The theme of Ysgard is the glory of heroic, individual struggle. According to myth, the twilight of the gods will begin on this plane. Ysgard is also a plane of inspiration and creativity. The Infinite Staircase has its beginning here, and true poetry is said to be found in giants' wells and the mead of the gods. The World Ash, Yggdrasil, has the most connections on this plane. The wandering realm of the Seelie Court often appears on the plane of Ysgard, always in a different location.
Ysgard is a place of raw elements, where rivers of earth, ice, and fire crash together in the howling sky, where waves crash in wild oceans. It's the homeland of the heroic bariaurs, the giants and their gods, and the mystical fensir.
Ysgard Traits[]
Ysgard has the following traits.
Normal Gravity. Objective directional on earthbergs; subjective in the star-lit aether between them.
Normal Time. Battles and feasts recur in cycles tied to the dawn.
Infinite Size: Ysgard goes on forever, but its wellknown realms have boundaries within the plane as a whole.
Morphic Traits: Highly morphic to sworn oaths and songs skaldic magic, bardic performance, and oath-bound.
Divinely Morphic: Specific powerful beings (such as the deities Kord and Olidammara) can alter Ysgard with a thought. Ordinary creatures find Ysgard as easy to alter as the Material Plane is—they can be affected by spells and physical effort normally. But deities can change vast areas, creating great realms for themselves.
No Elemental Traits: No one element dominates on Ysgard; all are in balance as on the Material Plane. However, pans of the second layer, Muspelheim, are treated as if they possessed the fire-dominant trait.
Minor Positive-Dominant: Ysgard possesses a riotous explosion of life in all its forms. All individuals on a positive-dominant plane gain fast healing 2 and may even regrow lost limbs in rime. Additionally, those slain in the never-ending conflicts on Ysgard's fields of battle rise each morning as if true resurrection were cast on them, fully healed and ready to fight anew. Even petitioners, who as outsiders cannot be raised, awaken fully healed. Only those who suffer mortal wounds on Ysgard's battlefields get the true resurrection effect; dead characters brought to Ysgard don't spontaneously revive.
Mildly Chaos-Aligned: Lawful creatures on Ysgard suffer a –2 penalty on all Charisma-based checks.
Normal Magic. Spells which are chaotic are empowered; lawful and spells that deny agency (e.g. Dominate) effects are impeded. Spells of resurrection or reincarnation automatically succeed if used on slain petitioners within Ysgard itself. In addition, Skaldic, Bardic magic and oath-bound effects are enhanced.
Localized Phenomena[]
Immortal Wrath-Ysgard is the home of slain heroes who wage eternal battle on fields of glory. Any creature, other than a construct or undead, that is killed by an attack or a spell while on Ysgard is restored to life at dawn the next day. The creature has all its hit points restored, and all conditions and afflictions it suffered before its death are removed.
Planar Boon: A willing creature slain in honorable contest returns at dawn. Cowardly flight or treachery forfeits this boon for up to 9 days.
Planar Malediction: Breaking a sworn oath (witnessed or sung) imposes a curse, until the oath is satisfied or a deed of equal peril is completed.
Inhabitants[]
Like the inhabitants of Arborea, Ysgard's petitioners and planars are epic and larger than life, strapping tough berks who depend on themselves and rarely extend a helping hand without good reason. Few towns exist in Ysgard; the rugged denizens prefer to make it on their own, though they gather in the great halls of the plane often enough for mead, song, and battle. The herds of bariaur keep well away from the petitioners and the most violent inhabitants. They travel a fine line between the good grazing of the plains and meadows and the desolate safety of the hills and highlands. Like all nomads, the fact that the bariaur are always on the move makes them difficult to track down. No one knows when or where they'll show up, and that's the way they like it. The natives of Yggdrasil can be numbered among the creatures of Ysgard, since they have access to many sites on the plane through the World Ash. The most numerous of these are the ratatosk, a race of climbers who consider the World Ash their patron god.
The goat or sheep-bodied, centauroid bariaurs roam Ysgard's layers and adjacent planes freely, battling giants and embracing their liberty and love of life. The lillends are serpentine celestials whose duty it is to guard the Gates of the Moon and the Infinite Staircase that extends from it. The squirrel-like, chattering ratatosks scamper up and down the World Ash Yggdrasil.
