M.I.S.T. Campaign: Session 37

All told the dam was about six miles deep.  Andrew directed Cindy where the structures that anchored the spell woven into it were, she promptly destroyed them, while Claire and Ken held off the undead Svartalfar.  Meanwhile I tore a hole six miles straight down to the water beneath.  It took me about four hours, which I thought was pretty good time.  And once the hole was made the water pressure was able to finish the job we’d all started, and tear straight through the dam.  On a related note…riding a six-mile geyser of water to the surface puts any ride at any waterpark to shame.

Once that was done we made our way back to the Norns we’d met, briefly.  They were looking a lot better; younger, more vital.  In destroying the dam we’d also replenished their well.  And it was apparent that it had rejuvenated them.  And Yggsdragsil as well.

They also warned us that, though we’d soon find ourselves in Niffleheim, it’d take us exactly nine days to reach Helheim itself no matter how slowly or quickly we travel.  So long as we actually travel, I imagine.  So it was seven down to the well, nine from the well to Helheim, when I asked Loki how long it takes to reach Helheim from Midgard via Yggsdragsil the answer is apparently sixteen days.  Or twenty-four, if you make the detour we did.

Now here’s hoping that Niddhog’ll be in a friendly mood when we reach him, or at the very least grateful to us for freeing Graback.

M.I.S.T. Campaign: Session 36

So according the Norns the problem arising from us preventing Ragnarok is that, well, apocalypses like that need to happen at somewhat regular intervals.  Apparently they’re roughly the equivalent of wildfires, periodically everything needs to be burned to replenish existence and avoid stagnation.  To offer support of their statement they pointed out that although the winter part of Fimbulwinter wasn’t happening…humanity seemed to be making good progress towards the whole brother killing brother part of it.  The Dodekatheon aren’t exactly helping very much in that regard.

Thankfully, however, they say it doesn’t have to be Ragnarok.  Any mythic end of the world scenario will work, apparently.  My gut reaction is to try to steer things towards the Teotl end of the world myths.  The Black Tezcatlipoca’s already been more or less responsible for the end of the reign of every sun save himself; perhaps he’d be willing to help end another one.

But obviously that whole scenario’s something we’re going to have to put quite a bit more thought into.  For now we still need to get down to Helheim.  Speaking of; the lack of sleep seemed to be getting to some of the other members of the band.  Apparently divine fortitude doesn’t help you go without it quite as well on Yggsdragsil as it does in Midgard.  And we never really had an opportunity to rest all that much on the way down.

So when they offered to watch over us so we could get a night of sleep if we’d check out something for them we agreed.  They were concerned that the Well of Hvergelmir.  It’s run dry, which means both that Yggsdragsil lacks the water it needs and that the rivers of Midgard will run dry.  Since they can’t go to check it they asked us to.  It’ll add time to our journey, sure, but it’s also a chance to rest.  And it’s clear that some of the members of the band need it badly.

The well in question is fifteen miles across and at least eight deep, all but three of which are blocked by an enormous dam being constructed by an army of somewhere around two hundred undead Svartalfar.  So…hopefully we can manage to punch a hole through it before the whole army of them realizes that we’re there.

M.I.S.T. Campaign: Session 35

Yggsdragsil is a more dangerous place than I expected, it seems.  Though it’s perhaps not as bad as it could be, so far.  Two serpents attacked us barely minutes after we’d emerged onto the trunk of Yggsdragsil, tough enough for the first to survive the initial volley from Ken and Claire.  Though neither proved so fortunate, one after the other, as I held them still for shots to be lined up.

They died quickly, but not before getting off breath attack, of sorts, I suppose.  Most of us weathered it easily enough, except for Lexi.  It was…strange.  The first good luck I got of her after all the carnage began was after I tucked the second body out of the way.  I could see the specter of death looming over her.  It had come to claim her.  But as I watched it just left, faded away, relinquished its claim.  I’ve never seen anything like it before.

But that was something to dwell upon elsewhere, I suppose.  We made our descent; grueling by the standards of any mortal, even somewhat trying by those of a demigod of my fortitude.  The view was incredible, though.  Above were the endless stars of the overworld and the silvery leaves of the great trees, sometimes parting in such a way as to reveal the walls of Asgard or plains of Vanaheim.  Midgard stretched out before us on all sides, a view of the landscape unlike any that could ever be found in the mortal world.  Then there was the sheer size, majesty, of Yggsdragsil itself.  Like I said…quite the sight.

