Einherjar

## Summary

Einherjar are wraiths conscripted into eternal service with Odin, Æsir God of War, Battle Frenzy, and Death. After they die with bravery on Earth, they are guided to Valhalla by a Valkyrie where they are judged by the Council of Thanes(Retainers of the War Gods) to see if they are worthy of Valhalla. If they are deemed not worthy, their souls will be sent to Helheim alongside other souls claimed by the Norse Gods. If they are deemed worthy, they will be imbued with a Heroic Boon that would allow them to serve as Odin's undead champions.

The Einherjar mostly serve as a military force for the Æsir Gods, tasked with protecting the Norse gods' territories from constant threats of Giants, Demons, and Monsters alike. Because of this, many Einherjar are deployed all across the Yggdrasil Kosmos, traveling between Valhalla and their posts using the Bifröst System. Their true mission, however, is to fight alongside the Gods during Ragnarök and protect the surviving humans. Because of this, Odin made sure his Valkyries only chose warriors who died to protect others to ensure no psychopaths would ever taint his sacred hall.

Outside of their military duties, most Einherjar spend their training in the many "to-the-death" activities in Valhalla to prevent spiritual deterioration. From furthering their education, learning new skills or picking up new hobbies, sparring with their fellow soldiers or honing their martial skills, or just wild parties where there are plenty of meads and songs to go around. Some Einherjar are required to attend therapy sessions per the Thanes' commands. Sometimes, Einherjar are recruited by the Æsir Gods to become mentors, bodyguards, or even followers for their Scions.

The secret behind the Einherjar's strength lies in their diet of divine sustenance. Their food mostly consists of dishes prepared from Sæhrímnir, a race of divine boar whose meat is rich in magical nutrients. They mostly drink blessed mead made from the milk of Heidrún, a breed of divine goats. This diet of divine nutrients strengthens their corporeal body and allows them to fight side by side with the Gods. However, this also became a crutch to them as Einherjar need to regularly consume divine sustenance to retain their pseudo-divinity, and going on prolonged periods without the proper nutrients can severely weaken them to the level of ordinary wraiths.

All Einherjar are former humans with little to no connections to the Norse Gods, saved from some distant divine ancestry or fervent worshipers. That said, there are Scions of the Gods among the Einherjar, though their status is more honorary than actual conscription. The reason they are in Valhalla is because their divine parents didn't want to part with them just yet, either because of parental love or (as it's often the case with the Gods) because they didn't want to lose a potential pawn. These Honorary Einherjar(Twice-Born Children of the Gods) received a Heroic Boon from their godly parents that trigger a Claiming Ceremony, transforming them into lesser liminal divinities that skirt around the boundary of life and death, mortal and immortal, much to the frustration of other Gods of the Dead.

## Overall Assessment

### Powers & Abilities

* **Heroic Endowment**
	+ Mythical Physicality
		- *Mythical Strength*
		- *Mythical Endurance*
		- *Mythical Speed & Reflexes*
		- *Mythical Stamina*
		- *Mythical Senses*
		- *Mythical Awareness*
		- *Immaterialization*
	+ Battle Instincts
	+ Immortality
		- *Regeneration*
		- *Self-Resurrection*

### Weaknesses

* Common Weaknesses for Wraiths
* Divine Sustenance
* Weights of Immortality
* Allegiance to Valhalla & The Æsir Gods

## Trivia and Notes

### Trivia

* Like other Heroes, Einherjar are considered Odin's adopted children.
* Sometimes, Valkyries can be chosen from among the Einherjar, as Odin believes that their perspective is useful in selecting potential recruits for Valhalla.
* While it's uncommon and slightly frowned upon, sometimes the Valkyries would pre-select which warriors they want to bring to Valhalla. Reasons range from said warriors' previous records of heroic achievements, personal relationships or past history with said warriors, or magically reinforced contract that forces the Valkyries to select them. Of course, just because you're selected doesn't mean you're automatically qualified to enter Valhalla, and if you've proven to be unworthy, the pre-chosen warriors might even be damned to Niflhel where the wicked are punished.
	+ Sometimes, the Norse Gods would also ask the Valkyries to watch over certain individuals so chances they are selected for Valhalla would increase. The Valkyries have no obligation to follow these orders, unless they came from Odin himself.
* If an Einheri is killed outside of Valhalla, their immaterial soul will automatically travel to Helheim. From there, they could travel through the Bifröst System to return to Valhalla to have their corporeal body recreated.
* Surprisingly, despite being warriors of the Æsir Gods, there is an impressive population of Christians among the Einherjar, whose faith doesn't disappear even after dying and becoming affiliated to a pagan god. Their leader is Håkon Haraldsson, an ancient Norwegian who attempted to introduce Christianity to Norway.
* The undead army reanimated by Wotan are named Einherjar after the mythical warriors of Valhalla. It's sufficient to say that the actual Odin is not pleased with this decision.

### Notes

* Einherjar means "Army of One" or "Those Who Fight Alone".