Fearsome giants dwell in Ysgard, mighty enough to challenge the gods themselves. Their lesser cousins the fensir are a wise but ravenous race found on the first layer of the plane.
Servants of the gods include angels, einheriar, and valkyries.
Structure[]
As an outer plane, Ysgard is spatially infinite, further consisting of three infinite layers (or sub-planes). Ysgard’s first layer shares borders with the neighboring planes of Arborea, Limbo, and the Outlands; travel is possible between Ysgard and these planes at certain locations. Portals in Ysgard are wells in the earth. They are often marked, but tend to be unreliable.
Ysgard is well-known for its heavy connections to the plane-spanning tree Yggdrasil, the World Ash. Yggdrasil touches the Beastlands, Niflheim, the three layers of Ysgard, Limbo, and Elysium, as well as many other locations. Its roots can be found drinking from the Well of Urd in the Realm of the Norns and from the Well of Mimir, and one emerges near the gate-town of Glorium. It also joins various half-worlds that touch nowhere else in the multiverse. High in the branches roosts the eagle Egder, and at its Niflheim root squirms the dragon Nidhogg and her brood of linnorms. The World Ash also hosts a major sentient race, the ratatosks.
The three layers of Gladsheim consisted of tremendous rivers of earth and stone that formed cosmic arches through the void, like very tightly packed asteroid belts. Millions of miles/kilometers wide, each river was made up of gigantic chunks of matter that bumped and ground against each other at a glacial but noticeable pace, raising up mountains and opening vast chasms. These "earthbergs" all shared the same gravity field and most were inhabitable on the top side while the underside of the rivers burned with a radiant fire that provided a ruddy light to the rivers below. Earthquakes and landslides were a commonly occurring danger in Gladsheim as the landscape slowly buckled and broke under the influence of chaos
Layers[]
Ysgard[]
The first layer of Ysgard, also known as Ysgard or Gladsheim, takes the form of rivers of earth (or "earthbergs") stretching across the sky. On the larger earthbergs are oceans and continents. The underside of the earthbergs burns with fire and molten rock. Other realms adjacent to Ysgard was Vanaheim (Home of the Vanir), Alfheim (Fairyland, known for its chaotic elven spirits) and Jotunheim (home of the Giants).
The layer of Ysgard is the location of a number of godly realms, including Olidammara's realm of Winesong, Frey's realm of Alfheim, Selûne and Soma's shared realm of Gates of the Moon, Surtr and Thrym's realm of Jotunheim, Bast's realm of Merratet, Anhur's realm of Netaph, Branchala's realm of Soul of Music, realm of the Vanir (Frey, Freya, Noatun, and Ullr) Vanaheim, Hachiman and O-Kuni-Nushi's realm of Kenyama, and Shou Hsing's realm the Orchard of Immortality.
The realm of Asgard on the first layer of Ysgard is the home of the Norse gods Odin, Frigga, Frey, Freya, Idun, and secondary realms of Loki and Tyr.
Divine Realms[]
- Kord's Realm: The deity of the strong and courageous, Kord the Brawler lives in the Hall of the Valiant on this plane. His grand hall is built of stout beams of wood hewn from a single massive ash tree. Within, Kord presides over a never-ending banquet where honored guests come and go, but the revelry never ends. The feast tables surround a great open space where valiant heroes wrestle for sport. Sometimes, Kord himself sets aside his intelligent dragonslaying greatsword, Kelmar, and his dragon-hide accoutrements, and enters the square to the great delight of all assembled.
- Plain of Ida: This great field is located near the Hall of the Valiant and the great free city of Himinborg, the largest population center on the layer. The Plain of Ida hosts daily festivals where warriors can flaunt their mettle. Here, bravery and skill in battle is valued over all else.
