Freya

History

Prelude of War

The world, brimming with primal energy and chaos, was discovered by formless gods. They saw this untamed realm as an opportunity to define themselves through creation. Driven by this vision, they shaped the first races. Freya was an archangel of Surtur, and Asmodeus' lover as well as Zariel's friend.   The gods created the first species in their own image, granting them immortality. However, these beings, though eternal, lived lives rife with violence, betrayal, and endless conflict. Asmodeus, as an archangel, and alongside Freya and Zariel were tasked with cleaning up the chaos wrought by these creations. The freedom granted to these immortal beings led to constant battles and pointless bloodshed. Though Asmodeus cared deeply for mortals, he believed the gods' methods were flawed, and their creations inherently imperfect. Many gods and angels came to share Asmodeus’s convictions, aligning themselves with his vision.   Freya did not share Asmodeus's perspective on the flaws and imperfections of mortal creations. She believed these imperfections were not signs of failure but marks of beauty—a reflection of resilience and the unique struggle of beings lacking divine power. In her eyes, it was this struggle that made their accomplishments shine brighter.   Their conflicting views on this matter began to drive a wedge between them. The two lovers, once deeply connected, grew increasingly distant. Their opposing philosophies became the source of countless arguments, each passionate yet unresolved, straining the bond they once shared.   In 7201 BD the unchecked actions of the gods and their creations eventually disturbed the balance of the world, awakening the wrath of primordial forces, colossal primordial emerged, seeking to obliterate the gods' creations and restore balance through destruction. This cataclysmic conflict divided the gods:  

• The Ancient Gods sought to protect their creations and bring balance to the world. They introduced mortal species—beings with short lives—to counterbalance the immortality of the first races and to fight alongside them.
• The Despairing Gods, overcome with grief, believed their actions in this world to be irredeemably flawed. They joined the primordials in their quest to annihilate their creations, hoping to start anew elsewhere.

 

He Who Was

Asmodeus rallied an army of angels, divines, and the primordials to challenge the Ancient Gods, gaining support from those who believed in his cause. His rebellion led to a confrontation with his former master, a god whose name was erased from existence after his death. This Deity is now remembered only as He Who Was.   Freya, opposed him. She believed that turning against the Ancient Gods and their creations was a mistake and repeatedly tried to dissuade Asmodeus from his path. Their disagreement culminated in a desperate battle. Freya overpowered Asmodeus but could not bring herself to kill him, still seeing the man she loved. Taking advantage of her hesitation, Asmodeus stabbed her and fled, leaving her gravely wounded.   Left for dead, irrevocably wounded, Freya's vision faded to black. When she gained consciousness again, Zariel was by her side, she had rescued her, and He Who Was was dead. Asmodeus and his troops were cursed by the dead god, turning into a new kind of monster: devils. The primordial defeated by the Ancient Gods, Asmodeus and his forces were cast into a prison plane, thus forming the first of the Outer Planes.  

Surtur's blessing

Freya mourned the loss of her lover, Asmodeus, for seven long years, retreating to the solitude of Mount Olympus. Consumed by grief and bitterness, she locked herself away, reflecting on the betrayal that had shattered her heart. Over Time, her sorrow transformed into a burning resolve. To Freya, the man she once loved was no more, replaced by the devil he had become. She vowed to eradicate the devils, believing it her divine task to seek vengeance and cleanse the cosmos of their corruption.   Determined to fulfill this purpose, Freya sought the aid of her god Surtur. She pledged her unyielding desire to destroy the devils and bring justice to the fallen. Surtur reached for the Celestial circlet adorning Freya’s head, a symbol of her angelic essence. With a gesture, he drew forth its radiant light, transforming it into a roaring inferno in his hands. Though the circlet regrew anew on Freya’s brow, the flames persisted, growing stronger and more vibrant with each passing moment.   As Freya watched, the flames began to coalesce, taking on a humanoid shape imbued with raw, elemental fury. With Surtur’s blessing, the fiery entity solidified, standing as a champion forged from Freya’s will and grief. This was Sol, the god of fire and craftsmanship's newest creation—a blazing warrior of justice and vengeance, and Freya’s steadfast companion in her crusade against the devils.   Together, Freya and Sol embarked on a relentless campaign, their combined power a beacon of defiance against the infernal forces. Sol’s flame burned not only with Surtur’s might but also with Freya’s unwavering determination.    

