asgarddawning | ENDGAME PLOT RUNDOWN

Hey, all! This is Faith - I offered to help AJ with finishing up the last event a couple weeks ago when I started handing out metaplot research, and since I haven't heard back on my plot suggestion but your frustrations have been heard, I talked to AJ and I'm just going to go ahead and give you guys the last of my plot notes that I left her with. I want to apologise for how we left you guys hanging, and I hope that at the very least, I can give you something to work with to wrap up your character's involvement in Asgard Eventide.

Be warned: this post will be long ( longer than my usual long post ) because it's wrapping up everything you guys have worked on over the last several years, and I'm trying not to miss anything. Please feel free to skip down to the actual event if you don't want to read all the other metaplot wrap-up.

Without further ado:

ENDGAME PLOT EVENT: FROM THE ASHES

In December, you guys should've had the option for dreaming of various goings-on within Yggdrasil that lead to the eventual discovery of where Surt has been hiding all this time. Everyone that signed up to receive this information can say they dreamt of Surt hiding within the original cavern of Ginnungagap. If you'd like to make a post about this, please feel free, or you can handwave this information being spread amongst the Travellers and the gods.

In your player poll, you guys were almost precisely evenly divided between diplomacy and all-out war, which means I'm going to give you a combination of both! Knowing now that the Fire King returned to the place of birth for his kith and kin in his weakest moments, all of Asgard's forces and allies will come together to face this final confrontation together. Throughout the game, you as players and the Travellers as a whole have given your efforts to kindness and loyalty to all kingdoms across Yggdrasil. For this mark of character and strength, they will repay the favour by supporting the Travellers' every move as best they can. Everyone will have a different role to play as follows, and your character can join their efforts or interact with them as follows:

The Dragons

The eldest of the three allied dragons will travel with the youngest alongside the marching army to oversee the events that unfold their and interfere where they deem it necessary. The red dragon will fight in the battle and the gold dragon will assist in the diplomatic approach. The blue dragon will remain in Asgard to combat the magics of Yggdrasil's anticipation and protect the kingdom.

Alfheim

The kingdom of the Elves will once again bring every remaining member of their species to stand beside the Travellers - though they will opt to offer aid in the diplomatic approach over the physical. Treepeople will arrive after a very slow month-long journey to stand sentry at the outer ring of the Wall against any that might try to harm the Asgardian's home as they did the forests the Travellers protected on their behalf.

Svartalfheim

The kingdom of the Dwarves will arrive en masse carrying troves of weaponry, armour, and any other equipment you might want or need. They will arm the city and then stand beside those that choose to engage Surt in battle.

Utgard

The kingdom of all beings will leave the safety of their homes for the first time to lend their efforts wherever the guardians of Asgard might need them; this includes frontline battles, diplomatic reserves, and in-city fortifications with new communication devices that work a lot like walkie-talkies with long-range capabilities, including the distance between Asgard and the depths of Ginnungagap.

Vanaheim

The kingdom of snoody jerks will disobey their King and Queen's directions to slaughter every last Fire Giant remaining on this realm and instead use their wealth of knowledge and newfound respect for the Travellers to aid in the diplomatic efforts, as well as taking up arms wherever needed.

Asgard

The gods will take up different roles for the start of the event:

Odin: Taking center-point to march with the army.
Thor: Standing his father at his father's right hand to lead the battle front.
Loki: Marching with the army to lead the magic defenses and offenses.
Sigyn: Marching behind the army to provide healing and relief aid.
Heimdall: Remaining in Asgard to guide the city and field information.
Hel: Remaining in Asgard to protect the life-forces of the soldiers.
Freyr: Remaining in Asgard to guide the Travellers.
Freya: Remaining in Asgard to guide the Travellers.
Baldr: Marching with the army to provide combat support.
Jormungand: Marching with the army to provide combat support.
Fenrir: Marching with the army to provide combat support.
Mimir: Marching with the army to provide tactical support.
Honir: Marching with the army to ~~stay at Mimir's side~~ provide fast-travel enchantment and emergency evacuation.
Tyr: Standing at Odin's left hand to lead the diplomatic front.
Utgard!Loki: Remaining in Asgard to lead the magical defenses of the city.

Salt Side and Deep City

Because the mermaids cannot walk on land for longer than a few hours ( the time it would take to travel to Asgard from their homes ), they will not be able to join the Travellers on the field, but they'll send along aid in the form of purified storms to wash away the acid of war. The great Sea Serpent will be seen at the end of the event doing some awesome shit, so stay tuned!

