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gatorbites-imagines · 2 years

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Nine Realm worldbuilding

Marvel nine realms, and the worldbuilding I wrote during a hyperfixation.

I couldn't think of anything to write, so I dug this up and decided to post it. It's kinda messy and confusing the read but here it is anyway.

Inbox open.

Asgard

Capital city: Valhalla

Housing differences (how are the houses built. Of what, where, size, etc): very extravagant, covered in a lot of gold. Shows how rich the realm has become. Many of the buildings in the richer part of town have tall spires and many windows, whilst the poorer part of town has houses made of wood with golden flags, to signify the king.

Diets and how they get their food: they have an average diet, maybe with a larger than average meat consumption. They have farmers like any civilization, who are the lowest in the food chain. They have animals that can be slaughtered and then brought back to life. Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, who are two bucks, And Gullinbursti, a golden pig, are such animals.

Music (what type of Instruments. When and why do they play? Celebrating, religious reasons, etc?): they play medieval type of instruments. They only really play music at areas with the richer civilization or at the royal castle. It’s mainly for celebrations.

Art (what is their art made out of? Why do they make art? Does it have meaning?): Their art is mainly used to show former glories done by the king or other known warriors. Tend to be made of stone or tapestries.

Sports (does sports have meaning to their people? What kind of sports do they play?): they don’t have a specific sport. It’s mainly sparring. The poorer people who don’t learn to use weapons might play something alike to soccer.

Travel (how do they travel? By riding a creature, walking, wheels. Why do they travel?): they ride horses or take wagons. Some can travel by flight like Thor with Mjolnir.

Trading (who do they trade with? What do they trade?): they don’t trade a lot. They mostly trade with gold or the like. Maybe food from their farmers or cloth and alike.

Magic (how is it used. Is it rare or common? Who can practice it?): magic is looked down upon as cowardly in battle. It is seen as a women’s art, and only women should be allowed to learn it and use it for the home.

Who is the main people living there: Aesir. But there are some Vanir living there as well.

Religion (how many gods, what do they believe in? How does that effect their everyday life?): Asgard doesn’t believe in other gods and believe themselves to be gods.

Weather (what's the weather like? How does that affect them?): the weather tends to be quite sunny, and it only snows in other parts of Asgard away from the capital.

Appearance (what clothes do they wear normally? Celebration garb? What does the royal family wear?): think Viking clothes, except men don’t wear longer shirts, and imagine extravagant armor for the richer people. There is gold embroidered in a lot of clothes. They don’t wear leather except for boots or belts and gloves.

Royal family or leaders (are the leaders chosen or is a royal family? How is the royal family and leaders different from appearance to behavior? How do they treat those beneath them?): the royal family is Odin, his queen Frigga and their two sons Thor and Loki. Thor is the oldest and is the next in line for the throne. Loki is adopted and is a jotun but does not know. Loki is the black sheep of the family as he likes magic, uses daggers, wears leather and cares for his appearance. The royal family wears a lot of gold and high-quality fabrics and metals, showing their status. They treat those beneath them alright, but there’s an underlying feeling that they feel superior and that they are more important, especially compared to farmers who have not been warriors in the past.

Age? (What is the normal age of the people, how old can they get, how fast do they grow? How do they age compared to others?) Asir can age up to 5000-6000 years old

Weapons (what kind of weapons do they typically use?): think Viking weapons. Swords, axes, spears, alike. They look down on the use of daggers, knives, and other secretive weapons. Knives and daggers are seen as a woman’s weapon mainly to be used in the home.

Wars (how do they fight wars? What wars have they been in, in the past and with who?): they are kind of over the top when it comes to war. In his youth Odin went to war with all the realms to take over. Their last war was against Jotunheim where they then stole the casket of ancient winters and removed their ability to travel across realms.

Political opinions: they follow their king, and you are seen as a traitor or oath breaking if you are against the king.

Titles (how do they refer to people who do certain jobs? What do titles mean, are they important?): Titles are typically only used for those much higher than you, like the royal family or those with high titles.

Dancing (when do they dance? What does it mean?): Dancing isn’t a very big thing of their people. There is folk dancing at celebrations but that’s it.

Celebrations (what do they celebrate? And how?): they celebrate each of the royal families’ birthdays, they celebrate spring, and they celebrate birthdays in their families. They might have a major holiday that lasts over a few days to celebrate wars they’ve won in the past. There is drinking, eating and storytelling.

Gender and sexuality (how is it looked upon in their culture?): they don’t really believe in other genders than the one you are born with. And you are allowed to bed those of the same gender but cannot marry, and you are expected to marry someone of the opposite gender to have children.

Racism (how do they treat other species or people? How do they refer to them?): Asgard looks down on the other realms they’ve taken over but is most accepting towards Vanaheim. They look down the most at Jotunheim, Muspelheim and svartalfheim, and use slurs more than actual names when referring to their people.

Misogyny (does it exist? How strong is it?): women are expected to be in the home and raise the children. They are also expected to run the family business whilst the man is a warrior. She is expected to sew and make fabric and alike. It is not illegal for women to become warriors, but it is looked very down upon.

The justice system (how does it work, who has the final say? Is there voting or does the leader decide?): whatever the king wants, is what happens. The king may have advisors, but the king still has the final say.

What is the legal age? When can you start working? the legal age is around what would be 16 In Asir age. But many poorer people start working before that.

Marriage and courting: marriage is a celebration that can be very over the top like in Midgard. They date like on Midgard as well but may move much quicker than Midgardians do.

Jotunheim

Capital city: Utgard

Housing differences (how are the houses built. Of what, where, size, etc): houses are barer, made out of ice or stone. They have torches for heat and use many pelts and leathers for decoration. Houses are very large compared to Midgard seeing as jotun are twice the size of Asgardians or bigger.

Diets and how they get their food: their main diet is meat and magic filled ice. The ice is covering very healthy herds and plants, so the magic from the plants goes into the ice, making them healthy to consume. There is some farming but the land of Jotunheim isn’t very acceptable to grow in. Meat tends to be eaten raw, or in very filling healthy stews and soups. Children tend to be breastfed up until they are young children, the jotun version of a 5 year old or so.

Music (what type of Instruments. When and why do they play? Celebrating, religious reasons, etc?): music is used for storytelling and celebrating. Their instruments are things like drums, flutes, and things with few strings. They can make music by stomping their feet or hitting their armor or their weapons together. Music is used in their religious telling’s as well but is mainly singing.

Art (what is their art made out of? Why do they make art? Does it have meaning?): their art is cut out of stone or ice. Many murals in the cities, around mountains and in the walls of the royal castle. It is used to tell their stories, mythology, and the story of their god.

Sports (does sports have meaning to their people? What kind of sports do they play?): things that involve throwing, wrestling, and sparring. I can see the young ice skating or playing something akin to hockey.

Travel (how do they travel? By riding a creature, walking, wheels. Why do they travel?): they travel by foot or riding on very large creatures. Those very strong in magic, typically priests of their god, can teleport with magic.

Trading (who do they trade with? What do they trade?): they used trade a lot with alfheim, svartalfheim, Nidavellir and Niflheim. But because of Asgard they cannot travel outside of their own realm and continue trading. They traded many precious metals, gems, and magical objects. They used to trade flowers and ice that could save many lives from deadly diseases that cannot be grown anywhere else but cannot anymore. This caused those flowers and ice to be treated very carefully.

Magic (how is it used. Is it rare or common? Who can practice it?): all jotun can use ice magic, and many jotun possess some magic ability. But those most skilled in magic become priests or something similar. These people work with the royal family are like a third party to give other opinions and help make a rightful decision. They are also the main storytellers and upkeep the churches and connection with their god.

Who is the main people living there: Jotun. There are some dark elves that escaped svartalfheim before the war with Asgard.

Religion (how many god's, what do they believe in? How does that effect their everyday life?): they believe in one God. Mother winter. They believe she created their land, their people, and their magic. She created the eternal winter and loved her children. She created the casket of eternal winter to be the heart of Jotunheim and be protected by the priests, but since Asgard stole it Jotunheim has slowly been dying. They believe in father fire as well, but he is not someone they actively worship.

Weather (what's the weather like? How does that effect them?): very cold, windy, regularly has snowstorms.

