Shadow of Ragnarök (Campaign)

This page is a story recap of the complete events of the Shadow of Ragnarök Campaign as it currently stands.

## Act 1: Keðjubrot Saga

### 1x1: The Shadow Yet To Come

In the sleepy town of Haugr, in the realm of Midgard, a Jötunn, exiled from their clan for murder, named Mohgwyn has nightmarish visions of Asgard on fire. In his dream, he comes across a group of people she has never met before, but seem to recognise him, before being engulfed in a wave of blood.

Upon awaking, Mohgwyn discovered one of the people from her dream sitting in the tavern below. That person was Einar, The Grey Raven of Midgard, one of the Blood Hunters, deadly warriors sworn to Vidarr Odinson’s service. After a brief conversation, their breakfast was interrupted by a bomb going off in the kitchen, distracting the innkeeper, while a strange Ljósálfar woman stole money from the countertop. Mohgwyn and Einar pursued the woman, and discovered she was an illusion cast by another stranger Mohgwyn recognised from her vision. This man by the name of Quan’Dale Din’Gle attempted to hide from Einar and Moghwyn in the town well, but Mohgwyn merely dived in after them. As Mohgwyn was dragging himself and Quan’Dale out of the well, a meteor flew overhead, crashing in a nearby field. Einar and Mohgwyn decide to investigate, bringing Quan’Dale along so he can’t escape. Meanwhile, a Dǫkkálfar named Alvar awoke, hungover on a rooftop, after being blackout drunk, and also decided to investigate.

In the field, the group watched as the meteorite split open, revealing a figure who looked like a different trustworthy figure to all of them. However, he eventually settled into a humanoid form, who was extremely tall, with golden eyes. However, he had no memory of who he was and where he was from. The party decided to bring him up to Haugr for medical attention, but at the foot of the path back to town stood two spirits looking to capture The Stranger. However, the party was eventually able to dispatch them using some clever magic.

### 1x2: Into the Crypt

After being magically healed by the Stranger, the town guard of Haugr briefly imprisoned the party, under the impression that they had been fighting one another. However, this did not hold the party for long, as they escaped quickly with the help of the Stranger, as well as Quan’Dale’s magic. After escaping from their cell, the party returned to their rooms in the Inn, packing their things, knowing the guards would soon be looking for them and knowing they needed to escape. While packing, however, Alvar saw a mysterious man in a red robe descending down the well, followed by another. After rallying the others, and getting them to see as well, their curiosity was piqued, and they all approached the well. Einar recognised their was a runic enchantment on the well, and one-by-one they all descended down into the well, which they found was actually hiding an underground lair.

In this lair, the party found a group of cultists engaged in some dark ritual, which the Stranger seemed to recognise - and fear. The cultists noticed the party however, and a fight soon broke out. It quickly became clear the party were outmatched equipment wise, as any spell cast was caught by the masks the cultists wore, and fire back at them. However, through some clever trickery, the party managed to outwit and kill all but one cultist, who completed the ritual himself, becoming incredibly powerful, while another cultist, who removed his mask, allowing the party to see his face, and the bloody hand over his face, escaped. The Stranger stepped in to protect the party from the new powerful cultist and as the two battled the party escaped.

### 1x3: The Tavern Between Realms

The party emerged from a tunnel at the foot of a hill below Haugr. Soon after, the Stranger emerged, warning them to cover their ears. Soon after, an explosion reduced all of Haugr to ash. Looking through the town they found no survivors, as the Stranger explained that the cultist had turned himself into a living bomb, looking to purge the town, under the impression that “someone” important to their cause was living there, who they wished death upon.

As they returned down the hill, having somehow encountered defeat, even in victory, the Stranger revealed that seeing the cultists had unlocked some of his memories, but he needed to do some things. He opened a gateway into Yggdrasil, and instructed them to wait at The Tavern In Between Realms, where he was friends with the innkeeper. He told them that they should under no conditions, leave without him. The party agreed, and as the Stranger teleported away, the party ventured into Yggdrasil.

