[ Ysgard ] [ Ysgard | Muspelheim | Nidavellir ]
Ysgard
The Land of the Brave, Hero’s Triumph
Battle, fight, struggle, win! That’s the theme of this place: the freedom of going solo, and the glory that the struggle brings. The Norse Pantheon lives and dies here, at least if you believe their legend-to-be of Ragnarok. They say the end of the multiverse’ll begin here. That’s as maybe, but in the meantime there’s plenty of adventure to be had here, if you’re brave enough to leap to it…
And yes, the name of the plane takes its name from the name of the first layer. Or maybe the other way around. This probably isn’t so much because the cutters who named it weren’t imaginative, and more to do with the fact few travellers are brave enough to venture beyond the first layer. Which, on the plane of bravery, is probably about right…
Ysgard — Layer the First
The first layer of Ysgard, called Gladsheim by some primes but Ysgard or the Glory of Challenge by those in the know, is a surreal realm where rivers of rock stretch across the sky. These earthbergs range in size from boulders to continents containing oceans. Since gravity on the plane applies, the earthbergs all have a top side, where vegetation and water can be found, and an underside, where the bergs burn with fire and magma. There are many of these earth rivers in all directions, and the fires from one flickering high in the skies of the rivers below. Ysgard is the domain of the Norse powers, where both the houses of the Æsir and Vanir can be found. It’s a plane of monsters and stories, of valiant battles and hearty celebrations. Ysgard embodies the idea that courage is not the absence of fear, but triumph over it.
More details on the layer of Ysgard here…
Muspelheim — Layer the Second
If you travel far down enough in Ysgard you eventually come to the Glory of Conviction, a place where some of the earthbergs freeze over, becoming rivers of ice in the sky. Yet at the same time, other earthburgs burn even more intense, becoming glowing rivers of magma. This realm of ice and flame is called Muspelheim, and is the second layer of Ysgard, home to giants of frost and fire. It’s not only the humanoids who are giant sized here. Amongst the earthburgs the kaiju can be found, battling for supremacy and not caring what damage they do while they fight. Muspelheim isn’t only a place of giants though, it’s also home to the fires of creation, that primal force that first thawed out the raw potential of the planes and turned them into reality. Muspelheim embodies the idea that true bravery is facing overwhelming odds with stoicism. The timid and the meek have no place here.
More details on Muspelheim here…
Nidavellit — Layer the Third
Where the earthberg rivers of Muspelheim become so densely packed together that they become a continuous flow of grinding rocks, begins the layer of Nidavellir, the Glory of Fortune. Caverns and passageways continually shift as gaps open up and close between bergs. Down here the ores are rich and the gemstones sparkle. If a cutter is able to handle the danger, then there are rich pickings for brave miners. Nidavellir is the embodiment of fortune favouring the bold.
More details on Nidavellir here…
More details to follow!
Source: Jon Winter-Holt and Alex Roberts