Appearance (what clothes do they wear normally? Celebration garb? What does the royal family wear?): wears many furs and jewelry. Precious stones and metal is very easy to come by, so even the poorest wear it. There isn’t a big difference between what the royal family wears and the average people. The royal family wears a few more gems than the average person.

Royal family or leaders (are the leaders chosen or is a royal family? How is the royal family and leaders different from appearance to behavior? How do they treat those beneath them?): they have a royal family. Laufey king, Byleistr is the oldest and next in line. Loki is the middle child. And Helblindi is the youngest and is a teen.

Age? (What is the normal age of the people, how old can they get, how fast do they grow? How do they age compared to others?): jotun can age up to 10.000-13.000 years old.

Weapons (what kind of weapons do they typically use?): Jotun culture is very open to using anything as a weapon. If you can use it, it’s a weapon. If you can win, even better. Any child is taught to use a knife or dagger, most are taught to use axes and spears as well.

Wars (how do they fight wars? What wars have they been in, in the past and with who?): they are a very loyal and unified people. They fight tooth and nail and never give up until they die. They can enter a bloodlust like stage when they have been pushed down too long, which gave the Asir the idea to call them mindless beasts.

Political opinions: people are allowed to believe what they believe and are welcome to discuss their different opinions with scholars, the priests and the king.

Titles (how do they refer to people who do certain jobs? What do titles mean, are they important?): titles are very important to the jotun. They use titles after the names. Like Laufey King, (name) Priest, (Name) Scholar, (Name) barer if they have carried children, (name) warrior and so on.

Dancing (when do they dance? What does it mean?): mainly the priests dance to worship their god. There is dancing done at celebrations.

Celebrations (what do they celebrate? And how?): they have a holiday to celebrate the royal family, one to celebrate the harsh winter being over and a holiday the celebrate their god.

Gender and sexuality (how is it looked upon in their culture?): Jotun is a gender neutral species. Jotun possess both sets of genitalia and grows breasts is they carry child or must feed a child. Jotun are open to date any gender, and don’t really use labels.

Racism (how do they treat other species or people? How do they refer to them?): they don’t have very strong racism, but they do have a deep hatred for the Asir but that is mainly because they stole the casket of ancient winters and have such a big ego. They have a friendly relationship with Muspelheim.

Mysogony (does it exist? How strong is it?): seeing as jotun are a one gendered species they don’t have misogyny, and they don’t look down on someone for having carried a child.

The justice system (how does it work, who has the final say? Is there votings or does the leader decide?): the king makes decisions, but if it’s major the heads of each clan are invited to give input and the priests are brought in as well.

What is the legal age? When can you start working?: the jotun version of being 13. You are allowed to start working at that age. But you are first allowed to be involved in battle around the jotun version of 16 years old. Children are allowed to follow their parents to work and do small things, but they can’t do the work alone.

Marriage and courting: Marriage is more of a vow spoken and you are married. There is celebrating afterwards but it is more akin to their average celebrating. You do not wear rings or anything. Some couples switch jewelry or gift a weapon but it’s not mandatory. Courting is a longer process, and they tend to give gifts.

Svartalfheim

Capital city: The wane of the moon

Housing differences (how are the houses built. Of what, where, size, etc): low homes made of stone, wood, and dirt. Plants grow on the sides and roof. There are many towers and tall spires made of dark sleek stone and black shiny metal. They don’t have a royal family, so they have an area for the leaders and those chosen by the people have their meetings. It’s a tower taller than others, with large spikes at the top.

Diets and how they get their food: Mainly eat meat but work underground vegetables into their meals. They grow many herbs that are worked into their diet as well.

Music (what type of Instruments. When and why do they play? Celebrating, religious reasons, etc?): they don’t play a lot of music. Mainly uses flutes or other small instruments that you can carry on your person. Music is mainly used for big celebrations like after winning a war, when new leaders are chosen, funerals or during grief.

Art (what is their art made out of? Why do they make art? Does it have meaning?): They don’t have a lot of art. Most of their art was destroyed during the war with Asgard. They have some stone carvings left, or armor and weapons with their history printed into it.

Sports (does sports have meaning to their people? What kind of sports do they play?): the closest they have to sport is hunting.

Travel (how do they travel? By riding a creature, walking, wheels. Why do they travel?): they travel by foot or with magic.

Trading (who do they trade with? What do they trade?): they trade herbs and many magical items you can’t get anywhere else. They trade with everyone but Asgard, Alfheim and Vanaheim.

Magic (how is it used. Is it rare or common? Who can practice it?): a large majority of their people use magic. They focus on illusions and Assassin arts. They use magic for trickery and alike.

Who is the main people living there: dark elves and some jotun who couldn’t return to Jotunheim before the realm was closed.

Religion (how many gods, what do they believe in? How does that effect their everyday life?): they worship many gods. All their gods are genderless and there are gods for most things. Think like how Ancient Greece had many gods. Except these gods haven’t banged a lot of dark elves. Their gods aren’t physical like other realms religions. They are mainly an energy that you can draw on and gain strength.

Weather (what's the weather like? How does that effect them?): it’s rarely sunny. It’s pretty gloomy and always cloudy. It rains and storms regularly.

Appearance (what clothes do they wear normally? Celebration garb? What does the royal family wear?): they wear a lot of dark colours and leather. They have many weapons on their person.

Age? (What is the normal age of the people, how old can they get, how fast do they grow? How do they age compared to others?): they age similar to Jotun. Between 10.000-12.000 years old

Weapons (what kind of weapons do they typically use?): smaller weapons or what Asgard sees as “cowards’ weapons”. Daggers, knives, bow and arrow, crossbow. They can still use swords, but they like smaller weapons more.

Wars (how do they fight wars? What wars have they been in, in the past and with who?): they are quite a bother to battle, as they melt with the shadows and are incredible at sudden attacks and assassinations.

Political opinions: democracy, or similar

Titles (how do they refer to people who do certain jobs? What do titles mean, are they important?): titles don’t mean a lot to their people. It only really has meaning if your very skilled at what you’re doing, like a teacher teaching your skills from your youth, or scholar, or former warrior.

Dancing (when do they dance? What does it mean?): they don’t really dance.

Celebrations (what do they celebrate? And how?): they celebrate birthdays and coming of age. They typically give weapons or armor as gifts to the coming of age.

Gender and sexuality (how is it looked upon in their culture?): the dark elves have both female and male, but also have a third gender which is more neutral. They are accepting if any being with any gender, as long as you do your duties.

Racism (how do they treat other species or people? How do they refer to them?): they have some racism against Alfheim, as Alfheim have racism against them. They also despise Asgard and have a deep distrust for them.

Misogyny (does it exist? How strong is it?): they don’t really have misogyny as everyone is equal as any can do what they please.

The justice system (how does it work, who has the final say? Is there votings or does the leader decide?): they have a hundred of so chosen individuals. New are chosen every 100 years by the people, so there can be some fresh ideas.

What is the legal age? When can you start working?: what the dark elf version is of 10 years old. In the past it was the dark elf version of 14 but because of the many that were slaughtered by the Asgardians the age was changed.

Marriage and courting: marriage is one of their few celebrations that has large meaning along with the coming of age. They share jewelry and get matching tattoos.

Vanaheim

Capital city: Vanaheimr (home of the vanir)

Housing differences (how are the houses built. Of what, where, size, etc). In the capital and richer areas, homes are made of white stone and gold. In the less rich areas, homes are typically made from normal polished stone and some woodwork. Homes have multiple stories like on Midgard and tend to have gold worked into the stone. Vanaheim is the realm most like Asgard.

Diets and how they get their food: their diet has less meat than the average Midgardian, but they still eat meat. Fruit is used in many dishes and drinks.

Music (what type of Instruments. When and why do they play? Celebrating, religious reasons, etc?): they play a lot of music, and their main instruments are string instruments. It’s not uncommon to find music players in pubs, on the street and in the castle. They tell stories and sing songs of big people in their history.

Art (what is their art made out of? Why do they make art? Does it have meaning?): they have a lot of art, a good chunk of it stolen from other realms. Their main version of art is painting, murals and tapestries.

Sports (does sports have meaning to their people? What kind of sports do they play?): it’s mainly children that do sport, and they have no official sport simply what the common folk have come up with.

Travel (how do they travel? By riding a creature, walking, wheels. Why do they travel?): they ride on creatures or use carriages.

