Well of Urd
Urðarbrunnr, Realm of the Norns
Right-o cutter, so you’re itching for the dark on the realm of the Norns, are ya? We’re talking about the Well of Urd, a spot cloaked in mystery and a fair bit of barmy screed too.
First off, getting there’s a trek that’d test the patience of a stone. It’s nestled deep in the Outlands, near the Ringing Mountains, but don’t you go thinking it’s a stroll through some sunny glade.
The land around the Well, it’s a forest so thick with trees and thorns, daylight itself thinks twice about sneaking in. It’s dark, cutter, dark as the Lady’s heart. You’ll need to bring your own light, and a thick cloak to protect from the thorns. The chant goes that there’s a branch of Yggdrasil the World Ash somewhere around these parts, leaving onto the planar pathway. If this wasn’t barmy enough, they say that there’s also a gate here to one of the probably-not-real Cordant Planes lurking around in the thick undergrowth here too; Pangeae, I believe they call it.
Now, the grove itself is a real paradox. It’s tiny, sure, but the arcane power it packs could give Sigil a run for its jink. And the canopy overhead, so dense it’s like stepping underground. The petitioners here, they’re a gloomy lot, waiting on a word from the real Norns. Witches, hags, graeae, and they’re just the friendly ones.
The Well of Urd itself, now that’s where the action happens. It’s at the centre of it all, a well so deep and dark, peering into it might just give you a glimpse of your own fate. But heed this, cutter: most who’ve looked don’t like what they see. Mortals aren’t meant to know their ends, see? It mucks with the head something fierce.
And the Norns? If the tales are true, they’re holed up here, spinning away at fate itself. But catching sight of them is rarer than a truthful tanar’ri. The problem is there are plenty of witchy old seers here, planars and petitioners, and it’s impossible to say which if any are the real Norns. The whole place is shrouded in such secrecy, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s all a bunch of bubber’s tales. It’s place of shadow and secrets, where the threads of fate are woven tight. If you’re mad enough to seek it out, remember: some doors, once opened, can’t be closed. And some truths, once known, can’t be forgotten.
- Dead Gods [2e] p20-22 (ramifications of a walking castle entering the realm of the Norns, the roots of Yggdrasil)
- Deities & Demigods [3e] p165,167 (Norse powers meet at the Well of Urd)
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p147 (the Norns and their realm)
- Planes of Chaos: Book of Chaos [2e] p104,112,128; Travelogue p40,46 (multiple brief mentions of the Norns)
- Planes of Law: Mount Celestia [2e] p17 (the Glass Tarn has a one way portal to the realm of the Norns)
- A Player’s Primer to the Outlands [2e] p30 (brief entry on the Norns)
- Planescape Campaign Setting: Sigil & Beyond [2e] p16 (brief mention of the Norns and their realm)
- Sigil & the Outlands [5e] (description of the realm)
Source: Jon Winter-Holt
