Day 499 ( Aug. 20/21 )

Under Freya and the Emergency Response Team's guidance, the gods will be hosting a pre-announced emergency drill today. The Travellers will receive a heads-up via a short ping on their bracelets to be prepared for it at any given moment, and that chosen moment will come just after noon with the SOS alarm sounding off throughout the city. The City Patrol should assist in guiding everyone to their respective safe houses while the Medics grab their gear and check over every citizen to take the designated "Injured" to stations that should be set up and prepared for use in the safe zones. The Engineers will be told to employ any new defences and/or lock-down mechanisms they've devised to help keep the enemy at bay.

The drill will conclude after two hours, once everything has been relatively sorted and documented. This event won't end there, though!

Intrigued by the sudden blaring of alarms, a horde of strange looking animals will slowly trickle into the city through the Gate of Fire. They're a new species that have grown from the wreckage of the flood and, being that they are still in the infancy of their evolution, they will be docile and overall friendly upon finding the residents of Asgard as the source of the alarm. This means that they'll be very easy to shoo out of buildings when they curiously walk through open doors, and they'll take to following anyone they find particularly interesting, which means they can be made very easily into pets. They're here to stay, at least for now, so make nice with your new friends!

Day 498 ( Aug. 18/19 )

Late last night ( Day 497 / Aug. 17 ), the Military, Supplies Coordinators, and Strike Team will a received a ping to their bracelets to inform them of the mission and tell them to prepare with heat resistant clothing as well as any scavenging gear they might need. Given their objectives, those going on the trip will leave early in the morning on Day 498 ( Aug. 18/19 ), taking with them only a few horses for any supplies they might gather. They'll need to be swift and discreet, as the Fire King won't take kindly to his enemies traipsing about his home.

Day 499 ( Aug. 20/21 )

Travelling towards Surt's kingdom will take the Travellers through the wastelands that were once a sprawling forest, now downtrodden and marshy after the flood that wiped out entire villages and species. Take heart, though, as moving through this area will show sparse signs of growth making its attempts to reclaim the land from the waters that have since drained into the soil.

They won't have time to linger, though, as Muspellheim is a two days' trip and they'll be trying to shorten it as much as possible. The moment the Travellers break the treeline of the forest into rocky terrain, they will be able to see the haze of the Fire kingdom in the distance. Its great volcano is still bursting at the seams, with smoke making the distant desert into a darkened abyss broken only by the occasional flash of red as yet another geiser of fire breaks the earth's surface. The air will quickly become dry and oppressive heat will bear down on them the closer they come to the heart of the kingdom.

The envoy will successfully make it into Fire Giant territory with relatively little obstruction, but be careful as you spread out through the area. The desert is unstable, a vast majority of the buildings and homes that once filled the land destroyed by fire or collapse. The rivers of lava that flow throughout the land overflow and reclaimed several areas, leaving some encased in hard obsidian while others are still bubbling with the liquid flame. The ground might crack open with bursts of hot air or molten lava firing upwards in a deathly fountain.

Worse still, there might be a few stubborn Fire Giants that refused to leave their home lingering about, and they will attack on sight as desperate and crazed victims of their lost territory. Scavenge what you can, but it's best not to linger too much in one place.

Day 500 ( Aug. 22/23 )

After wrestling their way through the fiery kingdom, those on the Strike Team and any that follow them will finally come upon the Fire King's castle. The lower levels will take extreme caution to navigate, as Surt built this castle as a monument to his superiority over all things, including the land itself; the largest river of lava flowing from Muspellheim's heart travelled through here, and its eruption saw the river rising to consume most of the castle grounds. This area will continue to move and bubble with the continuous flow of lava that has not ceased pouring from the mouth of the volcano.

Once inside, the castle will be in varying states of destruction and ruin, largely from the natural disaster itself but partially from the haste to abandon the place. If any of the Supplies Coordinators came up this way, they will be able to find crude weaponry and some valuable metals that might be useful in crafting armour or other various things the Engineers might be interested in.

