigil over barriers that guard Ysgard proper from intrusion. To travel Muspelheim is to walk upon the backs of fire, where each step sears but does not consume, unless Surtur wills it.Nidavelir
The lowest layer is a furnace maze. The rivers of earth press so close that their burning undersides overlap, creating a sky of flame. To mortals it appears like a vast cavern-world, where rivers of fire roar as ceilings, and molten light drowns all sight. Here dwell dwarves, duergar, and master-smiths whose forges rival the very artistry of the gods. For them, the closeness of fire is not a peril, but a crucible.Inhabitants
The main inhabitants are Azata, and Agathions among them many Hollyphants offering offering their strength to noble quests, while devas and Eladrins often choose to remain among the plane’s heroes, sharing in their endless battles and triumphs. Across the wilds, great beasts such as boars, stags, and bears roam freely, each larger and more ferocious than any of their Prime counterparts, serving at times as companions, at others as foes, and often as the steeds of glory-seekers. Giants too make their home here, especially within Jotunheim, where they prove far from the dim-witted brutes known on mortal worlds; instead, they are cunning and formidable, armed with colossal enchanted weapons and, in many cases, the potent spells of clerics, mages, and illusionists capable of deceiving even the gods. Yet above all, Ysgard belongs to its petitioners, the fallen mortals who died bravely and now awaken each dawn to fight once more, bound in an eternal cycle of valor, struggle, and rebirth. There are also many champions seeking worth, exiles reclaiming names, bards hunting the lost verse of their lineage.Localized Phenomena
Planar Boon
A willing creature slain in honorable contest returns at dawn. Cowardly flight or treachery forfeits this boon for up to 9 days.Planar Malediction
Breaking a sworn oath (witnessed or sung) imposes a curse, until the oath is satisfied or a deed of equal peril is completed.Trait Type |
Description |
|---|---|
| Gravity | Objective directional on earthbergs; subjective in the star-lit aether between them. |
| Time | Normal, but battles and feasts recur in cycles tied to the dawn. |
| Shape & Size | Infinite. |
| Morphic Traits | Highly morphic to sworn oaths and songs skaldic magic, bardic performance, and oath-bound. |
| Elemental Energy | None Dominant |
| Alignment | Strongly Chaotic, mildly Good. |
| Magic | Spells which are chaotic are empowered; lawful and spells that deny agency (e.g. Dominate) effects are impeded. Spells of resurrection or reincarnation automatically succeed if used on slain petitioners within Ysgard itself. In addition, Skaldic, Bardic magic and oath-bound effects are enhanced. |
Type
Plane of Existence
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Inhabiting Species
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