Eventually we passed down into the tree’s lower reaches, and saw its three great roots stretching into the distance.  I knew which one would bring us to Niffleheim, but before we could descend further a trio of norns made themselves known.  The oldest ones, apparently, caretakers of the well of Urðarbrunnr.  They want to talk to us because we’ve apparently made a horrible mess of things by forestalling Ragnarok.  Which…of course they’d say, I suppose.  It stands to reason that Fate would disapprove of people averting it in various ways, especially if it’s something major like Ragnarok.

Which begs the question, just how heavily is what they’re going to tell us going to be spun?

M.I.S.T. Campaign: Session 34

It was inevitable that a full-fledged God would show up to throw a wrench in what we were attempting.  I just wasn’t expecting it to be Aphrodite.  Though I suppose she posed more of a problem than just about anyone else could have.  Between Ares, the Morrigan, and Artemis it was hardly as though it would’ve been an easy task to stop in and physically force us from the city.  But Aphrodite?  She was laying it on thick.  I mean, I’ve spent a lot of time with Freyja recently, sure.  But I’ve never seen her flash the charms to the extent that Aphrodite was doing there.

She had the whole city flocking to her, falling to their knees; and she was headed right towards us.  And it was going to be trouble.  But then Lexi…called out, or something.  I’m not certain as to the specifics, but she pulled at the strings of fate.  And then suddenly it was Loki with us instead of Munin.  He wasted little time in conjuring a fiery doorway that brought us to a shrine in the Black Forest dedicated to Artemis.  In other words; far, far away from Aphrodite.

Might be the first time someone’s ever pulled anyone’s ass out of the fire by throwing them into one.

Claire was, of course, worried over the whole turn of affairs; since virtually everything and everyone that had been gathered for this war effort had to be left behind in Troy.  And by now the whole city’s probably eating out of Aphrodite’s hand.  Loki had a solution though, descend into Helheim to see what’s up with my Mother and he could make sure that we could get a chunk of the undead army down there to help us.

Frankly that army’s just of secondary importance to me.  Even with the side I’m on I’m not particularly sure if deposing Zeus is a good idea, nor am I quite sure how much of a difference it’ll make putting someone else on Olympus’s throne.  But family?  That’s a different story entirely.  I’ve been worried about her ever since all contact was lost four months ago, and was getting about ready to head down myself whenever I had the time to pull away from the war effort for a bit.  Needless to say, going down there with backup certainly seems far more appealing.

Since we aren’t exactly sure how long the trip would take some supplies were gathered for it.  Loki and I ducked away from the others for a bit while that was going on.  He used the fire portal again to bring us back to where he’d been before he showed up, said he needed to find Munin.  It…was a gay bar, as it turns out.  It was a little awkward, I guess.  But no one really hit on me.

The first thing I asked him about was my uncles.  With Ragnarok forestalled…I guess I was hoping that some sort of accord could be reached between them and the Æsir.  But Loki didn’t seem to think there was much of a chance of that.  Too much reluctance, bad blood, on both sides of that divide.   It was a bit disheartening, I guess.

After that there was a lot of, just, talking with family.  Talking about how Njord was treating me, about mother…like I said, family talk.  It was nice, haven’t had too much of that over the course of my life.  Suppose it probably makes me enjoy it all the more when it does arise.

Vayu came up a bit too, of course.  It’s just…so much more complicated now.  When he was just some outsider stepping in, trying to take me from my Mother, it was easy to hate him as an outsider trying to steal me away from my family.  I mean, some part of me wonders if he visited me because he knew the Yazata were bringing Ragnarok about and didn’t want me to get caught up in it as one of the Æsir.  Just, complicated; but I suppose nothing’s been simple since my visitation.

M.I.S.T. Campaign: Session 33

Should we find ourselves victorious in war this will be remembered as its first battle, I don’t doubt.  Perhaps it will even be remembered as a victory.

In truth it was more a skirmish than a battle, and barely even that; certainly not a victory worth celebrating.  I prayed to my sister, the Lady Freyja, before battle was joined.  The prayer took almost as long as the fight itself did.  Satyrs, maenads, centaurs…cowards the lot of them it seems.  They couldn’t have lasted half a minute before fleeing.  I didn’t even land a blow, which Claire is partially to blame for.  I had to spend half the time dodging the goddamn artillery strike she called down on my position.