- Alfheim: Elven petitioners populate this brilliant, sunlit region, as does a contingent of mortal elves. Alfheim is suffused with light and joy, and visitors cannot help but be buoyed by the happiness in the air. The lands are wild and beautiful, untouched by civilization. Wildlife is plentiful, and natural features such as streams, forests, and sunny hills are likewise bountiful. The elven natives are friendly, but they care little for anything but games and meditative appreciation of their natural surroundings. While many elves live in harmony with nature among the trees and fields of the surface, some elves abide in glittering caves below the surface of Alfheim. Alfheim has seasons. Summers are long and kind, and its winters are dark and unforgiving. During winter, the elves retreat into the glittering caves, the entrances to which are sealed off and buried during the season of snows.
- Den of Olidammara: The god of rogues, Olidammara the Laughing Rogue is an intermediate deity who concerns himself with music, revels, wine, humor, and similar ideals. Wood, stone, and stranger substances create a grand but haphazard structure, as if several mansions of various cultures were mashed together. On the inside, mazes, locked doors, blind hallways, and secret treasuries surround a grand hall where music and dancing are mandatory. Usually, the guests of this inmost den include rogues, bards, performers, and entertainers of all stripes and all places. Wine, romance, and song rule here, where Olidammara lounges at his ease on a grand divan—unless he is disguised as one of his many guests using his magic laughing mask. Because some terrible prank often draws him far away from his den, other deities treat Olidammara with deserved caution no matter where they are.
- Anhur, the Egyptian god of war, has a small realm called Netaph. Netaph shares the same earthberg as the realm of Bast. Only ancient weapons and equipment are available here, but all schools of magic are enhanced (increased by one level). Old forms of magic thrive in Netaph, many of them long since forgotten. His followers aren't expected to fight one another as the Norse do; instead they travel to the Gray Waste, the Abyss, and elsewhere to fight the forces of evil. Netaph is known for its birds of prey, which include domesticated eagles, falcons, and owls.
- Hachiman and O-Kuni-Nushi are the rulers of Kenyama, the realm of war and heroes. Hachiman is particularly suited to the plane, and his violent petitioners can match the Asgardians blow for blow. 0- Kuni-Nushi, patron of heroes and friend of animals, is less interested in battles than in heroic actions and adventures. Shou Hsing and Idun both take turns watching over the fruit of immortality, though they serve two different pantheons. Shou Hsing watches the peaches claimed by the Celestial Bureaucracy, and Idun watches the golden apples of the Norse. Shou Hsing wanders the realm when his turn at guardianship is done; Idun rarely leaves her estates. Selune and Soma rule a moonlit realm on a milky sea, a place called the Gates of the Moon. Rumors say that the waters surrounding their realm are slowly drawing the River Oceanus over the boundary from Arborea, connecting Ysgard to this planar highway, but this tenuous link is as changeable as the tides.
Inhabidents[]
Many if not most of the planars of Ysgard are members of the Fated, though a few are Sensates, Ring-givers, or Chaosmen. Lots of Ysgardians are also members of the Free League (Indeps). The Fated have their headquarters on the first layer of Ysgard. Called Rowan's Hall (for their factol) or the Heartless Hall (by the Ring-givers), the Fated's fortress is a single great citadel of stone and timber, rising like a mountain from the midst of a great forest. A conduit leads from the fortress to the Outlands, near the grove of the Norns. The factol in Sigil makes occasional use of this conduit to travel back and forth.
The Ring Givers[]
While a berk'll end up paying for their favors in one way or another, it's the Ring-givers sect that makes Ysgard a bit safer for clueless berks; unlike the battlecrazed petitioners and the hard-edged Fated, they'll greet a traveler with a helping hand rather than a battle cry. Skeinheim's the place to find the Ring-givers, and it's a fair place for a weary traveler to grab a kip and a bite to eat. Outside of Skeinheim, the most well-known Ring-giver's a wandering bariaur named Kara the Forester (PI/ 9 b/R6/Rg/CG), most often found tending her flock
Muspelheim[]
Muspelheim, the second layer of Ysgard, is similar to the first layer of that plane in that it is made up of shifting rivers of earth that form vast arches through the sky. Unlike the first layer (Ysgard), the earth here is covered in lava and flames as hot as the Elemental Plane of Fire.