The Strike Team will have to work their way up to the very centre of the castle, where they will be nearest to the mouth of the volcano and the most dangerous possible location within Muspellheim. This is Surt's throne room, where most of his rule and spells will have taken place. They're welcome to explore any artifacts he might have left laying around, but the most important thing they will find here is a distinct lack of lingering magic. Odin will have told them to look for anything unnatural, such as whispering voices or signs of magical disturbance, but the only thing they'll find out of place here is the volcano's insistence upon chasing them out.

In fact, after their short day and a half of exploring Muspellheim's ruins, the volcano will once again have a massive eruption that sends lava rocketing out over the land. The Travellers will have to fight their way back to the relative safety of the border, and quickly; anyone left behind will be a lost cause.

Day 501 ( Aug. 24/25 )

Singed and exhausted, the Travellers will make way back to Asgard with seemingly little in the way of anything useful from their excursion, but the gods will be most eager to hear of their experience. Arriving late into the evening, the Supplies Coordinators should meet with the Engineers with their spoils while the Medics see to any of the injured and the Strike Team meets with the gods in the castle. The lack of magical disturbance in Surt's throne room can mean only one thing: someone intentionally sent them in the wrong direction. Now time, supplies, and lives have been given to what ended up being a false lead.

Whoever has misled them must be found. And soon.

Day 478 (July 14)

Following a network post announcing an impending attack by ice giants and Thiazi's declaration to the city, the fight begins when a small swarm of pixies descends upon the city, no more than eight inches tall and the definition of "glass cannons." They create chaos however they can: shaking snow onto people, carrying off weapons, and attacking directly if approached without an easy exit. Their teeth are curved like fangs and razor-sharp.

While the pixies stir the city up, the frost giants begin to load the golems up into the catapults. Two by two, the massive ice creatures come crashing - literally - into the city. They land hard and inaccurately, as the engineers' defenses on the city walls keep the giants from approaching too quickly, and some golems seem to be damaged already by the same defenses as they land. The pixies seem to lose interest around sunset (though you may find one or two hidden and sleeping in a snowbank if you look hard enough - they'll attack aggressively if woken), but the fights with the golems continue well into the night, until all in the city are dispatched. Where the pixies turn into snow, the golems transform into large hunks of ice after they are killed.

Day 479 (July 15-16)

At sunrise, the pixies ascend from their hiding places and scatter, doing their best to break into homes to attack people directly. Today, anyone who finds himself bitten will begin to feel and act strangely.

Ice golems continue to come crashing into the city throughout the morning. All of the original ones slain, Thiazi begins creating more on the spot: while they may be more numerous, they are weaker, and many have odd physical defects. Some are missing arms, and others have extra heads. Following an attack by the strike team, the number itself will begin to thin considerably as one of the catapults is damaged and the other is destroyed completely.

Just before sunset, Thiazi delivers a final message and makes a hasty retreat with her entourage of frost giants. The spell responsible for the odd weather breaks the moment that she passes the threshold a half mile out, and all remaining pixies and golems in the city immediately, mid-action, turn to snow and ice.

By midnight, the city is thawed completely.

[ OOC NOTES: This is the mingle log for the second half of the Christmas in July plot event. More in-depth details about what's going on can be found in that link! Please put [OPEN/CLOSED] along with the date and location in the title of your comment. Let us know if you have any questions, and have fun! ]

Days 475-477 (July 7-11)

Day 475 begins with a strange and unseasonable cold snap. The sunrise does little to fight the thin, harmless layer of frost that covers the city, and fat gray clouds crowd the skies by noon. Snow will fall heavily (but intermittently) over the course of the next three days, leading to high snow drifts and buildings that strain under the weight of the snowfall. Most of the Natives seem unsettled, regarding it as an omen, but the city's children seem to be glad for the change. They sled around the streets with little regard for their own safety - or the safety of the pedestrians around them. Any who leave the city will find that the temperature slowly normalizes the further one gets from Asgard, leveling out to normal about a half mile from it.

Day 477 (July 12)

When the city's clocks strike eleven PM on the night of the third consecutive snowday, the temperature makes a harsh dive as a violent snowstorm blows in without warning. It leaves little physical damage on the city, but hard pellets of sleet and hail mix with the snow. The precipitation is so heavy that visibility is practically nonexistent, and the wind blows hard enough to overturn mailboxes and tables. At precisely midnight, the electricity in all apartments and homes in the cities seems to flicker for a split second. The storm dies abruptly, and all is still.