After briefly exploring, the party found the Tavern In Between Realms, where it’s innkeeper, a dwarf named  Eitri Ivaldison, was having an argument with one of his staff, and presumably brother, a drunk dwarf in full battle armour, named Brokk Ivaldison. Talking to Brokk, they learned that he was once the Guildmaster of Nidavellir’s Forge, and was responsible for the creation of some of Asgards most valuable treasures alongside his twin Sindri, but was exiled for his Anti-Aesirian beliefs, and in particular, his dispisal of Thor. Meanwhile, Alvar heard a voice, calling out to her from somewhere else in Yggdrasil, one he recognised as his master’s.

The party agreed to help Brokk get access to his brother Sindri’s old papers in the Forger’s Guild in return for his assistance. Brokk agreed, telling Eitri he quit. Together the party departed and landed in Svartalfheim, where they were promptly found by a Royal Dwarven Army Battalion on patrol.

### 1x4: The Fields of Nyrdallur

The Battallion, lead by Captain Havadr, arrested the party on counts of illegal entry of a realm closed for travel, and abetting the return of an exilee. The battalion lead the party through the grasslands of Nyrdallur, Svartalfheim’s capital province. They came across a canyon, which was the nesting ground of apex predators known as Bulettes.

The party was given orders to be as silent as possible. All of the party managed to sneak to the other side of the canyon, with the exception of Einar, who tripped over a vine, accidentally waking two adult Bullettes. While Havadr sent for backup, the party slew the two creatures. However, this action woke the rest of the nest. Thankfully, Harvadr’s backup arrived, shooting all of them dead.

With the danger past, Havadr’s battallion marched the party into Nidavellir.

### 1x5: We Seek an Audience

The Party travelled through the different levels of Nidavellir, Svartalfheim’s capital city. They travelled to Gold Platform, the highest level of the city, and were brought into the Obsidian Palace, to be tried before the Jarl.

In the palace, their defence was heard by Jarl Darmus, High Jarl of Svartalfheim. The party realised that Darmus’ advisor, Raknvald was in fact the cultist that eluded them in Haugr. The King was prepared to grant them freedom, with the exception of Brokk, who he sentenced to one life sentence in the Krystallium Conservatory. The rest of the party were to walk free, until Brokk revealed to Einar he might know a way to restore his lost memories.

Desperate to learn this, Einar punched Raknvald, earning the entire party six months in the Krystalarium as well. Seeing no way out of their prison, the party reluctantly began to sleep.

### 1x6: The Beginning of the End

Three members of the party had dreams of note that night.

Einar found himself on the Bifrost, less than an hour after Ragnarök had come to an end. Entering the city, he found himself in the same alleyway Mohgwyn had before. He sat with Quan’Dale and Brokk next to a fire, the only source of warmth in a realm without a sun. Einar noticed that Quan’Dale had Gjallarhorn at his side. When he mentioned it, Quan’Dale looked disgusted by it. He handed it to Einar freely, then when he handed it back, he tossed it in the fire, along with his spell book. Meanwhile, Brokk looked completely sober. His helmet was lying on the ground, split in half, and his hammer was covered in blood. Einar noticed, as Mohgwyn, looking as he did when he had first met the Jotunn arrived. Mohgwynn saw something (the blood wave) behind them, but Einar merely watched above, at the realms converged together as the universe ends.

Meanwhile, Brokk relived the battle during the Civil War of Svartalfheim, where he and Thor entered a POW Camp to rescue Sindri. He found the disabled and tortued Sindri, and tried to help him out, but Thor ended up accidentally killing Sindri during a battle with Jormungandr. In his grief, Brokk rages for the first time, carrying Sindri back to his home base in his arms after dismembering a group of soldiers violently.

Meanwhile, Quan’Dale had a very different kind of vision. He hid behind a pillar in Heimdall’s tower as he practised combat with Thor’s son Ullr. After Ullr had left, Heimdall directly addressed Quan’Dale. He warned him he knew Quan’Dale was after the horn, and that if he continued to try and take it, he would be destroyed. Quan’Dale tried to intimidate Heimdall, but he merely laughed, and asked Quan’Dale how he could hope to stand against the scion of Asgard, when he didn’t even know his own true history. He then placed a blade to his neck and said, “this might be a dream, but I know you can feel that, impure”. He then woke Quan’Dale up, where in his hand, he found a metal rune of Heimdall, permanently branding Quan’Dale’s hand with Heimdall’s mark.