Surtr, god of fire giants, dwells on this layer; within it is a portal to the Elemental Plane of Water known as the Silver Eye. The Mystaran Immortal Rathanos has a realm here as well. There is a fortress built by celestials called the Tower of War Triumphant; it guards a portal to the Abyss known as the Black Maw. Somewhere on the layer there is said to be a portal to the Paraelemental Plane of Ice. When Surtur mobilizes, the Fire Giants and the Azers follow him unquestioningly, and most denizens of Muspelheim follow. Nominally, his incursions are purely what the people want- and the people do want them, and revel in the glory they bring. His forays into Gladsheim have never coincided with a demonic invasion, and many question that he coordinates with the demons so his armies never clash with the demons, and work together indirectly in some desecrated alliance. Most dismiss the idea, and many don’t care either way- he creates fights, and fighting demons or Giants doesn’t matter to them.
Muspelheim is extremely similar to the first layer of Gladsheim, being spatially infinite and hosting great expanses, lakes, and rivers of rock floating through the air- going as high as soaring mountains and as low as gorging ravines. However, no minor deity makes its realms here, because all of vast arches shifting through the sky are molten and folding in on themselves, eternally bathed in flame. Very few creatures can survive here for any length of time. When a creature dies in Muspelheim, it will always raise at dawn where it died the day before; this means that a creature who dies in the fires that flood the continents will wake up in those same fires, and burn to death again and again infinitely. A Fire Giant will often take pity on such a creature, and deliver them to another layer, but a visiting demon, if it can defend itself from Giants, might guard the body so that the subject may suffer forever.
Inhabidents[]
Creatures immune to fire include: • Azer fire elementals crafted on the plane, who form outposts around their continental realm, inside which they forge masterful works in the caverns of their volcanoes for use in the glorious combat of Ysgard. • Many Demons will hide out in Muspelheim. They are not welcome, but they stay where they can and kill as much as possible in the eternal battle which wages on the plane. • Devils and Yugoloths have little interest in the combat, but are often spotted in Muspelheim. Some suspicious mortals believe them to have met with the deity Surtur to plan nefarious acts. • Red Dragons will come to Ysgard often to rip apart mortals at their heart’s desire; oftentimes they fall into Muspelheim when looking for a greater challenge. The same may go for Gold Dragons who look to gain wealth in this plane, bartering with the master craftsmen who make their home among the Azers and the Fire Giants. • Fire elementals thrive on this plane, nearly as much as their own. This includes Salamanders, as well as Magmins and both Magma and Smoke Mephits, which are rarely a match for other creatures, but enjoy hassling them all the same. • Efreeti aren’t really into “honor and glory," but often show up in Muspelheim to test their mettle against powerful creatures • The Fire Giants are the most common denizens of Muspelheim by far, forging great armor and weapons (sometimes alongside the Azers) and using them to participate in the endless wars as some of the most fierce combatants many ever face. • Iron Golems are effectively immortal on this plane, constantly healing themselves whenever they take damage; however, occasionally an Iron Golem has been known to melt down, absorbing too much fire and overheating. An Iron Golem must be placed in this plane by a wizard or other creature capable of creating them, and therefore always serve some purpose- usually guarding a powerful relic, holy artifact, or lich’s phylactery (as long as it’s immune to fire) • Nightmares are often found wildly roaming, as the rider who initially brought them has long been lost. • Remorhazes are often associated with the cold, and the ice, but are perfectly capable of thriving in Muspelheim. Other creatures are bulky enough to survive through brute force for long enough to accomplish their goals. Such creatures include: Dragon Turtles, Empyreans, Purple Worms, the occasional Kraken, especially large oozes, powerful Slaadi.
Dotted along Muspelheim are great caverns of fire which gradually give way into becoming tunnels full of cold, chilling air, with bright gems sparkling out of the rock. Myrkheim.
Myrkheim[]
Myrkheim is the third layer of Ysgard, a subterranean realm of caves and underground passages. The terrain on this chaotic plane shifts unpredictably, so caverns and byways may open and close.