Trading (who do they trade with? What do they trade?): they trade books, weapons and fruit to mainly Asgard and Alfheim.

Magic (how is it used. Is it rare or common? Who can practice it?): magic used to be a very used art, but since their relationship have grown closer to Asgard, they have grown to fit Asgards idea more. Older magic users still exist, but not many are taught anymore.

Who is the main people living there: the Vanir. Some Asgardians live there too.

Religion (how many gods, what do they believe in? How does that effect their everyday life?): the younger generation and the royal family don’t believe in gods anymore, but the older generation still believe in gods. There is a god of light and a god of darkness.

Weather (what's the weather like? How does that effect them?): it’s very calm. Sunny with light wind. It doesn’t rain a lot.

apparence (what clothes do they wear normally? Celebration garb? What does the royal family wear?): they tend to wear light fabrics with embroidery. They don’t wear leather and only wear armor during battle.

Royal family or leaders (are the leaders chosen or is a royal family? How is the royal family and leaders different from appearance to behavior? How do they treat those beneath them?): they have a royal family. Njord is the former king and heavily dislikes what his kingdom has become. Freyr is the current king and is the oldest of Njord’s kids. He has a daughter named Freja. Freyr doesn’t have children yet.

Age? (What is the normal age of the people, how old can they get, how fast do they grow? How do they age compared to others?): they age like Asgardians.

Weapons (what kind of weapons do they typically use?): they tend to use long swords and spears mostly. They used to use daggers, but it is out of practice now.

Wars (how do they fight wars? What wars have they been in, in the past and with who?): they always tend to side with Asgard and follow Odin’s orders mostly.

Political opinions: they follow their royal family.

Titles (how do they refer to people who do certain jobs? What do titles mean, are they important?): titles don’t really matter unless they’re very important, like a king or lord.

Dancing (when do they dance? What does it mean?): they don’t really dance unless it’s for celebration.

Celebrations (what do they celebrate? And how?): they celebrate spring and the birthdays of their royal family. The older generation celebrate Njord’s birthday as well, even though it’s not really in practice anymore.

Gender and sexuality (how is it looked upon in their culture?): there are male and female, and you are allowed to bed those of the same gender but you are expected to have children, especially if you’re the oldest in your family.

Racism (how do they treat other species or people? How do they refer to them?): they aren’t as bad as Asgard but refer to jotun as frost giants as well.

Misogyny (does it exist? How strong is it?): it’s not as strong as Asgard. Women are allowed to do all the same things as men, but they don’t do it as much.

The justice system (how does it work, who has the final say? Is there votings or does the leader decide?): the Justice system is the king and royal family, and their advisors.

What is the legal age? When can you start working?: what is similar to 16 in Vanir age.

Marriage and courting: marriage is a big ceremony like on Midgard, and it’s common to date for a few years before marriage.

Nidavellir

Capitals cities: Myrkheim

Housing differences (how are the houses built. Of what, where, size, etc): Houses made of bricks and metal. They are blockier in appearance and are built into the mountains that cover the realm. The larger buildings are near the bottom of the mountains.

Diets and how they get their food: Eats mainly meat and vegetables browns underground. There are minerals grown that they use in cooking. The realm with the most spices.

Music (what type of Instruments. When and why do they play? Celebrating, religious reasons, etc?): horn-based instruments, flutes, Accordion, trumpets, and the like.

Art (what is their art made out of? Why do they make art? Does it have meaning?): most of their art is carved in stone, but there are some painters as well. It is mainly to show their history and tales and myths.

Sports (does sports have meaning to their people? What kind of sports do they play?): they have sports based around throwing and strength-based sports.

Travel (how do they travel? By riding a creature, walking, wheels. Why do they travel?): they tend to ride by carts or train like vehicles that run on things they’ve mined.

Trading (who do they trade with? What do they trade?): they trade many rare minerals and spices

Magic (how is it used. Is it rare or common? Who can practice it?): most of the dwarves use magic, but it’s not like the magic used by the other realms. Their magic is mainly used to strengthen them and the items they are making. It is more used to put powers into what they create and is used to help them mine.

Who is the main people living there: the dwarves. There are some small clans of jotun still living there. These jotun have evolved and used magic to magic them fit the terrain more. They have darker skin tones and colours, they have tougher skin, spikes, and claws to help them move in the mountain terrain. Their magic makes them very useful in finding the very rare and precious gems and metals that are filled with magic.

Religion (how many gods, what do they believe in? How does that effect their everyday life?): They believe in multiple gods. Think like how Ancient Greece had many gods, but these gods aren’t as involved with the dwarves as the gods of Ancient Greece were with the humans. There are many statues of their gods.

Weather (what's the weather like? How does that effect them?): it tends to be gloomy and quite cold. The becomes colder the further you go up in the mountains.

Appearance (what clothes do they wear normally? Celebration garb? What does the royal family wear?): think what dwarves wear in dnd I guess.

Royal family or leaders (are the leaders chosen or is a royal family? How is the royal family and leaders different from appearance to behavior? How do they treat those beneath them?): they have leaders chosen by the people. The dwarves are in clans, and someone young but with experience is chosen by each clan to represent them.

Age? (What is the normal age of the people, how old can they get, how fast do they grow? How do they age compared to others?): they are one of the older living races. They age around the same as Jotun.

Weapons (what kind of weapons do they typically use?): hammers are the main weapon, but axes, swords and daggers are also commonly used.

Wars (how do they fight wars? What wars have they been in, in the past and with who?): they are difficult to fight since they are extremely organized and have access to many dangerous weapons.

Political opinions: they have democracy

Titles (how do they refer to people who do certain jobs? What do titles mean, are they important?): titles don’t mean much. They’re mostly just jobs.

Dancing (when do they dance? What does it mean?): they have traditional dancing that is done at parties or celebrations. Dancing is also used to teach footwork.

Celebrations (what do they celebrate? And how?): they celebrate different times of year. They have a holiday to celebrate the work they’ve done that year; it is also a celebration for the end of the year. Birthdays are also celebrated.

Gender and sexuality (how is it looked upon in their culture?): gender and sexuality has very little meaning to their people, everyone is seen as equal and as long as you do what you can, all is well.

Racism (how do they treat other species or people? How do they refer to them?): they don’t have strong racism, but they do have an uneasy relationship with Alfheim and Asgard.

Misogyny (does it exist? How strong is it?): misogyny isn’t really a thing

The justice system (how does it work, who has the final say? Is there votings or does the leader decide?): there are small pockets of justice all over the realm, but the ones chosen by each clan have a large building built of metal and stone high up in the mountains where each large decision is made.

What is the legal age? When can you start working?: you can start working when you are very young, but it is mainly work at home and you have to stay with the adults. When you reach their version of 13 you are seen as an adult.

Marriage and courting: marriage is highly celebrated since they are such a long lived species, it is rare. Most dwarves only date one person and marry that person.

Niflheim

Capital city: Hel

Housing differences (how are the houses built. Of what, where, size, etc): very tall building made of black stone

Diets and how they get their food: they have very little food as it is the realm of the dead.

Music (what type of Instruments. When and why do they play? Celebrating, religious reasons, etc?): they play any instrument as there are people from many different races there.

Art (what is their art made out of? Why do they make art? Does it have meaning?): they have very little art. Many different kinds because of different races.

Sports (does sports have meaning to their people? What kind of sports do they play?): there are many kinds of sports since there are so many people there and nothing to do.

Travel (how do they travel? By riding a creature, walking, wheels. Why do they travel?): mostly travel by foot.

Trading (who do they trade with? What do they trade?): they don’t trade with any other realm

Magic (how is it used. Is it rare or common? Who can practice it?): magic is widely used, and Niflheim is the place where magic is most studied, if you need dark magic, it is in Niflheim.

Who is the main people living there: any species from each realm. But not every person that dies goes there. It is mainly people who haven’t finished whatever business they have.

Religion (how many gods, what do they believe in? How does that effect their everyday life?): there is no religion. There are different races who still worship their original gods.

Weather (what's the weather like? How does that affect them?): It never rains or snows, but it’s never sunny either. Very cloudy

appearance (what clothes do they wear normally? Celebration garb? What does the royal family wear?): each race wears whatever is from their realm

Age? (What is the normal age of the people, how old can they get, how fast do they grow? How do they age compared to others?) The people do not age but can cease to exist.

