Summary
Valor and bravery are the ideological pillars that support everything in the Heroic Domains of Ysgard. And how does one prove valor and bravery? Through combat, of course! Or so believes the dominant powers of Ysgard, and the battlefields of the plane are thick with armies trying to prove their worth in the eyes of their godly peers.
Navigating around the earthbergs of Ysgard can be tricky. One clan of warriors are known as the Sky Vikings, and they build great longships capable of soaring on the winds. Other clans simply wait for an earthberg to collide and then join in battle against whomever is on the other side. The spirits of the honored dead, einherjar, are capable of carrying a large number of warriors across the sky as well.
Epic Landscape
Ysgard could be easily mistaken for a more epic version of
The Material Plane. Mountains soar into the veil of clouds, hiding dangerous secrets in their roots, and bitter winds blow across mighty fjords, ice plains, titanic rivers, and ancient forests. The top layer shares the name of the plane, and it comprises countless continents floating in an infinite sky. These break up the realms into grand islands, and smaller pieces known as earthbergs float and crash into one another from time to time.
Muspelheim
Underneath each floating island and earthberg is an infinite sea of lava that rages with crimson fire, the layer known as Muspelheim. Here, sharp volcanic rocks jut from the sea of fire at irregular intervals, sometimes connecting and creating small rivers of Earth.
Fire giants, smolder jotun, and numerous creatures of fire and brimstone occupy Muspelheim, and while it is largely inhospitable it isn’t necessarily evil. Many jotuns maintain enormous forges in Muspelheim using ore mined from the floating earthbergs or dug up from Nidavellir below. The largest of these is the massive complex called the Brimstone Forge, where jotuns of all
kind come to craft the mightiest weapons and armor.
Nidavellir
Nidavellir is a dark and cavernous realm located below the burning landscape of Muspelheim. It is a vast network of stone tunnels connecting the isolated homes of dwarves, gnomes,
Drow, duergar, and other underground creatures. Exiled jotun also wander the tunnels. Self-sufficiency is a great theme in Nidavellir, and residents pride themselves on never asking for help from outsiders, although they sometimes need it.
To Valhalla!
The crashing of the earthbergs is an important event in Ysgard. With each crashing, two earthbergs merge, and each earthbergs respective clan or army joins in battle against whomever is on the other side. Even the Jotun, giant celestial beings, are known to participate in this tradition. There is nothing more honorable to strive for than a courageous death in battle, and as such, warriors train their whole lives to die a glorious death. If the Aesir – the Gods who preside over this domain – are impressed with its deeds, they may perhaps offer the warrior’s soul a seat in their grand hall of Valhalla.
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