A realm of magic-savvy dwarves, also called Nidavellir, is located on this layer of the plane; the dwarven god Muamman Duathal lives there when he's not wandering, and the dwarven goddess Sharindlar has a ring of standing stones nearby. It's rumored that the Norse god Hoder dwells here as well. The city of Ashbringer, also known as the Great Bellows and the Chorus of Ringing Anvils, is located in the dwarven realm of Nidavellir. These dwarves are somewhere between the material dwarves and the duergar in complexion, and have a society revolving highly around magic: much as the dwarves of the material plane are known for all to do with stone (i.e. mining, architecture, and craftwork), the dwarves of Nidavellir are accomplished wizards and arcane clerics, analyzing the magic they wield, especially the evocative
Svartalfheim is a realm of chaotic neutral dark elves; the goddess Eilistraee dwells there. These dark elves are foes of the Ysgardian dwarves. Svartalfheim is the antithesis of the realm of Alfheim in the first layer. It is filled with the Dark Elves, who much like the drow of the material plane are a conquest and violence focused race, which gives power to the most fearsome among them. Unlike the drow, the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim are free from Lolth’s corrupting influence, which frees them to create a healthy society- no more of these dark elves are evil than in any other humanoid population, and they do not live in constant darkness like the caves of the underdark. These elves use a significant amount of luminescent stone and light magic to make their homeland feel welcoming, to encourage other warriors to join their ranks. Additionally, they do not live in a matriarchy, instead devoting themselves to the strongest and most fearsome among them, assuming their aggression will lead the kingdom of Svartalfheim to victory. They are, however, merciless and brutal to those who pick fights and lose, and they war with the other kingdoms of Myrkheim.
The Dark Elves and the Nidavellir Dwarves are the two greatest kingdoms in the plane, and shape the freezing caves to aid their conquests of the other, but there are hundreds of minor kingdoms dotted the land, commonly divided among racial lines:
• Havenisse, the kingdom of the svirfneblin gnomes
• The nameless kingdom of the Stone Giants and the Storm Giants, led by Morden, the Storm King
• Voluki, the kingdom of the good dragonborn, led by the gold dragon Nidhoggr
• Hundreds of other factions of all shapes and sizes covering the planes
Sometimes, when a warrior dies in Gladsheim, it will wake up the next day in Myrkheim. Due to the randomness of this, most important places in a kingdom are magically sealed, to avoid a berserker appearing. Still, oftentimes a felled warrior will wake up in a kingdom, in a merchant area, or farm (unlike in Gladsheim, food is an important part of the logistics and strategy that factor into the warfare of Myrkheim). A stranger in Svartalfheim will be recruited into its ranks, while a stranger in Nidavellir is often dredged for information, and sent on its way. A fighter who finds themselves outside of one of the kingdoms (or who wakes up there) will have to navigate the wilderness of the icy caverns- dealing with the biting cold, and fighting off Remorhazes and the occasional White Dragon which roam the caverns. A person who dies in Muspelheim doesn’t have this chance of waking up in Myrkheim.
Divine Realms[]
- Brassberg, the realm of the draconic god Aasterinian, is found here as well. Aasterinian is the playful dragon messenger god who serves Io as a divine herald and vision-bringer. Between trips to the Prime, Aasterinian lives in a small realm deep within Nidavellir, a set of caverns just large enough to contain her hoard. Trespassers are devoured unless they are amusing; some members of the Society of Sensation have survived a visit to her realm. Aasterinian does enjoy the inventions of the Norse dwarves, and sometimes her avatar walks among them in dwarven guise.
Most warriors alternate throughout their lives between Myrkheim and Gladsheim; the former provides moments of rest for foot soldiers as opposed to the constant stress of infinite battle, while the latter can be a break from the constant boredom of being a foot soldier. A soldier may come to Ysgard to bargain with Surtur, barter with Shah Seprit, or conquer Svartalfheim- all of which impossible tasks for all the most powerful and prepared. An adventurer must be prepared to face searing heat and freezing cold, and to fight like their life depended on it for days at a time.
Traits[]
Eternal Rebirth: If a petitioner of Ysgard is killed on the plane it is reborn the next morning.
Seize the Moment: When an Action Point is spent to take another action, the character gains +1 to any one roll used during the action.
Earthberg Collision: Earthberg’s occasionally drift into each other, though the impact is usually mild. Treat as a heroic tier blaster hazard that targets Fortitude, deals low normal damage (DMG p. 42) and knocks targets prone.