In truth the only real threat that seemed to have been presented was from a trio of metallic birds the size of jumbo jets.  Unfortunately for them they were the only aerial forces brought against us.  Not to mention that, being large and metallic, they made great targets for all the SAM turrets Donnie had brought in.  The results were…predictable.

All told it was a rout that’ll probably be labeled as a battle.

I did get an axe with a particularly nasty edge out of it, though.  Some centaur general took a hack at me with it.  Didn’t hit me hard enough to hurt me, but if he’d have been a bit stronger that would’ve left a nasty wound judging by how easily it sliced through my Earth Armor.  Obviously it’s a powerful weapon.  Though I have no clue what I’m going to do with it.  I’m trained in hand to hand; doubt I’d be able to hit much of anything with an axe.  Oh well, I’ll figure something out.

And Munin’s here now too.  Odin sent her so I could keep him updated, and so she could give counsel.  That took me by surprise a bit.  I knew he was going to get in touch with me so I could keep him updated.  But sending Munin means he must be very interested in what’s going on.  Okay, so that bit might not be surprising since it could affect the hierarchy of a pantheon.  But also having her give us counsel?  I don’t know if I’m reading too far into things but that sounds like it might be tacit support; for me, the band, the overthrow of Zeus?

It’s something for me to ponder, I guess.  For now, though, I’ll give Munin my report for Odin and send Freyja a prayer to fill her in on everything that’s happening here.  Who knows, it might catch her interest too.

M.I.S.T. Campaign: Session 32

Well this whole mess progressed…sideways, I guess.

But it got worse first, I suppose I should start with that.  Triton burst onto the scene right after the blast.  Whether or not he had anything to do with it I can’t say, though I kind of doubt it.  He was there to deliver a message from his father, Poseidon.  He’s sick of having faded into the background, apparently.  So he’s demanding reverence and, perhaps more critically, sacrifice from mortals once again.  And until he does fish will rot in the net, tankers on the oceans will spill their loads, etc.

And then Claire wanted to talk about what she learned over the past year, talking about how a Civil War on Olympus was the bigger issue behind all of this as though it was some huge revelation.  I mean…the whole mess was started by divine squabbling and meddling anyway.  And if it was supposed to be a rehash of the old Trojan War, well, it’s not exactly a secret that gods took different sides in that conflict.  It was almost insulting that she seemed to assume we all thought this was just a result of Donny’s insolence.  I never did, at the very least, and I wouldn’t be the least surprised if Andrew knows more about what’s happening than Claire and me combined.

She also claimed that Civil War amongst the Dodekatheon would lead to nukes being dropped on Olympus.  Which to me seems…unlikely.  Just because dropping a nuke on everything seems to be her first resort in problem solving doesn’t make it everyone’s.  Besides, if humans are smart enough not to throw those things around I’m sure gods are too.  And I somehow doubt a full-fledged God really needs a nuke in the first place after all.

But ultimately she didn’t want the war to happen anymore than the rest of us did.  And we seemed to have some luck convincing Harmonia that it was a bad idea…but as it turns out both Ares and Donny were there too.  They were significantly less receptive to a peaceful ending.  Why should they, Ares asked, when Zeus would just take all the glory again and probably put his sons to death?  And it was then that I felt the same apathy in him that I had in Manannan Mac Lir.  Then that I knew Claire was wrong when she said the roots of this problem lay on Olympus.  Because something was corrupting the gods themselves, across the pantheons.

And that’s when Claire through a wrench into things by convincing Ares to support her in a bid to usurp Zeus and put a woman on Olympus’s throne.  Which is…I don’t know what to think of it, honestly.  The only thing in this whole mess I know for sure is that it needs to be sorted out and ended as quickly as possible.  Sure, the war itself is unavoidable now.  But does this new twist help us end it rapidly?  It was a hasty plan, that much is apparent, and there’s much thought that yet needs to be put into it.  But will it end things more quickly, and will the Dodekatheon be better off with someone other than Zeus sitting at their head?  I fear that I do not yet know the answer to either of these questions.  And until I do I will not know whether this new course Claire has charted would be followed for good or ill.

But it will allow us to interpose ourselves between Goras and whatever it is he plots.  There’s that, at least.