### 1x7: Krystallium

For some reason, despite the rest of the party being locked in an unwakeable sleep, Brokk and Quan’Dale, perhaps by virtue of their visions, woke as per normal. They saw as one of the walls gave way to a set of iron bars, opening into a circular corridor of cells. It was here that they first met one of The Wardens, golden, clockwork golems designed to be the sole guards of this prison - the Krystallium Conservatory. At breakfast, they initially tried to blend in with the rest of the crowd, one of whom was recognised by Brokk as the Butcher of Rattosknar, a famed criminal who had eaten six people (but was charged with seven). Quan’Dale, believing he could find a way out of the situation, started a grandiose speech trying to rally the support of the prisoners, however, they had long since given up hope of escaping and did nothing. Quan’Dale pulled out his one trump card, as used a pre-existing rune to melt one of the Wardens, garnering some support, but mostly amounting to little more than earning him and Brokk a full day in Solitary Confinement.

Around Midnight, Brokk noticed a pattern. The Wardens changed positions at each end of the cell every fifteen minutes. This proved opportune. After waking Brokk (the only one not still under this strange influence), the pair devised a plan to escape, by taking apart the lavatory bucket, and using it’s wire to pick the lock of their cell, and using a plank to distract one of the wardens, while Quan’Dale freed The Butcher, who caused yet another distraction.

Quan’Dale and Brokk fled through the Panopticon, finding their way to the ground floor, right as their fifteen-minute window expired. A siren went off throughout the prison, as every Warden in the conservatory zeroed in on their location. With no other option, Brokk and Quan’Dale used the last of their wire to break into the control tower of the Panopticon. Inside, they barricaded the door, before ascending to the top. Inside they found a collection of different switches in a Dwarvish Toungue. Brokk attempted to read them, but found them to all be in incredibly complex technical Jargon. However, he managed to free all of the prisoners, causing a riot, (allthough also opening a random door in the hallway and moving all the guards in unision).

It was at ths time, that the final dreamer woke. Einar found himself rising in the confusion of a full prison riot. Using the confusion to slip past the Wardens on the ground floor, Einar made his way to the Contraband Vault, whose door was “Conveniently” open. After grabbing the parties weapons, Einar snuck into the control tower.

Meanwhile Brokk and Einar tried their best to face off against two Wardens that had found their way into the tower. They were on the precipice of defeat, when their companion joined them in the tower. Now with their weapons and Quan’Dale having removed the Anti-Magical properties of the prison, Einar and Brokk worked together for perhaps the first time in their lives to make short work of the first Warden. Meanwhile, Quan’Dale was knocked through the window of the tower, down to the ground floor. However, through quick thinking, he sent a blast of ice into the clockwork skull of his attacker, before using a well placed blast of magic to bring the tower crashing down, destroying the automaton, much to the chagrin of his unsuspecting allies.

### 1x8: Resistance

While still subjugated, Alvar found himself standing in a freezing cold landscape, before a tree he recognized all too well. Hanging by his neck from the branches of the tree, his skin mutilated and burned, a single piece of cloth draped around his neck, tattered and worn, suffered The Deceiver. He forced Alvar to kneel, and questioned his loyalty. He reminded Alvar that the elf's death would return his soul in full to the Deceiver, giving him the strength to grant himself freedom. He questioned Alvar's loyalty to him, and threatened to end his life. When Alvar tried to confront him, saying that his life was his, and his alone, The Deceiver merely laughed, and used some of his remaining magic to bind Alvar and lift him off the ground. At eye level, The Deceiver taunted his subject with the knowledge that his time under imprisonment was drawing to a close, and those who turned their back on him, would feel the full might of a betrayed gods wrath. With this final warning, he allowed his subject to awaken.