Spirit of Heroes: Once per day, a bloodied creature can regain the use of its Second Wind.
Magic alterations in Ysgard[]
Though mages are rightly feared by the Ysgardians, magic isn't common on the battlefield. Perhaps tainted by its association by Loki (a knight of the cross-trade if ever there was one), magic and dweomercraft are thought of as a less honorable form of combat than the warrior's way. Most creatures of Ysgard consider it mere flash and trickery, the work of Loki and evil giants. No one but a barmy would underestimate its power, but few proudly claim themselves mages. A berk's far more likely to take pride in being a warrior or bard than a wizard, and in a place so concerned with glory and honor, no one wants to say his calling is less noble than his neighbor's. The Norse deities take a more active interest in magic and the working of magical spells than most powers. Their influence extends not only to their priests and specific power keys, but to all magic on the plane.
Alterations that would help a warrior work fine. Those that warp space must be keyed. Those that deceive can fail at the worst time unless keyed. Those that enhance memory or other magics work only for those with Odin's approval. Protective alterations only work if there is a rainbow visible, or perhaps a special key is used. No weather-spell works, and they cannot be keyed. Conjuration-summoning always bring the spirits of warriors. Divination spells are at double range and duration, but can only target one creature at a time. Necromantic spells must be brought at one level higher (i.e., "Spectral Hand" is third- level). Wild magic requires two rolls, as on Limbo; in choosing a surge, take the one most like the spirit of the terrain. Weather magic fails even with keys. Other elemental spells require keys, except that fire spells work normally in Muspelheim, and light-based spells work well in Vanaheim.
ALTERATION
Spells that make a warrior stronger or faster all work as well as a mage could want; spells like enlarge, jump, strength, fly, haste, polymorph, stoneskin, and infravision work perfectly. Other alterations vary. In particular, elemental spells such as burning hands, water breathing, and move earth don't function (see the elemental section below). Space-warping spells such as dimension door, duodimension, teleport, and teleport without error require special keys. These keys are rare, though Loki occasionally passes out false ones with fatal results: The poor fools who've taken them generally wind up in Carceri, Pandemonium, or the palace of some Abyssal lord. Sheltering spells like Leomund's Tiny Hut and Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion require a key sometimes granted by Frigga, goddess of the sky and marriage. Illusory or deceptive alterations like alter self, delude, mirage arcana, and vacancy are influenced by Loki. They work normally except in times of danger, when they unaccountably fail unless a berk knows the key. Rary's mnemonic enhancer, the extension spells, and other mental spells are the province of Odin, god of knowledge. He guards the runes that release these spells, granting the spell key only to those who are worthy. Warding spells such as avoidance, guards and wards, and magic mouth come under the influence of Heimdall, the guardian of Bifrost. They function normally within sight of Bifrost, but nowhere else without a key. Fog, wind, and weather spells are guarded jealously by Thor, and no keys are known for any of them. When it rains in Ysgard, a basher can't do much but pray to Thor or appeal to his priests.
CONJURATION
Monster summoning spells bring only einheriar on the first layer of Ysgard, giants or ogres on the second, and dwarves or trolls on the third. Conjuring elementals from the Inner Planes is impossible, and calling creatures from other Outer Planes fails once in ten tries.
DIVINATION
These spells operate at higher than normal effectiveness, perhaps due to the influence of Odin, the patron of wisdom and knowledge. Their range and duration are both doubled, but, in keeping with the individual character of the plane, only a single creature can be spied on at a time. Attempts to scry locations, mobs, or epic events fail.
NECROMANCY
Curing and healing spells are generally looked down upon; those who can bear pain and wounds and still accomplish their tasks are much respected. As a result, all necromantic spells are effectively one level higher here (spectral hand becomes a third level spell). Destructive necromantic spells may attract Hel's attention if used against her followers.
WILD MAGIC
Wild magic's enhanced here, just as in Pandemonium. In addition to the extra spell level, a caster of wild magic has to roll twice for level variation and apply the more extreme of the two results (see the section on Limbo's wild magic for an example). If either of the results indicates a wild surge, the surge occurs. A variety of wild surge results have been released in Ysgard, including berserker rages, shapeshifting into animal forms, gigantism, frost and steam effects, and elemental storms.
