Lore
Overview
The World Tree, Yggdrasil, is the center of the cosmos. Within its roots and its branches lie nine worlds-- Asgard, Muspelheim, Alfehimr, Vanaheim, Midgard, Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Nidavaellir, Niflheim, and Hel.
Long before there was any ground, or sky, or any form of life, there was the gaping abyss called Ginnungagap, a place of perfect stillness and darkness. On one side of it was the homeland of elemental fire, Muspelheim. On the other side was the homeland of elemental ice, Niflheim. Frost from Niflheim and fire from Muspelheim slowly crept toward each other, eventually meeting in Ginnungagap. In the midst of the sputtering and hissing of element meeting with element, the fires of Muspelheim melted the ice of Niflheim. Ymir, the first of the godlike giants, was born from the droplets. Ymir was able to reproduce asexually, creating more giants from his sweat. Eventually, Buri, the first of the Aesir tribe of gods was born, who later had a child, named Bor. Bor married Bestla, the daughter of the giant Bolthorn, and they later had half-god, half-giant sons: Odin, Vili, and Ve.
Odin and his brothers slew Ymir and from his corpse, created the world of Midgard, the world of the Normans. From his blood they made oceans, from his skin and muscle they made soil, his hair became vegetation, his brains became clouds, and his skull became the sky. Four dwarves, one in each cardinal direction, hold Ymir's skull above the earth. Ymir's heart was broken into many fragments and it is said that these fragments maintain the world and fuel its growth. Their locations are primarily unknown. Some believe that the fragments have the potential to regrow into a full, whole heart, and that Ymir's heart is capable of immense and unfathomable power.
As the Normans flourished, conflict emerged between the giants and the gods in what became known as the Thousand-Year War. The giant Satan Morroc led an army of fire giants from Muspelheim and their destructive force was so great that the Midgard continent collapsed. Eventually the leader of the gods, Odin, Jaoon, and the Aesir stood up against Satan Morroc and the fire giants and defeated them. This war was supposed to culminate into the cataclysmic event known as Ragnarok, where the Age of Gods comes to an end and the Age of Man begins and the world begins anew amidst the ashes of its former destruction. Somehow, the goddess Freyja managed to delay Ragnarok, extending the Age of Gods for another 1,000 years. Any year that passes since the war is denoted by A.W. (After War). After the war ended, a new evil emerged, bringing rampant destruction and chaos to Midgard: Jormungandr. Among the people slaughtered was Tristan Gaebolg I's father. Tristan gathered six other warriors and led into combat against the massive serpent. The battle ended with Jormungandr's death and the seven warriors came together and established the kingdom of Rune-Midgard. The normans, demons, and gods entered a truce and forged a fragile time of peace that would last for the next 1,000 years. That peace, however, would likely never last the full millennium.
Four hundred years passed before Satan Morroc attempted to destroy Midgard once again. As he laid waste to the world, he found himself opposed not by Odin or the other Aesir, but by a single knight of Midgard, Thanatos. Believing this was going to be an easy fight, Satan Morroc engaged the knight in single combat. They fought for ten days and nights in epic battle. Their strikes shook the heavens and their blows made the very earth tremble. On the last day, Thanatos managed to defeat Satan Morroc adn seal the giant into the earth, over which a shrine was built in order to maintain the seal. Thanatos Tower still stands to this day, though not much is known about it or the namesake of the tower, save for his triumph over Satan Morroc. Thanatos himself vanished, never to be heard from again.
Not long after the second defeat of Satan Morroc, the Assassins Guild formed, striving to maintain balance amongst the Normans, demons, and gods in order to prevent another Thousand-Year War and turning Midgard into a battlefield once again.