Weapons (what kind of weapons do they typically use?): People use whatever they used from their home realm

Wars (how do they fight wars? What wars have they been in, in the past and with who?): there are very few wars with Niflheim as there’s nothing to conquer.

Political opinions: there are no people in charge. Sometimes leaders from each race will meet to make decisions.

Titles (how do they refer to people who do certain jobs? What do titles mean, are they important?): titles mean very little in Niflheim.

Dancing (when do they dance? What does it mean?): there are some races that dance to celebrate their lives.

Celebrations (what do they celebrate? And how?): there are no celebrations. Some celebrate things from their lives, but not all.

Gender and sexuality (how is it looked upon in their culture?): each race has different opinions.

Racism (how do they treat other species or people? How do they refer to them?): each race has different opinions

Misogyny (does it exist? How strong is it?): it’s different from race to race

The justice system (how does it work, who has the final say? Is there votings or does the leader decide?): there is no Justice system, but leaders from each race will meet to make decisions.

What is the legal age? When can you start working?: everyone there is dead or a spirit so people don’t age.

Marriage and courting: very few marriages happen, but when they do it typically follows how their race celebrates it.

Muspelheim

Capital city: Muspell

Housing differences (how are the houses built. Of what, where, size, etc): their homes are huge and made out of volcanic stone. There is very little wood used and things like animal furs are not used. Leather is much more common. The walls are typically painted on the inside, especially in places that have deeper meaning to their people.

Diets and how they get their food: The main people eat very little, but when they do eat it is meat or coal and precious stones. A real treat that is eating is similar to a stone with crystals inside, and said crystals are filled with a lot of magic. When eating these, the flames on their body can change colour or flare.

Music (what type of Instruments. When and why do they play? Celebrating, religious reasons, etc?): there isn’t a lot of instruments used, but singing is a big part of their storytelling. As they can’t have paper books and it’s hard to carve everything into stone much of their history is spread through song.

Art (what is their art made out of? Why do they make art? Does it have meaning?): most art is carved into rock or painted on walls and mountainsides. Charcoal is used commonly as well.

Sports (does sports have meaning to their people? What kind of sports do they play?): sparring. Spear throwing is a big sport amongst their people as well.

Travel (how do they travel? By riding a creature, walking, wheels. Why do they travel?): they travel by foot as they are too large to ride on most creatures.

Trading (who do they trade with? What do they trade?): they trade very precious items from dragons and other creatures that only live in Muspelheim. They only trade with svartalfheim and nidavellir nowadays. But in the past their main trading partner was Jotunheim. Jotunheim traded important ice and water that had healing and magic abilities, whilst Muspelheim traded important fire strong items and their more secretive items.

Magic (how is it used. Is it rare or common? Who can practice it?): all from their species can use fire and fire-based magic. This includes heat control and lava. Their more advanced can use many other kinds of magic. It is accepted and they see it as a useful tool and look down on the realms who dismiss magic.

Who is the main people living there: the flame giants and dragons. They possess the ability to communicate with each other.

Religion (how many gods, what do they believe in? How does that effect their everyday life?): they believe in father fire. He goes hand in hand with mother winter and they believe the two created everything that exists. They don’t actively worship mother winter.

Weather (what's the weather like? How does that effect them?): it’s always extremely hot and there is soot covered the sky most of the time.

appearance (what clothes do they wear normally? Celebration garb? What does the royal family wear?): they typically don’t wear clothes but can wear precious stones and metal at times.

Royal family or leaders (are the leaders chosen or is a royal family? How is the royal family and leaders different from appearance to behavior? How do they treat those beneath them?): They don’t have a royal family or political party. Whoever is strongest is their leader, and you can challenge the current leader. But you don’t have to just be strong to be the leader, you must be very smart as well and get the approval of father fire. Getting the approval of father fire is a practice only the former leader can pass onto the next.

Age? (What is the normal age of the people, how old can they get, how fast do they grow? How do they age compared to others?): they are the most long-lived species. They can age up to 20.000 years old or older. They can age further but most are known to be killed before that or simply do not wish to live longer so they snuff themselves out. The longest living fire giant was 45.000 years old.

Weapons (what kind of weapons do they typically use?): Spears and axes are the favored weapon of the fire giants, but swords and hammers are used as well.

Wars (how do they fight wars? What wars have they been in, in the past and with who?): they are extremely destructive which makes them dangerous. One skilled fire giant can destroy an entire army without using their fire magic.

Political opinions: they follow their leader, no matter what said leader believes. If you disagree with the current leader, you are welcome to challenge them.

Titles (how do they refer to people who do certain jobs? What do titles mean, are they important?): titles have meaning to the fire giants like it do with the jotun.

Dancing (when do they dance? What does it mean?): they do not dance like others, but it’s not unusual for them to perform with their fire instead.

Celebrations (what do they celebrate? And how?): they have one yearly celebration where the sun is the hottest and all the lave on the planet comes to the surface, very few other races have witnessed this as just getting close to Muspelheim during this period can kill you with its heat. It is also during this you can challenge the current leader.

Gender and sexuality (how is it looked upon in their culture?): fire giants are a one gendered species. They all possess the ability to carry child. But fire giants’ young don’t need to be breastfeed. You can love whoever you want to them, they don’t care.

Racism (how do they treat other species or people? How do they refer to them?): the people they hate the most are Asgardians but that’s mainly because of the crimes they committed during the wars they’ve been part of. Because the fire giants are so long lived, they have a long memory and remember what many try to erase from history.

Misogyny (does it exist? How strong is it?): misogyny isn’t a thing.

The justice system (how does it work, who has the final say? Is there votings or does the leader decide?): the leader makes most of the big choices, but you can speak up if you do not agree.

What is the legal age? When can you start working?: fire giants grow very quickly, so when you can use your magic, defend yourself and you have learned to read, write and etc you are seen as an adult.

Marriage and courting: marriage is just a few spoken words and then it’s done. It can be done anywhere at any time. Courting isn’t really a thing, they jump straight to marriage. They also are one of the only species to approve of divorce.

Alfheim

Capital city: Ljósálfheimr (means home of the light elves)

Housing differences (how are the houses built. Of what, where, size, etc): their houses are typically made of wood and built into the very tall and wide trees that cover most of the realm.

Diets and how they get their food: they mainly eat fruit and vegetables. There is little meat in their diet.

Music (what type of Instruments. When and why do they play? Celebrating, religious reasons, etc?): most of their music is played on flutes or string instruments.

Art (what is their art made out of? Why do they make art? Does it have meaning?): most of their art is paintings and tapestries, woodcarving is also done.

Sports (does sports have meaning to their people? What kind of sports do they play?): their main sport is shooting the bow, and games of tag in the treetop’s.

Travel (how do they travel? By riding a creature, walking, wheels. Why do they travel?): they mainly travel by foot or with magic.

Trading (who do they trade with? What do they trade?): they trade magical items and fruits and herbs that only grow in their realm. They have very little metal and precious stones on their planet.

Magic (how is it used. Is it rare or common? Who can practice it?): most can use some type of magic, but only few are skilled enough to be called magic users. The rest are just the average person amongst them.

Who is the main people living there: light elves and a few vanir and asgardians.

Religion (how many gods, what do they believe in? How does that effect their everyday life?): they worship a few gods like the dark elves, but the light elves claim their gods are the true ones and the dark elves version are just a mockery of theirs.

Weather (what's the weather like? How does that effect them?): it’s mainly pleasant and only rains a few times a year. It does not snow in Alfheim.

appearance (what clothes do they wear normally? Celebration garb? What does the royal family wear?): they clothes uses a lot of light colours and light fabrics. Their style is quite androgynous.

Age? (What is the normal age of the people, how old can they get, how fast do they grow? How do they age compared to others?): they age similarly to dark elves.

Weapons (what kind of weapons do they typically use?): they favor weapons like bows, crossbows, and daggers.

Wars (how do they fight wars? What wars have they been in, in the past and with who?): they are like dark elves that they mainly focus on staying in the shadows and using assassination. But in later years they’ve known to be used as backup for other warriors.

Political opinions: you follow the queen and her wishes. But it is allowed to bring up your problems so they can be discussed but there is a long waiting list, and your problem might still not be fixed.

Titles (how do they refer to people who do certain jobs? What do titles mean, are they important?) Titles aren’t really important unless you’re speaking to someone who is above you.