[ OOC NOTES: This is the mingle log for the first half of the Christmas in July plot event. Please put [OPEN/CLOSED] along with the date and location in the title of your comment. Let us know if you have any questions, and have fun! ]

Week Three: Days 446-449 / May 11-17

Day 446 ( May 10/11 )
By this day, the memory loss will begin to worsen and start affecting canon memories as well. Your character may remember seeing their castmate in Asgard, but may not recall knowing them from home. They might lose memories of their childhood, or forget why it is they wanted to get back there. What exactly they forget is entirely up to you, but the recollection of their canon will become hazy if not outright blank.

This memory loss is not permanent and can return at random, either immediately or gradually, at any point throughout the month.

Starting during the past week, ghosts began appearing throughout Asgard's streets. The Travellers that have died during the opt-out event will return to Asgard as spectres that cannot speak, touch, or otherwise influence anything around them. Their spirits will be trapped between this world and the next; the living Travellers in Asgard will be able to see them, but they will not be able to hear anything the ghosts might say. Any Travellers inside Asgard that die will join them on the other side of the veil to be trapped there for the time being. These ghosts will continue to appear throughout the month as more of their company fall in Ginnungagap.


Week Four: Days 450-452 / May 18-23
• Day 450 ( May 18/19 ): Travellers begin having terrifying and painful nightmares whenever they fall asleep. These dreams are short-lived, easy to wake from, and immediately forgotten upon waking.
• The volunteer opportunity for new characters takes place during this week. Sign-ups are by email and must be received by May 17.

THE LOG FOR WEEKS 1&2 IS LOCATED HERE.

[ OOC NOTES: This is the mingle log for the WEEKS THREE AND FOUR of the Something Ominous plot event! Remember that your character will be part of this event unless they signed up for the opt-out event by the deadline. Please put your character's location in the title, as well as either OPEN or CLOSED. The event fast facts are listed above, but for more details, please head on over to the full rundown HERE. If you have any questions, please let us know, and have fun! The link to the Weeks Three & Four Something Significant log can be found HERE.

SPECIAL NOTE: As of the power expansion plot, bracelets will work outside of the city along with god powers. Characters WILL be able to communicate with those outside of the city of Asgard, as long as the party has his or her bracelet on him. ]

Day 437 ( Apr. 22/23 )

After giving some consideration to the nature of their bonds with their patron deities, Sam Winchester posts to the network supposing a theory: if the gods can feed magic into the Travellers to give them their House Powers, perhaps, then, the Travellers can feed magic back into the gods. They have been under great duress both with Odin's collapse and the most recent disasters in the kingdom, even the smallest bit of a boost may make a difference.

Using the same runes from Draco's magic expansion plot, Travellers will be advised to draw the personalised god runes for their patron deity somewhere on their bodies in runic ink, anywhere it might not be disrupted or broken. For the duration of this day, every time the Travellers use any form of magic - be it House Powers or other runic magic - the god rune will glow faintly in the colour of their patron. The energy they pour into their magic will travel along the bond to their god and give them something of an energy shot, just the slightest lift in their strength and energy.

However, performing this transfer comes at a cost. The more magic performed, the more the Travellers will be drained of their own energy in a nearly euphoric way. The exhaustion will come in a vague sense of warmth and affection ( as it is, after all, the spirit of the Mother that gives the gods their magic ), as the need for a nice cup of their favourite cocoa, or perhaps a comfortable nap in the sunlight, or maybe even a profession of love.

Yes, we're giving you an aphrodesiac curse. As the Travellers grow more and more tired, they will grow more and more inclined to cuddle up with someone or something they care about and sleep off the exhaustion. This is generally harmless and will not be an extreme; it will not create feelings of love where there are none and it will not encourage them to do the nasty or anything like that. It's more simplistic than that, a base sort of love that comes in simple touches or a spoken word of love.

Anyone participating in this event is more than welcome to vary up the way this manifests in their characters, but by the end of the day, all Travellers using the transfer will be taking a collective nap for a few hours. When they wake, the euphoric effects will be gone and the god runes will no longer be active. Fingers crossed no one came across them cuddling with their best friend!