ELEMENTAL
Weather spells have no effect when cast by mortal wizards. All other elemental spell work normally once the spell key for them is known; otherwise the spells aren't available. Fire spells work without a spell key in Muspelheim, and ice spells work in Jotunheim. Elemental light spells work in Vanaheim.
Wizardly spell keys are runes, carved on the material components (if any), or spoken (if no material components). A kenning may also be required. SPELL KEYS Ysgard's magic is contained in the runes, a set of mystic symbols that govern spells. Odin was the first to learn the runes and spell keys from the Well of Knowledge, and he passes that knowledge along to worthy followers. The spell key for each college of magic is an individual rune or set of runes. These runes must be carved onto the material components of the spell if it has one, or spoken during the spellcasting if it doesn't. ABJURATION: shield-rune and iron-can't-biterune CONJURATION: gathering-rune DIVINATION: fortune-rune and lore-rune ENCHANTMENT: charm-rune, follow-rune, and nith-rune ILLUSION: sight-rune and speech-rune EVOCATION: triumph-rune and berserk-rune NECROMANCY: dead-rune, disease-rune, helprune, and limb-rune TRANSMUTATION: change-rune and strength-rune WILD MAGIC: chaos-rune AIR MAGIC: shout-rune EARTH MAGIC: strength-rune FIRE MAGIC: quench-rune and spark-rune WATER MAGIC: sea-rune To learn spell keys for a few special spells, a cutter's got to know kennings, a sort of word play that calls a ship a "sea-steed" and calls an eagle the "vulture of battle." In a kenning, a king's a "giver of rings" or a "landdemander." For fire spells, mages first have to call out a kenning bringing "the terror of the birch." For battlemagic, a mage needs to know the kenning for battle, called the "play of spears" by the warlike Ysgardians. The Ysgardians may think they're warriors, but the cutter who scratches the surface of a warrior finds a failed poet. POWER KEYS In the Norse realms, power keys are gotten from the Norse powers if a priest's earned them in the eyes of his or her deity. Odin, Thor, Frigga, Loki, and Heimdall are the powers that most often bestow power keys on their followers. These keys release spells related to that power's sphere of interest (see Alterations above). In particular, only Thor's most faithful priests hold a power key that releases the weather spells, and the key isn't available to worshipers of any other deity. Keys may also be obtained by searching Yggdrasil, where the runes are carved deep under the bark near the World Ash's roots. They're also found at the Well of Mimir, though few thieves are quick enough to get past the giant guardian of the Well and live. Those who try to steal power keys are fools, since the keys stop working as soon as the power who formed them discovers the loss. The only exception is Loki; as a god of thieves, he rewards anyone able to steal from him. The other powers of Ysgard hand out keys as the whim strikes them, and as in other realms they're usually the symbol or holy object of the deity. Keys for the Combat and Guardian spheres are most freely awarded, to protect followers from the battle-crazed Norse petitioners.
- The suggested color for pools from the astral is indigo. Ethereal curtains might be purple.
- The dead are immune to fire and acid, and as an additional ability rapid healing and automatic resurrection if killed in battle, like other visitors to the plane.
- The plane is "mildly chaos-aligned". Lawful creatures have -2 on charisma checks.
Ysgard is regarded as good-tending and thoroughly chaotic. These effects are additive
- -1 on all charisma checks for all evil creatures
- -1 on all intelligence, wisdom, and charisma checks for all non-lawful, non-chaotic creatures
- -2 on all intelligence, wisdom, and charisma checks for all lawful creatures.
- Good-based spells (non-lawful) work as if caster were 2 levels higher.
- Evil-based spells (non-lawful) require a Spellcraft check (DC 15) for success.
- Law-based spells simply fail.
- Chaos-based spells work as if caster were 4 levels higher.
- Eternal Rebirth: If a petitioner of Ysgard is killed on the plane it is reborn the next morning.
- Seize the Moment: When an Action Point is spent to take another action, the character gains +1 to any one roll used during the action.
- Earthberg Collision: Earthberg’s occasionally drift into each other, though the impact is usually mild.
- Spirit of Heroes: Once per day, a creature gets rest.