Dancing (when do they dance? What does it mean?): dancing is big in their culture and is used for magic, celebrations and for religious practices.

Celebrations (what do they celebrate? And how?): they celebrate each season and the new year. They celebrate the longest day and the shortest day of the year.

Gender and sexuality (how is it looked upon in their culture?): the light elves is a pretty equal people. Everyone can do any job and they all dress androgynously. You can be with whoever you wish but, you are expected to have children especially if you are the head of your clan or family.

Racism (how do they treat other species or people? How do they refer to them?): there is a lot of hatred towards dark elves and the light elves look down on them a lot and refer to them as dirty.

Misogyny (does it exist? How strong is it?): it’s not really a thing.

The justice system (how does it work, who has the final say? Is there votings or does the leader decide?): the queen makes all the decisions, and she has a couple of advisors.

What is the legal age? When can you start working?: their version of 16 years old.

Marriage and courting: marriage is highly celebrated since it happens rarely. Courting is a very very long process and can take hundreds of years. Light elves tend to only marry once.

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elainapendragon · 1 month

Text

An Eternal Hope: Flier of Fate

Summary: Recently freed from a lifetime of thralldom, young Valdyrbjalla is eager to earn her freedom as she works in the Pirate Archipelago alongside her family. Thankfully, her friend Jarnir may have just found the key to doing so...

Rating: 18+

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of death, battles, necromancy (?), slavery, dealing with past trauma, PTSD (?), fear of torture, let me know if I missed anything!

All rights reserved. This work has been copyrighted. No part of this book may be copied or used in any form. [Don't mind my crappy attempt at quoting my copyright page. I don't think I'm allowed to actually use it here. I don't mind reblogs or anything like that, but please don't repost without my permission and especially without credits to me. Thank you! <3 ]

Refer to the pronunciation guide if you have any questions!

The deafening sounds of metal-on-metal filled the air. The Main Square of the Svartl Black Market, Izana, was full of conversation and bargaining. Women calculated how to buy food, or clothes, clutching skinny children or chastising them if they tried to scurry off without permission as they hurried from trader-to-trader. Young men, most of them eldest sons, guarded their families closely, grim-faced as they surveyed their surroundings with their hands prepared to brandish a sword or axe. The husbands of these families were closeby, working various jobs for various trades throughout Izana, doing what they could to provide those few coin for their struggling families. In this part of Valhöll, life was hard, and cruel, and it was every man for himself. The people who lived within or worked in Izana were mercenaries, rogues, pirates, criminals, poachers, opportunist traders and merchants; anyone and everyone who was on the run from the law could find a safe haven here.

Stands and booths with old weathered flags of all colors were set up around the stagnant fountain, which smelled of must and mold even three blocks away. The merchants had on display various wares such as foods, rustic handwoven clothes, modest jewelry, or weapons fashioned from whatever could be scavenged. Looming over the Main Square were old, rickety gray buildings with failing black shingles, sparkling with hundreds of years of sand blowing into their cracks and crevices from the black desert of Svartalfheimr. Their wood was rotted, their walls bowing, and each and every one of them threatened to collapse if the wind blew too hard. These buildings were mainly shops, but inside one or two were rowdy taverns to house civilians or traveling merchants.

The people of Izana were as harsh and unforgiving as the habitat in which they lived: rogues, mercenaries, pirates, criminals, poachers, opportunist traders and merchants, even jewel thieves– anyone who was on the run from the law resided and worked in the Black Market. The einherjerii and the royals who commanded them all knew of Izana’s presence, but its location had been hidden long ago by wizards who feared for the safety of the children in Izana. If any approached with intent to do harm to anyone in the Black Market, an impenetrable fog would appear, hindering all progress. Any who dared to venture near enough quickly turned back when they saw the graveyard of Svartl Army and Royal Einherjerii ships scattered throughout the surrounding waters. For now, the location of Izana had the security of being hidden.

A few children occupied themselves by crowding by the smithy, watching my grandfather, Fjörr, and our employer Byardölf, a dark elf, forge weapons and tools from ingots of steel and iron. Down the street, our close friend Jarnir and my sister Alfhildr were hard at work as an ostler and a groom at the only stable in town. On the other side of the circular marketplace across from us, my mother Rúnhildr and my grandmother Hildegardr were helping a sweet old dark she-elf named Lesnir make tapestries, rugs, and jewelry. Outside of Izana entirely, my brother Jarl remained with our small longship, the Skídbladnír. With him was our only sword, as it was up to him to ensure the safety of our ship and belongings. It had our coin from our last few weeks of work, our clothes and food, and the ship itself was in near-perfect condition. Too many bandits and pirates would try to steal it for themselves were it left unguarded; but there were no strong alliances in this place to form a formidable group, and few would take on a man with a brand-new sword when the blade might very well shatter their dull ones, or cause an injury which, in Izana, would almost always go untreated. It was up to the gods if you survived a wound here. The risk of an inglorious death by infection wasn’t on anyone’s itinerary.

For the last two years, we had worked every day from early-morning to mid-evening, slept on our ship, then repeated the process all over again the next day. Every month, we had one week off. We would take that time to sail to our small home on Hneflagi Island, have a day to rest, then return to Izana and our jobs. It was all to survive: coin to stock up on food and rent for the harsh winter months when the waters of the Pirate Archipelago and the northern shores of Valhöll would freeze over– nobody dared to sail during that time.

It took nearly all of our coin just to pay for the rent on Hneflagi. When the Pirate Archipelago had first been established, it was a safe haven for escaped slaves, rogues, and criminals of all kinds. People homesteaded off the land and built small cabins, hunting and fishing– but it fell prey to greedy jarls who claimed islands as their own, from various parts of Valhöll, showing off titles and deeds to wild lands and therefore claiming also the people as their own. Those who escaped thralldom were, once again, enslaved, if not as under poor conditions. Hunting, fishing, and growing crops was not permitted, punishable by return– a term used to mean either return to one’s previous life, previous owner, or to the einherjerii. I myself had witnessed several people, especially during the winter time, break a rule set by our jarl and be taken away. The archipelago wasn’t protected by a magical veil like Izana was. It was all too easy to get captured, and living within the walls of Izana was far too expensive. Our jarl demanded an obscene amount of coin every month in order for us to live there, even though it was simply a ten-by-ten room with eight sleeping rolls and eight little cubbies for what few belongings we possessed, one of many units within a large hall designed only for sleeping in at night.

Wodensdäg was the only day of the week where we could sit and rest. A good portion of the day most people spent in worship of the Old Gods such as Odin and Thor, while some still, even after their unfairness, preached of Baldr and his following Æsír. We, however, did neither, resentful toward the New Æsír for their handling of the slave issue across Valhöll that we had fallen victim to, and none of us felt that praying to gods long dead would solve anything. So we slept and ate, regaining our strength. Without that single break in a long week of hard labor, I doubt that any of us would have made it these last two years.

I often wondered what it was like to live free. To have a home somewhere, with actual rooms and windows and places for us to put real beds, real tables and chairs and decorations. Maybe a large yard with a garden, but at this point, I would settle for a small house in the bustling city. I wondered what it was like to not feel worried over if we would lose our home, or where our next meal would come from. I was tired of feeling the difference between surviving and living, we all were. But there was not much we could do about it; our freedom was ridiculously priced, solely for the purpose of keeping us in a form of shackles forever. In order to be free, we would either have to live as rogues and risk getting caught more easily, or leave Valhöll entirely, and we didn’t have the resources to do that either.

My mind drifted to far-off places as I worked, exploring vast wilderness I’d only read about from a bird’s eye view as a way of escaping the thick, charred air of the smithy. No one could come close enough to me to watch me work, Byardölf had seen to that personally. Izana’s only smithy did noble regalia for lords and ladies miles in any given direction, even if they didn’t know it, and if anything tarnished his reputation, he would lose business– so my concentration on carving designs into the leather of grips and sheaths had to be undisturbed.

I had my own personal workshop, set toward the back of Byardölf’s open smithy by the wall of his house. A long stone table was before me where I could set up various tools and lay even a greatsword down to tend to its handle, adding a secure grip and any designs requested. The weapons came from people who came to Byardölf asking for repairs, or new designs to be added, and that was the majority of what we did here: repair and replacement. Only rarely were brand-new weapons made, as no one could afford the obscene costs of the materials.