A few decades later, in the year 440 A.W., a few of the princes of the Rune-Midgard kingdom rebelled against the Court, unhappy with how the Court chose the successors for the throne. Notably, Prince Eyck Von Walter led his soldiers into the fight. Upon attempting to escape, Prince Lakhan Lugenburg killed Prince Walter and his men. Since their defeat in the Prince Revolt, the Walter family has lost most of their power within the Royal Court, being banned from participating in the competition for determining the next royal successor, and essentially being treated as lower-class royalty. Later, in 509 A.W., King Ouzel died, leaving the Court to determine the next prince to ascend the throne. Eventually they decided upon Prince Schmitz Von Walter, who had been raised by the Gaebolgs as their heir.
Prince Schmitz began his reign as a benevolent and wise ruler. Over time, however, he began to reveal his true intentions and personality. He began various domestic and overseas business projects and removed many faithful retainers from the Royal Court, filling the Court with followers that he believed would give him their support. King Schmitz, however, was blinded by their flattery and failed to see the true nature of ruling and of state affairs. He won the favor of his people by opening an arena near Prontera, allowing adventurers to kill demons and monsters for sport. As more and more people pledged their allegiance, King Schmitz decided to rebuild the palace and frivolously spending money from the kingdom's treasury to finance daily parties and banquets. His spending habits put financial strain on the royal court.
He embarked in various domestic and overseas business projects and ousted many faithful retainers from the Royal Court. He filled the Royal Court with his followers that would give him their support, but their flattery would blind him to the reality of state affairs. King Schmitz also built an arena near Prontera to showcase adventurers that would kill demons for sport, thus winning the favor of his people. As more and more followers pledged their allegiance to him, King Schmitz rebuilt his palace, and wantonly spent money from the Kingdom Treasury to finance daily banquets and parties that caused financial difficulties for the Royal Court.
With Braham Von Walter's death, King Schmitz learned the truth of his birth. He was not actually the Gaebolgs' heir, but heir to the Walters lineage, and was Braham Von Walter's son. Braham gave Schmitz to the Gaebolgs when he was two years old to be raised as their heir. Having learned the truth of his birth and identity, King Schmitz began to change, harboring mixed feelings for the Gaebolgs and the Walters. The knowledge began to consume him, slowly driving him insane, and the king eventually led a killing spree against the Lugenburg family, since King Lakhan Lugenburg had murdered his grandfather, Eyck Von Walter. Any Lugenburgs that were spared from death were banished from the Rune-Midgard kingdom.
From there, King Schmitz took pains to restore the Walter family to the height of power. He dismissed high-ranking members of the court that normally chose who would be elected into the Royal Cabinet and Royal Court and placed members of the Walter family into the Royal Court. He also established the right for the king to choose his next successor. Despite having been raised by the Gaebolgs, King Schmitz showed seeming little sympathy for the family, and clearly showed favoritism toward his biological family.
Over time, the king's behavior became more erratic. Having grown displeased with the Prontera Palace, where royal families had lived for more than five centuries, despite it having been renovated recently. He decided that he wanted a new palace to be constructed and chose Glastheim to be the site of his new palace, just south of Mount Mjolnir. Of course, he didn't want just any old palace; he ordered his people to erect a castle that was three times the size of the palace in Prontera. The Royal Court was forced to collect even more taxes from the people to finance this massive and expensive project. The construction took five years to complete. King Schmitz moved there immediately, living a decadent, isolated life that was financed by taxes that adventurers and his citizens paid.
The king's erratic behavior worsened, and he soon grew displeased with the Prontera Palace. King Schmitz ordered his people to erect a giant castle three times larger than his old one in Glastheim, right below Mount Mjolnir. The Prontera Palace had housed royal families for more than five hundred years and, although it had been recently been rebuilt, the Court was forced to collect more taxes from the people to finance this immensely expensive project. The new Glastheim Palace was completed in five years and King Schmitz immediately moved there, living an isolated life of decadent pleasure that was financed by taxes paid by citizens and adventurers.
