Asgard

*"Hold, stranger. By what right do you request entry to the sacred realm of the Aesir?"*

*-Heimdall, Keeper of the Bifrost*

Asgard is the godrealm of the Aesir pantheon. A small yet stunning world of verdant plains, towering mountains and cold, untamed seas, Asgard is home to numerous sites and forces of cosmic significance. The Bifrost which flows beneath its surface, shields it from harm and enables rapid long distance travel. A root of the Yggdrasil descends from its heavens, touching down upon the great Well of Urd. The great citadel of Valhalla, and its hordes of einherjar. It is one of the most important realms in Creation, home to one of the mightiest remaining pantheons, a center of power and commerce.

## Geography

Asgard is a small world, less than 2,000 miles in diameter. It is possessed of three main landmasses, separated by a series of oceans. The smallest of these continents is named Ordning, and lies in Asgard's southeastern hemisphere, at the center of the Arngeiri Ocean. Torgengard is the largest of the landmasses, and dominates both the northwest and southwest hemispheres, running from pole to pole. The third continent, Yrnor, lies to the center north of the planet, separated from Torgengard by the shallow Skuldafn Sea, and linked tenuously to it at the northern pole by the isthmus known as the Uskardian Arm.

### Torgengard

Torgengard is the largest of Asgard's three continents, and completely dominates the western hemisphere, stretching from pole to pole. Its northmost and southernmost reaches are kept in perpetual snow and ice, with the exact poles both being home to the Well of Urd. The root of the Yggdrasil, the World Tree, touches down at the Well from a mass of ever-present clouds, and its presence warps space so that the Well exists at both poles simultaneously. Walking into the shadow of the World Tree brings travelers into its spatially distorted demirealm, and when a sufficiently strong willed individual departs it, they can determine which pole they arrive at. Those who lack the spiritual strength find themselves trapped in the demirealm created by the Yggdrasil root's presence, and cannot leave until escorted out. Just inside the zone is a massive wall, dotted with a series of fortified keeps known as Landvidi, the home of Vidar, the God of Vengeance.

The north of Torgengard is dominated by vast boreal forests, which in winter are covered in snow. Heading south, the terrain grows rougher, and the vast forested Mountains of Thrudvangar rise. The Thrudvangar are filled with massive beasts of unnaturally large size, abundant with life and beauty, with many verdant valleys and lush vales. On one such mountain is Bliskirnir, the House of Thor.

South of the Thrudvangar, forests stretch for a short while, before the center of Torgengard lowers in elevation, sinking into swamps, moors and marshes. Numerous exotic mushrooms, flowers and roots can be found here, as well as all manner of odd creatures, all of which have mystical properties. A small, guarded settlement known as Fensalir lies in this land, the private retreat of Odin and his wife Freya, constructed as a gift from the Allfather to his bride after their marriage.

Further south, the land rises, giving way to fields and more temperate forests just south of the equator, before conditions grow colder, the land becomes more desolate, giving rise to hilly tundra before one reaches the south pole.

### Yrnor

Yrnor is the continent located in the central northern reaches of the planet, connected to Torgengard by the Uskardian Arm isthmus in the north, and separated from it in the west by the Skuldafn Sea. Its northern coastline, which lies upon the Gmori Ocean, is sparsely inhabited by wildlife, and ices over heavily in the winter, with the area just south of it being composed of tundra. The eastern reaches of the continent are highly mountainous , while its center is composed mostly of flat, chilly Jorgardian Steppe, run through with a few major rivers. To the north and west of the steppe, one can find broadleaf forests, and further northwest is plentiful boreal forests, before one meets the northern tundra. South of Yrnor is the Arngeiri Ocean, Asgard's largest sea.

### Ordning

Ordning is the smallest continent in Asgard, lying at an equatorial latitude in the center of the Argeiri Ocean. Its climate is for the most part warm and pleasant, its winters mild. At its center is are the vast, lush Plains of Folkvangr, where the great city of Valhalla is situated. Several rivers run across the Plains, as do several stone roads.

South of the Plains lie the Hrafnel Mountains, full of glacial lakes and ice carved valleys, which give way to awe inspiring fjords and cliffs as one reaches the coastline. In the north of Hrafnels, connected by road to Valhalla, is the city of Sessrumnir, primary fortress of the Valkyries, standing athwart the largest passage through the mountains.

Ordining's west begins with forests upon the borders of Folkvangr, and gives way to mountainous highlands, full of geothermal activities. Soaring waterfalls, fjords and hot springs abound in this region, and it is where Breidablik, the House of Baldur and his wife Nanna dwells, a coastal settlement that lies at the end of the Duvrangrian Fjord.

### Skuldafn Sea

The Skuldafn Sea lies between the continents of Yrnor and Torgengard. It is a narrow, shallow sea, its waters cold and highly turbulent, prone to massive waves and blistering winds. The Skuldafn's waters are rightly regarded as being the most treacherous in Asgard, and are filled with all manner of creatures, both benign and hostile, that the gods regularly make sport of hunting. During the winter months, large parts of the nothern Skuldafn freeze over, granting access to numerous coastal islands and massively expanding the isthmus known as the Uskardian Arm.