That was why today, it was so crowded with observers.

They were forging a new weapon.

It was only an axe, but that didn’t stop anyone from being impressed. Especially the children. The process had taken place over the course of the last several hours, and the people of Izana had watched from the melting of the iron ingots to the first hammer blow and everything beyond. Now, it was nearly finished as Grandpapa plunged the red-hot woodcutter’s axe blade into a barrel of oil, quenching its fire. After a few moments, he removed it and gently eased it into the furnace, ensuring that the blade was evenly treated before bringing it back to the anvil. On the opposite side of the smithy, Byardölf’s dark gray face was set with concentration as he sharpened a dagger to perfection on the grindstone– his work was repair work. I had seen that dagger a million times by now, always returning to sharpen dull edges. I often wondered what the owner used it for, and so carelessly, and how the blade had not been reduced to a thin needle by this point.

The heat of the forge and the midday desert sun baking the cobblestones made it even hotter inside of the smithy, underneath the overhanging roof and surrounded by fire, smoke, and ash. The air was thick and hard to breathe, nearly choking. My eyes stung and burned like they did every day, watering so badly I kept a dry rag by my side to dab them, only using the inside as the outside was covered in a layer of soot and grime. Strands of my pitch hair were stuck to my forehead, my skin so soaked with sweat that my clothes dripped and reeked of it, plastered to my body uncomfortably.

One mistake with my fingers– slightly swollen and red as my heart struggled to pump blood in this sweltering heat, pounding in my wrists and legs and neck and head all at once– and my tool slipped out of my slick grasp, falling quickly to the floor with a clatter of metal that was thankfully inaudible, cloaked by the sounds of butchered conversations and the grindstone chipping away at the dull edges of a steel blade, muted by the gentle taps of Grandpapa’s hammer to the axe. The failure to properly hold the weapon made me frustrated, and a half-stifled huff burst from my chest before I could stop it. Byardölf glanced at me, his sharp elven hearing catching my irritation as well as the noise of the tool falling, but paid neither any mind and went back to his work. I tried to move as little as possible when reaching for it, grimacing as my thin clothes clung to me without any slack. With exaggerated care, I sat the tool on the desk before tugging and pulling at my shirt until it had released its death-grip on me. I barely stifled a grunt of frustration, and Byardölf turned to raise a thin eyebrow at me meaningfully, his white-on-black eyes boring into mine with a message I didn’t miss.

Byardölf typically didn’t like people showing irritation in his smithy. “If you’ve got to let off steam, go to the back of the house and ensure nobody sees you.” Showing frustration could let people get the wrong ideas– if you’re angry with the work and with yourself, then how well will the job be completed? It also shows the public incompetence and childish responses to an important job that needs to be done well. Even working here for two years, however, I’m still considered an apprentice, so repercussions wouldn’t be as severe as they would be if, say, Grandpapa threw a half-finished sword out of anger. The worst punishment I might get is scrubbing the whole smithy free of soot with a toothbrush (which is an exaggeration, I hope; I’ve heard Byardölf threaten such a thing, but he’s never actually forced me to do it).

I lifted my hand a bit in acknowledgement, letting my frustration slip away with a slow exhale. Byardölf nodded appreciatively and went back to his own work. Heaving a sigh, I did the same, leaning down close to the strip of leather I’d been working on, my nose practically touching it as my eyes struggled to focus. The design that had been requested for this particular piece was a symmetrical knotted rope design on a backdrop of triangles– it was difficult for me to draw the stupidly straight lines required, and my hands would barely work now from how long I had been straining them. They felt numb, like they’d just turned to jelly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw skirts and a ruff of lace. It caught my attention immediately and I quickly looked up, smiling as I saw Byardölf’s wife, Myennr. She wore a lavender dress with white faux-silk lace, her pitch black hair drawn up in an elaborate dark elf style that was adorned with glass beads in a variety of light purples and whites to match her attire. She returned the smile warmly, holding a well-crafted tray that Byardölf had made. Balanced on it were three pottery cups, and beside it, a plateful of freshly-cut cubes of cheese. It wasn’t much, but at least it wasn’t chewy, stale bread, or horse, or camel, or sandwalker steak– I swear, I’ll never eat sandwalker again. The stringy white legs twitching on its roasted body had made me so queasy that I couldn’t bear to even be near it.

Myennr couldn’t get everyone’s attention without yelling very loudly to be heard, so she took a few more steps toward the forge to get the attention of the toiling blacksmiths. Grandpapa saw her first, and with a warm smile, he paused only briefly enough to snatch a handful of cheese and shove it in his mouth, washing it down with a loud swig of water. The crowd of children dispersed as they realized that it was time for lunch, thankfully giving us our privacy.

Byardölf looked up, alerted by the sudden silence of the forge and by the departing crowd, swiveling his head in confusion. He glanced over his shoulder to see what had caused the commotion, then quickly turned back to the blade and grindstone before he accidentally sharpened his finger– we’d been here for two years, and so far, I hadn’t seen a smithing accident yet. I had to fight a shudder at the thought of tearing flesh and bone splattering all over the forge.

In his thick dark elven accent, Byardölf said, “Give me just a moment, my darling! This blade is almost perfect!”

Myennr rolled her eyes at her husband’s antics. The smithy’s cacophony of sounds had calmed significantly compared to what it had been as the grindstone slowly halted, allowing for only the hollow clank of the iron mallet on the red-hot steel. She turned her attention on me– she always doted on me, fearing the smithy was no place for a girl my age. It was an excellent place for me, actually. I didn’t mind the soot, bruises, cuts, or crushed fingertips that sometimes accompanied the job. “How is it coming with your end of the work, dear?” Her accent wasn’t as easy to understand as Byardölf’s. Whereas he had learned to speak Valhöllian fluently many decades ago and had kept it a part of his daily language, Myennr had only recently learned it, comparatively. She wasn’t extremely difficult to understand, but there were some times when she lapsed into Dark Elven in the middle of a sentence.

I shrugged, making a face. “I don’t know, Myennr…” I chuckled a little to myself, subtly trying to cover my half-finished designs– I’m usually better than the sorry excuse that lay before me on the unfinished grip, barely clinging to the hilt by thin straps of leather.

Myennr laughed softly, patting my head with a dainty smile that bunched up the apples of her cheeks, pushing her eyes into a squint. “I’m sure you’re doing fine, dear.”

Humbled by her faith in me, I nodded gratefully. “Thanks, Myennr.”

Byardölf stood then, dusting fine shavings of metal off of his pants with an old leather glove. He held up his repaired dagger proudly, a huge grin on his face as he watched the sun glint off of its fine edges– it was a prime example of the unmatched dark elven craftsmanship. The curved blade was wickedly sharp, perfect for cutting just about anything. Its newly-polished crossguard was practically blinding when it caught the light, twisting asymmetrically. It was a ceremonial dagger, one that you now couldn’t tell had been crushed underneath a longship. “Perfect, if I do say so myself!”

When prompted by Grandpapa’s outstretched hand, Byardölf eagerly passed the knife to him. Quickly, so as not to lose the shape of the axe, Grandpapa tested its sharpness with a quick swipe to his thumb; he hardly needed to graze it across his skin to leave a mark. He chuckled as he saw that the blade had made a clean, easy cut, then handed it back to Byardölf, wiping the blood from his thumb onto his apron and very clearly impressed. “You go right ahead and say it! That blade is possibly the finest you’ve done yet!”

Without asking, Byardölf passed the blade to me also– always, he treated me like a regular blacksmith, valuing my opinion as much as my grandfather’s despite my lack of experience. Without questions, I took it, excitedly admiring its sleek, shining form. But, without a proper grip, and with how sweaty my palms were, the dagger slipped backward out of my hand and cut my left palm clean open when I attempted to catch it. White-hot pain shot up my arm, starbursting from my hand. My fingers went numb immediately. Blood flooded freely from the wound, staining the sooty ground a sluggish black. Tears sprang to my eyes. “Well, shit,” I hissed, biting my lip so hard I tasted copper. Grandpapa glanced over once to ensure I had all my fingers, and frowned.

It was Byardölf who said, “Oh, dear. Can you still work?”