Alvar and Mohgwyn awoke amongst the chaos of a full prison riot. Their companions missing, they decided to leave their empty cell, where they found mechanical guards fighting prisoners. At the bottom of the penopticon they spotted Brokk and Einar fighting guards, with Quan'Dale unconscious in a wheelbarrow. Uniting with their allies, and regaining their weapons, they decided to make a hasty exit from the prison whilst the Wardens were preocupied. They fled down several hallways, and through a complex maze of stairwells, until they burst out of a small tower in the open of Nidavellir. Knowing they had to take shelter, the group fled down an alleyway. As they did so however, the broadcasting beacons across the city were activated by Raknvald, who all of the party - with the exception of Brokk, now recognised as a member of the Cult they had fought only a few days ago in Haugr. He announced that until the prison could be sure nobody had escaped, the entire city would be placed under Arcane lockdown. Realising they couldn't escape, the party continued to flee, ending up in a narrow passageway. A civilian poked their head out a window, and saw the party trying to hide, but Alvar used Misty Step to threaten the civilian into silence, revealing a darker nature than before his meeting, while also impressing Quan'Dale (despite his hatred of elves), as he now recognized Alvar as something "other".

The Party descended to Bronze Level, looking for an escape, where they were pursued by Havadr and his men. A random dwarf took notice of the pursuit and invited the party in, through the backdoor of a tavern called "Fuckin' Ale". Inside, they discovered that this tavern was the headquarters of a resistance group, dedicated to freeing Nidavellir from the influence of Raknvald, as he had apparently been manipulating the Jarl for his own desires. The leader of the resistance invited the party to stay a while, and in return, asked for their assistance in the cause, to which the party agreed.

### 1x9: The Archive Arcane

Early in the morning, Alvar and Einar were woken, and giving a special mission, to try and appeal to the members of the Royal Forgers Guild, to try and discover what it is that Raknvald is diverting resources to creating under the city. Einar and Alvar agree, but fail.

An hour later, Mohgwyn, Brokk and Quan'Dale woke, and were given a different task. Very little was known about Raknvald, or the mysterious order he belonged too, as that information was only held in The Nidavellir Royal Archive of Arcane Information and Documentation, or the Archive Arcane for short, which had been closed under Raknvald's orders, and action the rebellion found highly suspicious. The trio agreed to investigate, and snuck back up to Gold Platform to investigate. Mohgwyn broke through the gates barring entrance to the Archive using Brokk's head as weapon, and they descended inside.

Quan'Dale was acting highly paranoid, as his scholarly sensibilities, not to mention his fears of certain creatures warned him that their could be danger around every corner. After breaking down a door, the party found themselves in a room full of chests and barrels, where one of them was revealed to be a mimic. While Brokk and Quan'Dale tried to kill it, Mohgwyn instead attempted to tame the creature, turning it into a pet.

The next room seemed empty at first, but Quan'Dale could sense a magic prescence in the room. To test it, he pushed Brokk out into the centre, where he stumbled on a pressure plate, releasing a contained magic missile, which tore Brokk to shreds, rendering him and Mohgwyn (who was hit by the sonic blast of the spell) unconscious. Quan'Dale ordered the Mimic to drag both bodies along. The two shared a slight bonding moment over the hilarity of the situation, and Quan'Dale seemed to soften towards the mimic. However, as they entered the next room, they found a Air Elemental spinning in the center of the room.

### 1x11: Brains and Brawn

Brokk arrives in front of the Forger's Guild. He finds a runic symbol on the door, denying him entry, and rests, defeated. Meanwhile in the Sanctum, Quan'Dale has reached his limit with the drunken dwarf. He takes a swig of the Swapper Potion, and initially, the effects seem normal. However, residue magic from Quan'Dale's spellbook appears to leak out during the shift, surrounding him in green lightning that burns his flesh. Quan'Dale realises that this secondary force is coming from the mark placed upon his hand by Heimdall

### 1x14:

As guards pile continue to pile into the guild, Mohgwyn holds the door with Einar. Brokk manages to make an improvised molotov cocktail, causing enough commotion to rejoin his friends. Fully enraged by the knowledge the Forger's Guild had been withholding these notes, intended for him, Brokk begins tearing apart the wall. Alvar discovers that a small sliver of the alloy used to project figures in the Broadcast rooms has come lose. He misty steps into the wall, tearing it apart, leaving a crater. All of the party, except for Moghwyn escapes out of the crater, who instead wades through the guards, killing anyone in his way as he leaves through the door.