### The Bright Deeps

A second world exists beneath the surface of Asgard. Miles and miles of caverns, where rivers of rainbow light flow. This region is known as the Bright Deeps, where the streams of Bifrost energy move beneath Asgard, like blood pumping beneath the skin. Over the centuries of Aesir habitation, Odin's workers have filled the Bright Deeps with numerous structures which channel the energies of the Bifrost, using them to power numerous portals across Asgard and sustain the might of the Svadilfarian Array.

The most important part of the Bright Deeps lie under the continent of Ordning, beneath Valhalla. These rooms are where mortal souls are transformed into Einherjar through the power of the Bifrost.

## Cities and Structures

### Valhalla

Main Article: Valhalla

The largest settlement in Asgard is located on the smallest of its continents, Ordning, and is a great fortified city known as Valhalla. It is the seat of Odin, King of the Aesir, and one of the great centers of power within the cosmos, the thriving heart of Asgard. Valhalla is situated on and around a large hill in the center of the vast Plains of Folkvangr, and was constructed by dwarven architects and enslaved Jotnar laborers. Patrolled by Odin's einherjar, it is one of the most secure cities in the cosmos, a hub of trade where merchants, mercenaries and travelers from across Creation gather. Notable locations include Valaskjalf, Odin's fortress at the highest point in the city, the Five Hundred Forty Gates, and Gladsheimr, the great Moot Hall.

### Bilskirnir

Bilkskirnir is the home of Thor and his family, located on the continent of Torgengard, within northern reaches of the forested Mountains of Thrudvangar. It is a mighty fortress which sits on the mountainside, looking down upon the valleys and vales below, with the paths leading to it fortified by a series of waycastles. It is a place of frequent feasts, its tables kept full by the constant hunts of its master and residents. While not as popular a destination as Valhalla, it is known that any stranger who makes the climb the winding paths is guaranteed the hospitality of Thor and his wife Sif.

### Svadilfarian Array

The Svadilfarian Array is one of the most powerful components of Asgard's defense. The name refers to a variety of structures, namely a group of nine hundred and ninety nine airborne defense fortresses, all set just outside Asgard's atmosphere. Heimdall's floating citadel of Himinbjorg is technically the thousandth member of this company, though with its mobility and central importance, it is more often regarded as a separate entity. The Array was constructed by a Jotunn in ages past, whose name the Aesir struck from history, and his magical steed, Svadilfari, for whom the Array was named.

The Array is a conduit for the energy of the Bifrost that courses beneath the surface of Asgard. As such, the fortresses which compose it are able to channel its energies in order to expel energy bolts, open portals, and erect barriers to bar physical movement and teleportation. In the most dire circumstances, the entire array can be used to sheath Asgard in a barrier of rainbow Bifrost light, barring all forms of travel and communication, and shielding the realm from harm.

More often, however, the fortresses of the Array serve as the main points of entry into Asgard, portaling in travelers from across the cosmos, performing security screenings, and eventually, sending them down to the realm's surface.

### Himinbjorg

Himinbjorg is the mighty floating citadel of Heimdall, and the sole mobile fortress within the Svadilfarian Array. It floats across Asgard's skies, keeping a watchful eye on the lands below and the realms that lie beyond. It is one of the key components to Asgard's defenses, holding facilities which grant control over other fortresses in the array, as well as having control over the portals of Asgard that can only be superseded from within Odin's citadel of Valaskjalf within Valhalla. All new visitors to Valhalla are first sent to Himinbjorg for security screenings before they are portaled down to their destinations on the surface.

### Breidablik

Breidablik is the settlement where the god Baldur dwells with his wife Nanna, located on the western end of the continent of Ordning, nestled at the edge of the Duvrangrian Fjord. Breidablik is a prosperous city, the second most popular destination in Asgard after Valhalla, a hub of trade, armed with a fleet of ships that sail the sea and the skies and the stars. It began as a singular castle, raised by Odin's command as a gift for his son when he took Nanna to wife.

### Landvidi

Landvidi lies within the demirealm created by the presence of the World Tree, and so exists both at Asgard's north and south poles. The structure is composed of a series of nine fortresses, each linked by a massive wall, that prevents access to the Yggdrasil root and the Well of Urd. In command of Landvidi is Odin's son Vidar.

### Fensalir

Fensalir is located within the swampy central reaches of the continent of Torgengard. It is a defensible castle, nestled deep within the misty bogs of the region, and acts as a private getaway for Odin and his wife Freya, which he constructed following their wedding. Fensalir offers privacy in one of Asgard's seldom visited places, as well as access to plentiful magical materials for the two sorcerers to use in weaving their spells, and moreover, reminds Freya of the moors of her homeland.

### Varnor

Varnor is the undersea palace of the ancient and aloof gods, Aegir and Ran. Located at the bottom of Gmori Ocean, the northernmost sea of Asgard which lies west of the Uskardian Arm, between the continent of Yrnor and the north pole of Torgengard. Varnor is a splendid yet rarely visited location in Asgard, inhabited by the couple and the souls of the drowned that they have collected from across the realms ruled by the Aesir. Its only visitors are usually the Allfather himself, or others who dare to seek the ancient wisdom of Aegir and Ran.