Asgard's allies will have been arriving for awhile now, so feel free to handwave any gathering of equipment or testing comms, etc. By Day 573 ( Feb. 19/20 ), everyone is geared up and ready to move on command.

Also important to know are the results of your handwaved research. Many of you opted to take a deeper look into the magic of the realm, which will play a very important role in carrying Yggdrasil through the end of all things. Others will play a more immediate role, so I'm just gonna go ahead and do a breakdown of everything that will come to fruition as a result of your efforts:

EQUIUS: For looking into the technologies of the world, Asgard will agree to lift the limitations on the kingdom in return for the promise of new life to come after the final battle. There will be a tree-planting holiday with a few traditional sacrifices made in the form of a huge cook-out and pouring libations of enchanted water into the soil after endgame. This will allow for open communications during the war!
LEONARDO, YOSUKE, THE EIGHTH DOCTOR, MAGLOR, THE FOURTH DOCTOR: For looking into the nuances of magic and the connection between the Mother, the gods, and the Travellers, these five ( and their accomplices! ) will discover that the important facet of magic is not the creation of things but the manifestation of intent. In seeking to "heal the World Tree", Sigyn and many other learned mages will suggest that to give their efforts to the Mother may be as simple as pouring their "will" into Her. The gods stand as conduits between Yggdrasil and the Travellers, so the Dwarves of Svartalfheim will take the runic sigils of the gods from the Almost Useful, add in runic spellings for the Mother, and carve them into the ground around each of the god's temples outside of their Welcome House. These runes will be used to protect the earth during and after the war.
ADACHI, SOUJI: For looking into communicating with the Mother, these two will discover that the obsidian water from the well in Ginningagap is a direct connection to the Mother's core essence and with it, Her Fates. They can speak to the Norn using this water, but must be careful not to be submerged for too long, lest they drown and cease to exist. This will be made available later on for characters to speak with the Mother. Water recovered from the well will be poured into the Dwarven runes for the Travellers to communicate their "will" to "heal" during the war.
LEONARDO, JAMIE, ALTAIR, THE ELEVENTH DOCTOR, KANJI: For looking into the roots of the conflict between the gods and the Giants, as well as the Mother's relation to them all, they will find that the tensions between the two immortals began with a fight for superiority. The gods are Yggdrasil's "spirit" and the Giants are Yggdrasil's "body"; when the Giants decided they were above the gods, they split the body from the spirit and created a division at the very core of all existence. As they fought, Yggdrasil literally split apart into kingdoms separated spiritually and physically. Taking these learnings, they will be given the opportunity to reunite Yggdrasil after the war.
MARIBELLE, DON: For seeking to understand the Giants' vision of the prophecy's fulfillment, Maribelle will learn that the Giants seek "purification" of a filthy world by returning all living creature to the Mother to be reborn anew. Their belief is that this can only be done through death; however, Don's research into the complexities of "death" will reveal that the magic of rebirth is the cycle of life through death through life. The same magic courses throughout the entire process and every living being borne of it, so the purest form of Yggdrasil's magic is in uniting both sides of the cycle. They will be given the opportunity to teach the Giants of "unity" to create life and death in a natural ebb and flow after the war.

Anything that will carry over into "after the war" will be posted separately to save on already overcrowded space. sob

True to Faith fashion, there will be two parts to this event. Not everyone will want to confront Surt, so there will be a lot going on within Asgard and the surrounding country that you guys can play with. I'm doing to detail both sides of this event at the same time in a day-by-day breakdown.

DAY 574 ( FEB 21/22 )

On the morning of this day, the beginning of the final confrontation with Surt, the night sky will clear into an eerie array of reds, oranges, and yellows as though the sky itself were aflame, the air dry and acrid with a choking unseen smoke. The Sun will be completely black and looking directly into it will cast a profound sense of anticipation; not fear or dread, but that gut-clenching anxiety of standing at the tip of a blade, waiting to fall in either direction. From this point onward, there will be constant tremors and any animals will seek out refuge wherever they might be able to hide. Today, the beings of Yggdrasil March to their final showdown with fate.