The Trial of Asmodeus

The Ancient Gods retreated to the Outer Planes they had created, where they could observe and influence the world from a distance. The Dawn War gave way to a prolonged series of skirmishes and battles, eventually evolving into what is now called the Celestial War. Angels and devils clashed ceaselessly, their conflict marking a new era of strife. The most powerful devils became archdevils, granted dominion over layers of the Seven Hells by Asmodeus himself.   With the Primordials defeated, mortal species flourished, and countless other races emerged—some as deliberate creations of the gods, others as spontaneous adaptations in the evolving world. With Freya's new resolve, the Celestial War between angels and devils raged on, with neither side willing to concede.   Many sought to end the conflict, yet a truce seemed impossible. Freya, now leading legions of angels, descended into the Hells alongside her ally, Sol, to fight Asmodeus's corrupted followers. Zariel sought a different path. Hoping to end the bloodshed, Zariel proposed a trial, a chance for Asmodeus to defend himself before the gods and perhaps redeem his actions.   Asmodeus, an unmatched strategist and orator, accepted the challenge. The Ancient Gods also agreed, hoping to resolve the growing tensions. Bahamut, the god of justice, offered to oversee the trial as a neutral arbiter. A contract was drawn to ensure the trial’s fairness, binding all participants to its terms. Asmodeus, unable to leave his infernal domain, sent a puppet crafted in his image to the Prime Material Plane to face the judgment of the celestial beings in a neutral territory.   After a chaotic trial, Bahamut declined to issue a definitive judgment. Instead, he rebuked the angels for their descent into infighting but stopped short of punishing Asmodeus. However, he did impose a condition upon him: Asmodeus would carry a mighty artifact, the Ruby Rod, as a guarantee of his adherence to law.  

Celestial war

After the trial, Zariel, frustrated that her voice was dismissed, withdrew her forces. She had grown disillusioned, believing the conflict to be increasingly futile. However, Freya, unsatisfied with the trial's outcome, refused to relent. Determined to end the infernal threat once and for all, Freya led her legions deeper into the Seven Hells. Her crusade pushed forward until they reached the Fifth Layer, Ira, where Zariel confronted her.   Zariel questioned Freya's obsession, noting how her actions were becoming darker and more vengeful than those of Asmodeus himself. Freya’s pursuit of vengeance seemed to overshadow her divine purpose. But Freya refused to listen, consumed by her desire to destroy Asmodeus and his forces. Their argument ended in a bitter split, with Freya abandoning Zariel, who was left behind in Ira.   Freya continued to lead her troops deeper in Hell, but soon faced Zariel again. Bound to her contract, Zariel became Asmodeus’s first archdevil. Commanding her own infernal legion, she was tasked with stopping Freya and her forces. Zariel drove them back to the First Layer, Luxuria, a domain she claimed as her own.    

Expedition to the shadowfell

To fight the forces of mount celestia and bring the fight to them, Zariel ordered Malfuriel, her chancelor,l ed legions of devil into the shadowfel to battle the angels in the Syre Wood: a strategically-located shadow forest that, if conquered, could provide a position for the forces of hell to take the fight away from the first layer, Luxuria. The legions’ relentless army of martial imps and devils took the forest by surprise, quickly slaying the Shadar-Kai there and razing the villages in their path as they made their way to the heart of the wood. The forces of mount celestia finaly intervened to stop the infernal army, and Freya managed to land a debilitating strike on Malfuriel charged with a curse: binding the legionnaires to the Syre Wood and turning Malfuriel to stone.   That night at dusk, Malfuriel’s petrified body suddenly erupted, releasing a foul wave of blood that tainted and stained the Syre Wood—a blight born of his intense hatred. Gushing waves of Malfuriel’s blood swept through the wood, corrupting the beasts that lived there and twisting its plantlife into a grim husk of its former beauty. Protected by Freya’s blade’s aura, the area immediately surrounding Malfuriel’s statue was spared from his lasting corruption: creating the Verdant Heart at the center of what is now known as the Bloodmire.   To this day, the Legate’s thousands of oath-bound servants are afraid of Syre’s blade and magically warded from entering the Verdant Heart. Trapped in this cursed swamp by the sword’s powerful magic, these fiends have slaughtered every fey that dared step outside of the Verdant Heart, and eagerly await their leader’s eventual return.