On the way back to the rebel base, the party spots that the Silver Platform is in full uprising, fighting guards and wardens alike. In the base, Father Greyshoulder commends Quan'Dale for his speech, revealing that all of Nidavellir is in revolt. He allows the party to rest while he waits for news from his spies in the Gold Platform. The party decides to help themselves to the taverns drinks. They sit around a table, all complacent and friendly for the first time in a while. However, things go downhill, when Einar decides to take a swig of a hallocogenic liquor, he refers to as "White Gull". In doing so, and entering a meditative state, he was able to glance visions of the past and future.

In his first vision, Einar was met by a peculiar sight. He was surrounded by the familiar sounds and sights of the Mess Hall in his home fortress in Jotunnheim. From the decorations, he was able to surmise that this was the Lunar Gathering, due to pass in a few weeks time. However, what caught his eye, was that seated in the highest point of honor for guests, were all four Grandmasters of the Blood Hunters, as well as the High Justicar, something that almost never happened, as it was considered a safety risk for them to be in the same place aside from their own meetings. His vision clouded, and Einar found himself covered in heavy, damp, grey snow. He dug his way out, and found that he was standing at the foot of a world tree branch. In the distance he saw a hooded figure, but when he called out, they did not answer.

The figure knelt before the tree, and with a small knife, slit their palm open, laying it on the bare tree. The tree shuddered and opened up, to reveal the shriveled, rotting curse of The Deceiver. The pair seemed to speak briefly, and the unknown traveler lifted their hood to reveal themselves as a young Alvar, something that shocked and infuriated Einar. He could only watch, as The Deciever sealed a pact with Alvar, and the elf was enthralled into his service.

Einar woke surrounded by all of his party members. In a blind fury, he grabbed Alvar and pinned him against the wall. He demanded to know why he had done it. Alvar protested, swearing that he didn't know what Einar was talking about. Mohgwyn came to Alvar's defence, but Brokk stopped both Einar and Alvar using his enchanted chains. He asked Einar to explain why he was attacking one of their own, and Einar revealed what he had seen. Alvar began to feel the prescence of The Deceiver in his mind, calling green sparks to his fingertips. Quan'Dale and Brokk, recognizing the magic, dove for the ground, as there was a blinding flash of light.

Father Greyshoulder rushed in, as the light died away. He then asked where their friend had gone. The party looked around, but didn't see anyone missing. The Father then revealed that when they had entered the Tavern, there had been six of them.

### 1x16: Intro The Undercity

The party followed Ragnvald down into the secret doorway. Within was a large steel elevator, which they quickly found to be indestructible. They descendend downwards, far deeper underground than Nidavellir even officially went. The elevator stops violently, and spits them out before a large stone gateway, with indescipherable runes.

Delving further into this strange underground lair, the party finds themselves in the Royal Crypt, where the bodies of past Jarls are kept, alongside large, imposing statues of their likeness. As there was no clear way forward, the party investigated everything, including using magic. However, under the detection of magic, a trap lade by the Order was activated, causing the corpses of the Jarls to be ressurected. The party fought off the hordes of zombies but were quickly overwhelmed. Mohgwyn tripped over, and found a slight irregularity in the wall, which gave way to a small passage. Everyone fled through the passageway, as Mohgwyn held back the horde.

They traveled down the thin gap in the wall, until they emerged in a massive underground labyrinth of bridges. Below all of the bridges was a seemingly endless void, filled with glowing green light. Walking along the bridge, they found a massive, geometrically perfect orb, suspended in the air by chains. The magic users in the party were able to detect a field of energy around the orb, as it constantly absorbed the power from the surrounding area.

Without hesitation, Brokk lept at the orb, and was consumed by it, disintegrating him instantly, leaving his ashes falling down the world tree

## Act 2:

### 2x3:

Quan'Dale, Einar and Brokk are carried along in a cart with Anti-Magic Properties. They arrive at the fortress of the Bloodhunters in Jotunnheim. They are marched, one by one through the halls of the fortress, and up a mechanical elevator. At the top, Quan'Dale's mark is submitted for evidence, and all three men are made to sign a waiver, agreeing to be held in a free court.

## Act 3:

Act 3 will cover the final days of the Nine Realms and will conclude the story of Shadow of Ragnarök. Currently, nothing is known about it's plot details, other than it will be the final sessions of the campaign, as well as wrapping up both the story, as well as the prophetic visions seen throughout Act 1 and most likely Act 2. No session title names have been released at this time, not will they, until Act 2 is underway.