OUTSIDE OF ASGARD: Those marching onward with the combat forces and the diplomatic reserve will set forth on the path to Ginnungagap. Drummers in the first row tap out a steady beat that the natives of Yggdrasil follow easily, and each joint footstep seems to send a tremor through the earth itself. Banners from each kingdom will be held by chosen representatives - the Travellers are welcome to carry Asgard's, their own home-world's emblem, or one bearing the mark of a great oak in the image of the Mother. They will arrive and make camp at the outskirts of Ginnungagap, sending a handful of volunteer messengers to bring a request for audience to Surt down below.
INSIDE OF ASGARD: As the forces of Yggdrasil March onward, those remaining with the city walls will be bade to take up positions in various places. Those willing to cover communications will relay information between Odin and Heimdall about developments on the war-front. Other will be told to stand vigilant and prepare for whatever might come in the next several days. Natives will flood the streets in prayer and hymn to "the burnt Sun", begging deliverance for the Mother. The cracks still remaining in the city ground will slowly begin to widen with the constant low-trembling of the earth.

DAY 575 ( FEB. 23/24 )

The red skies do not cease and instead begin to weep with a fiery-hot rain that singes exposed skin and sizzles on the ground. Anything flammable will ignite upon prolonged exposure to this rain, where anything living will begin to wither and rot. The tremors continue but periodically increase to minor quakes that split the earth into more cracks and crevices.

OUTSIDE OF ASGARD: Surt's answer to the bid for audience comes in the form of one of the messengers being returned in a poor state of health with the Fire Giants' bid for war. The army will engage with a mass of Fire Giants that will be overtaken by the end of the day; the army's success will be cut short of complete annihilation by the blaring of a horn that echoes out from Ginnungagap itself. Odin's horn will echo the sound off afterwards, calling the retreat of all forces as Surt himself finally appears on the field with the remaining messengers in tow - unharmed. They will be unceremoniously tossed back to the Asgard allies as a sign of good will and with the demand to cease all other actions until morning. The Fire Giants retreat - for now!
INSIDE OF ASGARD: As Yggdrasil's collapse seems to swell like the rapids of a river, a broadcast will come from communications, sent throughout the city to bid the Travellers to their patron god's temple. They will be asked to pour their magic into the runes laid there by the Dwarves - not their House Powers, but their "will"! Willing Travellers should place their hands atop the outer ring of the rune, barely touching the obsidian water that fills it, and simply will their magic into the rune. The runes will glow in a brilliant white light as they're activated, though the Travellers will begin to feel weak over time as this is draining the magic straight from their lifeforce! Natives will join them before long to help shoulder the burden. Their combined magic will begin to manifest in the air itself as the sky starts to grow brighter, the rain being physically slowed in bursts and shudders. A low rumbling can be heard beneath the earth, but it stays at a rumble for now.

DAY 576 ( FEB. 25/26 )

The sky remains red for now - but a storm brews from out above Mimisbrunnr and makes its way straight for Asgard as the mermaids summon spiritual water to cleanse the skies. The acidic rain is overpowered by this might storm that seeks to put out fires across the land. In the falling rain, there is the faint shimmer of the same white light the Travellers summon with their magic as though something bright is floating in the air and made visible by the rain touching it ( think of the way streetlamps look in a downpour! ).

OUTSIDE OF ASGARD: Come morning, the same horns will blare to announce the temporary ceasefire is in effect. Odin and Tyr will inform the Travellers that they must return to Asgard and will bid the Travellers to seek treaty with Surt in their place. As all of the gods are summoned back to Asgard, the rest of the army will march forward to meet Surt and the few remaining Fire Giants on the border between Asgard's lands and Ginnungagap's. Surt will inform them that the Fire Giants acted of their own accord the day before and that he received their bid for audience amiably; though some are not willing to believe him, others would beg patience to hear Surt's piece. They will be given a chance to speak with him, but overall, Surt's final declaration is that he will accept their surrender and lay down arms to secure victory over the land so that Yggdrasil might thrive beneath him - a laughable bid, indeed, but before battle can arise again, something interrupts them!! Read on for more.
INSIDE OF ASGARD: As the Travellers and the natives continue to use their essence to will health into the Tree, the gods are all summoned to the center of their runes to stand and join in this massive summoning of magic. They pour their lifeforce into the entirety of the rune to fill it with the same white light, mingling with the Travellers' and the natives', and the obsidian water begins to raise out of the rune in an upward rainfall. The white light builds and spreads to consume the whole of Asgard, gathering as one beacon of light that fires straight up into the sky from the center of the Holy City. All at once, something happens! Read on for more.

At the culmination of "purification", the beacon of white light cuts through the fiery shroud of the sky and washes over the entirety of the land in a burst of blinding light. Every living being will be cast into temporary blindness; opening your eyes in this moment will result in a familiar vision of an empty white space with a massive oak tree at the center. It is damaged and singed by flame, but lives in a mess of newly refreshed leaves. All Travellers, whether they see the vision or not, will feel the press of lips to their foreheads and hear a lyrical "Thank you" whispered in their core.