King Schmitz's insanity worsened over time, however, and reports of strange activity at Glastheim began spreading throughout Rune-Midgard. It was said that King Schmitz had begun sacrificing Normans to demons in hopes of becoming immortal. When word of this reached Grenholm Von Gaebolg, his cousin, he planned to remove Schmitz from the throne and end whatever madness that afflicted his cousin. In 529 A.W., Grenholm led a coup de etat against King Schmitz. The rebel troops defeated Schmitz's royal army and advanced unopposed to Glastheim Palace. But no one could have prepared for or expected what they encountered upon entering. Schmitz had summoned a demon army from Hel. Many of Grenholm's soldiers perished in the fight but eventually, the rebellion succeeded. Now it was a matter of finding the king. Eventually they reached Schmitz and saw the full extent of his lunacy: he had experimented upon himself in his efforts to become immortal like the demons and his body had become mutated, broken, and misshapen.
Grenholm held Schmitz captive in his room while the Royal Court tried to figure out what to do with their mad king and the damage he had caused not only to himself but to the kingdom. A few months later, Schmitz seemed to have vanished from his room. A large scale investigation discovered that Schmitz had used a mysterious demonic power to hide in a mirror in his room. Grenholm claimed the crown now that his cousin was deposed, and declared that his first action as king was to return to tradition, and move the royal family back to Prontera Palace.
Plot
After the Thousand-Year War and Satan Morroc's attempts to bring forth Ragnarok, the Normans, demons, and gods entered a truce and forged a fragile time of peace that would last for the next 1,000 years in order to avoid the destruction and death that had plagued Midgard for centuries prior. It was a truce that no one was sure would really work, as the giants and the gods always ended up in conflict with each other and the Normans usually ended getting involved in some manner. Still, peace was forged in the hope that Ragnarok would not happen for the next thousand years and those that lived in Midgard would be able to live in safety and prosper.
That peace, however, would likely never last the full millennium.
Odin, the leader of the Aesir, banished his beloved wife Freyja from Asgard, the realm of the gods. Betrayed by the one she loved most, the beautiful and benevolent goddess soon turned into the goddess of destruction. She swore she would seek vengeance against her husband and destroy that which he held most dear: Midgard, the world of the Normans. No one quite knows where or when she will strike, or even where Freyja lives, but the threat of the goddess has struck fear in the hearts of those who listen. The Arunafeltz States and its citizens, who have incorporated the worship of Freyja into almost every aspect of life, have begun to stir. Freyjanity priests and priestesses speak of the anger and wrath of Freyja.
Those who worship Odin swear that Freyja is harmless and that the patron god will protect them when the time arises. The fervor of the Odin Orthodoxy church has never been higher and many of its followers seek to aid the rest of Midgard and help as many avoid death and despair when the time arises. And there are others who are unsure of what to expect or what to believe. Confusion and chaos has erupted upon Midgard as new threats and dangers emerge.
There is only one thing that is certain.
Ragnarok is coming.
The Valkyrie Sandra, realizing that the peace treaty may be broken, has decided to give the Normans a fighting chance. Searching among the souls of the dead, she finds souls of great warriors of battles past-- mages, swordsmen, priests, and other worthy fighters-- and guides them to become reincarnated. Though not quite as powerful as their former incarnations, these souls instinctively become adventurers, seeking out tasks to aid those in Midgard.
Sandra knew that these adventurers would need guidance. She visited various individuals, making her cause known, and urged them to create an organization to help those who would be sent to them.
"Take root the royal capitol, and build your foundation in the square so these souls can easily find their way to you. I will assist you in this matter and help you set up throughout Midgard, so that no matter where one of them is born, they will know to find you and where to go," she told them.
The Leika Organization soon took residence in Prontera and established outposts in all of the major towns and cities in Midgard. Their task: find the adventurers, train them and teach them to tap into the skills and abilities of their past lives, and help Midgard stand up against the inevitable storm.
References
1. http://norse-mythology.org/tales/norse-creation-myth
2. http://mythology.wikia.com/wiki/Norse_cosmology