It was an effort to move my hand; no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t quite close it and make a fist. I always stopped short, the muscles refusing to cooperate. “Not with my left hand. My right is fine.” My face lit on fire with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Embarrassment because I was so stupid as to try and catch it, anger because we would lose precious coin if Byardölf wouldn’t let me work with this injury.

“Let me see it,” Byardölf ordered gently, and I obliged with a grimace. He took my hands, turning them over and inspecting the damaged one with a deep frown. Unexpectedly, my head snapped to the side, and it took me a second to realize that he’d smacked me upside the head. “Stupid girl! Jhah’ksah! Have you learned nothing? You are lucky I will let you work with that!”

“Yessir,” I mumbled dejectedly, swallowing my embarrassment. Grandpapa looked on and saw him reprimanding me, and I knew he approved of the lecture because, had he not been occupied with the axe, he would have given me much more of an earful. “Th-that’s… Very sharp, Byardölf. Very sharp. I don’t think you need to work on that anymore.”

Byardölf huffed, shoving my hands back toward me. “Do you think sarcasm will make up for the speed you just lost?! Will it heal your hand?!” When I meekly shook my hand, he added, “Then silence yourself!” He gestured to Myennr, exasperated. “Will you patch her up, dear?” She nodded in agreement, and Byardölf collected the blade from the floor to clean it.

Grandpapa sighed and shook his head. “You have to be more careful, Valdyrbjalla. What if that wound gets infected?”

“I’ll keep it clean,” That wasn’t a promise I was sure I could keep. Already, soot was clogging the jagged edges of the gash as it drifted about from the forges, caught on the breeze. If it did become infected, there was a very good chance I could lose my hand. Worry, fear, and nausea settled in my gut, making me a squirming, sick mess as I tried to ignore the sharp throbbing in my arm. I was just glad it wasn’t my right hand, else I wouldn’t have been able to work.

Myennr set her tray down on the most empty edge of the table, then rushed inside to grab the necessary items; I closed my eyes tightly and struggled to focus on anything else but the open flesh, gushing blood, and the pain. I balled up my good fist and pressed my knuckles against my lips, refocusing on the pillar as I willed my stomach to calm. Myennr soon returned with a clean but tattered rag, a flask of alcohol, and a bandage. I squinted hard and tightened my jaw as she poured the stinging liquid onto the cut and made sure it seeped deep into the wound by pulling it apart. A sensation like hot fire erupted in my hand, down to the bone, numbing any feeling except pain. Burning tears sprang to my eyes, a few slipping past my eyelashes and leaving tracks on my ash-stained cheeks. A low grunt and a small flinch were the only signs of discomfort that I allowed myself to show.

As soon as it was over, a combination of the searing pain and the shock had left my arm nearly completely numb. Myennr carefully bandaged my hand and let it rest on my lap, which I thanked her for, because I couldn’t move my arm very well now. “Please try to be more careful with sharp things, won’t you?” I could only nod in response, still in too much shock to say much of anything.

Grandpapa continued his dutiful work on the axe blade, while Byardölf put the dagger, now wrapped neatly in cloth, in a locked chest by the door of his house. That was where he kept all the weapons that were repaired or crafted during the day; he would move them inside before the closing of his shop.

Myennr went back inside the house to tend to her own duties, and we returned to our work. Slowly, realizing that the action was picking back up and our lunch was over, people returned to crowd around the smithy. Though my wound still ached and throbbed, shock caused the pain to lose its edge. I pushed it to the back of my mind and focused, soon nearly forgetting it as I went back to cutting and shaping the leather; although it was much more difficult with only one hand. I had to improvise, using the heavy hilt of one tool to hold the leather down so that I could work on it.

Only a few moments had passed when a loud, drunken shout rang clearly through the smithy: “Hey!”

I nearly cut my good hand when I jumped, scrambling to catch my cutting tool as it tried to leap out of my hands. Grandpapa momentarily paused in shaping the axe, his head snapping up with surprise. Byardölf stopped in the middle of shoveling chips of dark wood into the smelter, trying to find the source of the yell. The three of us scanned the crowd in confusion for a moment, and then Jarnir waltzed into the smithy as if he owned it, swaying as he shoved through the people gathered near.

Byardölf heaved a deep sigh as Grandpapa shook his head, both returning to work irritated by his drunk and dramatic entrance. Jarnir sauntered over to me instead of either of them, knowing he’d have to yell in order for them to hear him well; I was somewhat out of the noise, here toward the back of the smithy. I leaned back, letting out a sigh of my own. Typical Jarnir… This wasn’t the first time that Jarnir’s shown up drunk, and I very much doubted if it would be the last.

“What are doing here, Jarnir?” Involuntarily, my nose wrinkled as the strong stench of rum washed over me when he leaned closer. A sinking feeling settled in my gut. He’d often come into the stables drunk after work, but he’d never left work. “S-shouldn’t you be in the stables?”

Dismissively, he waved a hand, the gesture nearly causing him to fall over. “Bah. Drank too much during lunch.”

Jarnir, unlike the rest of us, was born and raised a pirate. He looked the part– greasy dark hair held back by a dirty bandanna, a worn leather vest over an old tunic, ratty trousers and boots that were barely holding themselves together. This wasn’t out of a lack of coin to buy new, but rather laziness. He had been a pirate all his life and didn’t see personal hygiene the same as we did. He had been captured on the open seas shortly after we were, and soon he became our only friend during our thralldom. Here, he was renowned as one of the worst pirates around, his love for drink hindering even his basic functions. When we had first arrived here, he had been offered several jobs after proving his prowess in a raid, but after getting himself the first of many, many bottles of rum, he was never called upon again. If he were to beat his alcoholism, we could easily make extra coin, but it was a difficult road for him to take.

My eyes widened as the realization struck me that he’d meant that he’d gotten drunk while working. If he lost his job, again, we’d have that much less coin until he could find another. And after trying every place in town and failing to complete basic tasks because of hangovers or drunkenness (or stealing from them outright), it would be very, very difficult. He would have to risk traveling somewhere, and with his lust for drink so strong I doubted he would make it twenty feet through the desert before turning back.

“Did Cedrir fire you?!” My heart was in my throat.

Jarnir snorted– or, he tried to, anyway. It sounded more like he’d just choked. “Hah! No. Wasn’t my fault, see; other stablehands brought in some rum. Couldn’t help meself. Cedrir promised I can still work, s’long’s I can control meself next time.” It took me a moment to process his slurred speech, but when I did, I released the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

I slumped back in my seat, relieved beyond words. We always worked so hard, and earned so little… Our landlord was one of the cruelest in the Archipelago. If the rent wasn’t paid in full, and on time… He had no sense of compassion or empathy. I’d seen on numerous occasions what he’d do, summoning hired sellswords to drag someone to the nearest battalion of einherjerii. Getting taken back is a fate worse than death. “Don’t scare me like that…”

Jarnir mumbled an apology before leaning down to look at the grip of the mace I was working on. After a quick, drunken examination, he smiled proudly and ruffled my hair a bit too roughly, nearly shoving me clean out of my chair. I shoved him off and he swayed drastically, stumbling back a bit. He paid no mind to it, smiling like an idiot. “Yer doin’ good!”

Shaking my head, I turned my focus back to the grip, trying to give him the signal to leave. “I think you should go keep Jarl company on the Skídbladnír, Jarnir…”

Jarnir almost fell over when he nodded. “Aye. But first…” He dug around in his pockets sloppily for a few moments. He took so long, in fact, that I had the time to finish one of the triangles of the design, and I almost forgot what he was doing. Finally, though, he managed to yank out a piece of crumpled paper. Frowning, he examined it with disappointment before his dark eyes flicked to me to gauge my reaction; because apparently, I should have one for the mystery paper that I knew nothing about. “Oops.” With some difficulty, he flattened it out as best as he could and carelessly shoved it in my face. “Take uh look!”

Gingerly, I plucked it out of his hand and turned it over. The paper had fancy writing and blue swirls decorating the edges underneath the framing, which was a pattern of shimmering golden knot designs. When he realized I’d started reading it, Jarnir waved his hands about frantically like I was doing something incredibly wrong. “No no no, so everyone can hear it.”