A few things happen in the seconds following the initial blast:

The sky is immediately cleared of the red corruption, but it cycles through night and day faster than the flutter of eyelashes or the beat of a heart. The sun shifts from black to white and for the next five days, cannot burn skin from exposure but instead grants a feeling of revitalisation and energy. Looking directly upon it will grant momentary visions of home; characters will catch a second's glimpse at the resolution of their canon's conflict!
The earth's rumbling brings rise to bouts of lava - that do not rise to burn but rather to fill in the cracks where once there was division. Seasons flutter from winter-spring-summer-fall-winter several times within the lapse of seconds, snow and flowers and heat and fallen leaves. The land physically shifts and changes and you may not wind up in the same place as you started at the end of this suspension of time!
Where Surt stands on the battlefield, the consuming light devours his physical being and leaves in its place a child! The Giant King is returned to his infancy with the rebirth of the land, and the Fire Giants surrender out of confusion and the misguided idea that Surt accepted their terms of peace. The Travellers, who chose to spare Surt's life beforehand, will bring the Giant King into Asgard's care to be raised with a healthy appreciation of not killing everything that moves. The gods have a chance to raise him to protect the body instead of seeking to destroy the spirit.
A great sigh is heard from the heart of Asgard as Frigg is awakened from her enchanted slumber by the united cries of a hundred thousand worlds weeping in unison - joy, for their salvation. She will refuse the insistence that she remain within the castle to ensure her health and instead walks through the streets to seek audience with the Travellers, to tell them of her visions for their world's thriving. If asked, she will tell them that even those worlds that were unravelled in the course of Yggdrasil's decline are being woven together as they speak!

After this, all forces will return to Asgard and everyone will make merry. The final marker of the prophecy come to pass will be the Great Serpent devouring the world whole - that is, it can be seen encircling the entirety of the sky with its massive body. As it bites its own tail just above Asgard, the seasons will finally end with spring and the burst of life all across the land. When you look back up to the sky again, the serpent will be gone as though it were never there at all!

AVAILABLE VOLUNTEER ROLES

OUTSIDE OF ASGARD

Messengers to carry a request for audience with Surt on Day 574: this will involve travelling through the mountainfaces of Ginnungagap late at night to the innermost cavern where the remains of the Fire Giant army have taken up refuge. They will face Surt in person to ensure the letter's delivery successfully. As they begin the upward climb back to camp, they will be attacked and taken captive by the Fire Giants. Anyone that wishes to participate can do so by signing up below. One volunteer will be returned immediately, although beaten and tossed before the army as a gauntlet of battle. Please note in your comment whether or not you'd like for your character to be this token; one will be chosen by RNG.

Diplomatic Reserves for the audience with Surt on Day 576: this will involve discussing options with each other, Odin, Tyr, and eventually leading the diplomatic audience with Surt. They must be the ones to calm offense and fears in the ranks at Surt's stupidity and ultimately ensure the infant King's safe return to Asgard. Anyone that wishes to participate can do so by signing up below.

INSIDE OF ASGARD

Communication Center for the entirety of the event: To send and receive transmissions back and forth between those inside and outside of Asgard. They will also broadcast emergency announcements as events develop across the city. Anyone that wishes to participate can do so by signing up below.
Runic Sacrifices for Day 575/576: These are the people that will pour their lifeforce into the runic arrays to send their magic back to the Mother. Note that none of these will actually die, as the burden shared will cycle them back and forth from the brink of that final sacrifice. The more people that volunteer for their district, the less damage that district will take! Anyone that wishes to participate can do so by signing up below.

ADDITIONAL PLOT NOTES

No Travellers will die in the course of this event, though they may come very close to! Combatants can be stabbed in the heart, yet not feel the life leave them. Sacrifices may feel their consciousness slip away from them, but they will not leave their bodies. Hel will be sealing their spirits within their bodies with the full brunt of her magic amplified by the other gods', and so they will pass through the final war alive. Mortal wounds must be healed immediately after the initial blast of light or else they will die after all. Natives will still die as normal.

This is the conclusion of the endgame event. I have a few mini-event type things that I can write up for you guys if you want them to carry you through March and give you an opportunity to conclude any remaining CR, just lmk and I'll get them posted when I have time. Please leave any and all questions here and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible. I'll post an event log for this tomorrow afternoon. Thank you guys so much for going on this journey with us!

ENDGAME PLOT RUNDOWN

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