Helheim

Trefoil Academy has had limited experience to no direct experience with this realm. We know little about this realm except that is was named for an ancient goddess of the dead, a word which also translates to "Hidden."

## General Description

Helheim is a realm teeming with undead, and any who have ventured there have only come up against unliving monstrosities searching restlessly to destroy that which is alive. There are rumors of happier, brighter places within the realm, but there are no reliable accounts of this, so believe what you will.

* Bleak, dark, and chilly
* An unending expanse of mist
* The ground is rather featureless, be it grey sand, or grey dust.
* Everything feels dead and empty. You begin to stop caring, as well, the longer you stay.

### **Known Methods of Access**

* Portals under the Academy
* A natural Rift, supposedly found in some ancient tombs. From the books in the Academy library: *"There are attestations of travelers venturing deep underground, perhaps through an old barrow burial site, and coming upon the realm of the dead. These portals never take you to where the dead actually are, however, instead leaving you on a misty shore or leading to a field of golden blooms, which are otherwise devoid of life."*

## Exploration

### **Survival**

Your greatest threats here are the undead and the slow drain of apathy as the emotions and cares are leeched out of you by the realm itself.

### **Academy History**

Trefoil has not yet had any notable interactions with this realm.

### **Notable Places**

* According to a few textbooks and accounts, there are presumably "Safe Zones" within the realm that are little pockets of Eden, teeming with color and wildlife. They are reportedly rejuvenating, and were necessary for the survival of anyone who made it back to our world to tell the tale. One particularly large safe zone has fluctuating overlap with the Otherworld (also known as Alfheim), with an open, difficult-to-discern boundary that shifts around randomly. One minute you're alone in a quiet, grassy meadow, and the next, you're being tricked by a pixie.
* An entire expanse of oddly sunny rolling hills are mentioned in a few accounts (speculation?). They may be covered in rare herbs, but are not safe from the undead.
* According to a Loreseeker researcher named Muninn, there is a place she called **Nástrandir**, which was misty, barren shores lapped by what she called the Starlight Sea. She notes that the Starlight Sea itself was muted and black, but still had its "leeching" powers of lifedrain. Swimming not advised. Supposedly, the shores connect to Niflheim if you continue along them in either direction long enough.
* One account mentions a deep river running along a tall, massive wall that stretches endlessly in either direction. The river is oddly filled with all manner of weapons (speculation?). No matter their armor, height of flying, or magical defenses, those who try to cross will fall unconscious and drop into the river to be washed away and join the legions of undead. It simply exists, and would-be researchers are warned to avoid it.
* A different river in this realm may be the legendary River Styx. It seems to flow from a deep underground river on our world, and eventually emerges in a slow-flowing lazy river in Helheim. The black water's properties are poisonous and corrosive, but has a niche in the black market, particularly given the legends of the water being used to make Achilles invulnerable. *Note: no one since Achilles has been able to become invulnerable this way.*

## Denizens

Undead. Slow, shambling zombies, detached limbs crawling along the ground, and hungering ghouls hunting through the mists. Beware.

### Notable Species

* Undead of all kinds
* Spawn of Nidhoggr: some have been spotted on the shores bordering the Shadow Realm, according to the Lorekeepers. They seem to be trying to eat the undead, but will attack anyone else as well.

## Theories and Questions

Realm:

* Do any other creatures live/exist here?
* Do the "Safe Zones" really exist?
* What are the rare herbs mentioned in historic texts?
* Do any other legends of the underworld have basis here, like Cerberus and the River Styx of Greek mythology? What about legends from other cultures?

Shard

* It is likely that a Shard from the Heru Prophecy is somewhere in this realm.