Stifling a sigh and barely concealing the roll of my eyes, I began to read aloud in the loudest, over-exaggerated story voice that I could muster. “‘Keifdel Drakonsson, renowned Drekivörðr general and Headmaster of Hyveldirin, is hosting a gladiatorial competition that will start in Vanaheimr in two week’s time.’” Pausing, I squinted against the harsh light of the setting sun bouncing off the cobblestones to glare at Jarnir pointedly, shaking the paper a bit for emphasis. “What is this?”

Jarnir only gave me a huge grin, a gold tooth flashing in the firelight of the forge. “Keep readin’.”

Just oblige him, I told myself, so he’ll let you get back to work. Reluctantly, I continued to read, this time unable to hide the irritated shake of my head. “‘All are welcome, including…’” The next words caused me to abruptly stop, my heart in my throat. I reread it a couple of times, excitement bubbling up before I could stop it and making my leap up from my seat with a shout, “‘In-including pirates and rogues!’” My cry alerted Grandpapa, who whipped around briefly before returning to his work when he saw nothing was the matter. Byardölf, however, had been listening the whole time, working the bellows while simultaneously paying attention to what I was reading.

He furrowed his brow. “My, this is the first I’ve heard of any competition that accepts pirates and rogues– and I’ve lived a long while.” Byardölf had never actually told us how old he really was, but his references and quips led us to believe that he was at least six hundred years old, maybe older; his surprise and interest only added to my own.

“‘...B-between the ages of fifteen and twenty-one…’” I finished hurriedly, gripping the paper so tightly it began to rip. The next sentence made me even more excited than the last, and I repeated it with a wild cry of exhilaration. “The entry fee is only fifty coin!” I let out a whooping laugh, my eagerness exploding and wholly ceasing any rational train of thought. “We might be able to…! W-wait…” As Grandpapa, hearing this part, and Byardölf both shook their heads, I realized the issue here. All my hopes smashed themselves to bits on the hard stone of reality, and I shot Jarnir a dejected glare; although really, the fault was mine for getting so excited. “Vanaheimr is an entire month’s journey away, Jarnir. We’d never make it in time.” I thrust the paper at him, frustrated. “Why would you even–”

He dodged my shove and spun his hands in a wheel-like motion, smiling like some goofy kid who’d just been given the keys to all the candy shops in Valhöll. “Keep readin’, Bjalla.”

My tight grip on the paper turned to clenched fists, shredding the edges. I found myself wanting to toss it into the forge; it was too late. What was the point of reading any more? Jarnir hadn’t found the flier in time– none of us had. “Jarnir, there’s no–”

He reached forward and pushed the paper further towards me. “Yes, there ‘s. Trust me.” He tried to wink, and tapped the flier repeatedly. “Just do it.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not–”

Jarnir jabbed a finger at the page. “Look ‘ere, Bjalla, look!” Of course, he was pointing to a part of the paper that I’d already read, so I reluctantly continued from where I left off. “‘In order to ensure all participants arrive on time, they’re required to take…’” My eyes flicked back and forth between the paper and Jarnir’s dumbly pleased face, and I was confused. “Gryphyn-Baskets?”

Gryphyns were beautiful, majestic creatures; ones of legend that few humans were granted the privilege of seeing. With the hind end of a lion and the front end of an eagle, they were roughly fifteen-to-twenty feet long and were the gentlest of creatures, only resorting to violence if it were an absolute must. Because of this, they were tamed long ago and used to carry huge baskets that could hold small groups of people.

But Gryphyn-Baskets were also highly expensive, only getting more expensive the greater the distance was that you wanted to travel. Only the rich got the luxury of such quick transportation; gryphyns were magical in nature, and could travel between worlds in mere days. Not to mention, almost every registered Gryphyn-Basket in all of the Surface Worlds left for their destinations by way of the Worldtrees– it’s a lot easier to take off with a basketful of people from the mid-branches of the spawns of Yggdrasíl that straight off from the ground.

Entrance to those Worldtrees is very strict and secure; rogues or pirates getting in is unheard of. Death or imprisonment are usually the outcomes if anyone is stupid enough to try. I lifted the paper in a half shrug. “What I’m reading is absolute nonsense, Jarnir, this is–”

“By the sands, girl, just keep reading!” It was Byardölf who spouted off, surprising me; I did as I was asked and realized with a jolt that I hadn’t even finished reading the sentence I was on; and that changed my whole understanding of the situation.

“‘Of which all fees are paid for by the hosts in advance!’”

“See what happens when you stop complaining after every pause and see the whole thing through?” Byardölf chuckled, more to himself, with a shake of his head.

I barely heard him. My heart was pounding in my ears, my hands trembling. Only fifty coin. All travel expenses paid. Is this really happening? Do we really have a chance to go? With a shaky voice, I continued reading. “‘Anyone wishing to participate must fill a contract, obtained by stating the specific words, “I, state your name, wish to enter” on the flier you hold; on signing, the contract and the fifty coin placed on its surface will be immediately transported to the hosts and you will be expected to arrive at your closest Worldtree in nine days.

“‘The competition will begin once Sir Drakonsson sees the competitors are fit enough to pose a challenge. Once in motion, the competitors will face the most feared monster of each world in a gladiatorial arena. Blakkr Svartlsson, the most powerful Seiðberendr in all of Valhöll, shall revive anyone who has been killed immediately, and they shall continue onward with their team should they win. There is no real threat of death here.’” It was the prize that made me choke on my own words for a moment, the prize that caused Grandpapa to nearly drop his hammer: “‘Th-the prize for the winning team will be full training at Hyveldirin for any subject they so choose. Additionally, if any of the members of the champions are pirates or rogues, they will be granted their complete freedom and a full pardon, so long as they have never committed a murder.’”

My chest rattled with a shaking inhale. The Svartl Worldtree wasn’t exactly close; but its huge creaking branches could be seen even from here, wreathed in clouds and unearthly large, a soft pink with new spring blossoms that were the size of whole towns. I’m sure, barring any sandstorm, we could hire a sandwalker carriage that could take us straight there in nine days.

The entry fee? The traveling expenses? Hel, even the time period in which to get to the Worldtree? All of them fell nicely into place. It sounded far too good to be true. I let my arms fall to my sides, gazing dumbfounded at Grandpapa and Byardölf. Even if we don’t win… It’s a chance to do– to be– something more…

“What d’ya think?” Jarnir cocked an eyebrow. “Sounds fun, eh? And you three c’n actually join this one too! Worldtree’s less than a week away by wagon. Left for the journey meself to trade those horses of Cedrir’s last summer, y’remember.” I nodded for emphasis; it had been a worrisome trip, as Jarnir’s fence was to meet him in the roots of the tree closest to the entrance, and we were scared that he’d get captured. But the journey had been quick, and that only gave me more hope. Jarnir tapped the paper sloppily for emphasis. “I’m showin’ Alf next, and Rúnhildr and Hildegardr. Poor Jarl’s up last, but only ‘cause he’s standin’ guard on the ol’ Skiddy.” His crude nickname for our precious ship made me visibly cringe. He snatched the paper out of my hand before leaving the smithy, stumbling into a table stacked high with iron and steel ingots on his way out and nearly knocking it over.

Slowly, I looked over at Grandpapa, silently asking him his thoughts on the matter. He sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t know… Winning honor is one thing, but if you don’t win, they may very well send the three of you back to the duke’s when it’s all over. And with how many contestants there will be, there is a very high chance that you might not succeed.”

Even here, we’re constantly under threat of being returned forcefully. One wrong word or action, and off we go. We barely escaped by the skin of our teeth last time; I doubt we’d be able to pull it off again. If we could win… Hel, even if we didn’t, we’d still have been trained by Keifdel Drakonsson himself. We could gain the skills needed to become excellent sellswords, and earn far more coin than we do now. I was suddenly filled with a surge of determination.

We can do this… Jarl, Alf, and I, we could do this. Even if we didn’t win, we’d have made names for ourselves. We could win honor and glory through battle, just like the old days in the legends. We would see sights we never would otherwise– the Worldtree, gryphyns, dragons, all eight worlds, including the difficult-to-reach Sky Isles that loomed overhead… We would meet our heroes, and be trained by them. The competition itself seemed enough of a prize for me.

What Grandpapa said, though, still rang in my ears. The thought of being returned to the duke, after that lifetime of Hel he’d put us through… he’d surely torture us. We would never survive a second round. Before convincing any of my family that we could do this, I would have to convince myself that it was a risk worth taking first.

My hands were still shaking with excitement as I went back to work.

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