Day 433 ( Apr. 14/15 )

Those of you that were around for the Nature and Nurture event may see a few familiar faces amidst the refugees. Most of the Asgardian hippies will have died in the flood, but the Loljesker's warnings were heard by enough to help them escape the worst of it. They will be tired, grieving, but most of all, they will be panicked. They will speak of the mirror's collapse, the loss of reflection, and a deep rooted emptiness. Their babblings will make little sense to most anyone, but they are adamant in their confused distress, causing quite the commotion until one of the gods come to settle affairs. Freyr will listen closely to their words and decipher the messages lost within their despair.
The Loljesker warned them of something happening to Mirror Lake, and all was lost to the waters.
What exactly this means in plain terms, however, is a mystery. The young god will discuss matters with his sister before bringing it to the Prince Regent, and they will all three agree that perhaps a trip out to the Lake is in order. Any Travellers able and willing to go on a bit of a journey will be given instructions on how to reach Mirror Lake from Asgard. Pack an overnight kit for this one, as it will take some time to wade through the flood-ravaged land. The first day's travel will be fairly uneventful, largely spent sloughing through mud and collapsed woods. As soon as they come across a dry enough clearing, they should lay down their pallets for the night and do their best to keep warm.

Day 434 ( Apr. 16/17 )

As they continue on in early morning, their path will take them past the hippie camp that is now only strips of fabric and scattered belongings; the Loljesker's forest is near completely uprooted, and no tittering will be heard throughout the entirety of the Travellers' walk past this grim scene. Several hours after that, when the sun is already beginning to make its way down to the horizon, they will come across a vast expanse of nothing. They are not lost, however; they followed Freyr and Freya's instructions to the tee. It's simply as the frenzied Asgardians foretold, Mirror Lake is completely gone.
In its place is a seemingly bottomless pit that stretches several hundred feet across - the exact diameter of Mirror Lake. Peering into the sinkhole, the Travellers will find only an endless darkness and an empty silence. The Lake, as most things in this world, held a very unique magic that would show one's true reflection, speaking of truths otherwise lost to the nether. If a Traveller had looked into its waters, they would have seen themselves staring back but in the backdrop of their home world, their true place in the threads of existence. Now, however, there is only darkness.
It will almost be compelling to give the emptiness your attention, a sort of magnetic drag towards the edges of the sinkhole. Staring into the depths for too long will bring bone-creeping chill and a profound sense of loss, as though something very precious to them had been taken - though what, exactly, is not clear. If one happened to slip from the brink as they are lured to the darkness, however, things might become a bit more clear.
Falling into the sinkhole will kill your character. Death will not be immediate, though. The Lake speaks of truths lost to the nether; the fall will seem endless, as though suspended in time and place despite the distinct feeling of a drop, and down here, you will not be alone. Those that fall in will be given waking visions of home, just as they would've in the waters, but now there is darkness swallowing the light. They will see their worlds in ruin, burning in wildfire or ravaged by warfare, torn apart by plagues and disasters or simply collapsing into itself like a folding house of cards. Whatever form it takes, these visions will be nightmarish glimpses of the complete destruction of their home world. It will last no longer than five minutes in reality, but to the Traveller experiencing it, it may feel like hours or even days during which they fall into nothing. At its end, they will wake in the castle by the standard means of resurrection, and they will remember every second of their fall.
Back on the surface, once the Travellers have tired of being sapped of warmth and happiness and hearing their fallen friends' screams, they will opt not to linger in this madness for longer than is necessary to agree there is no hope for salvaging this area. They will head right back the way they came, making camp in the hippies' ruins for the night to think on their experiences.

Day 435 ( Apr. 18/19 )

The trip back to Asgard will be equally uneventful, though their numbers are fewer and the ground more solid from the drying water. By their return, the refugee camps will have been built just outside of Asgard's gates and natives will be attempting to find a means of living in these dire times. If the Travellers seek out the hippies to speak to them of their discovery, they will find their mellow friends lost too deeply into their own minds for conversation. Reflecting on oneself for two long can very well lead to madness. Better, perhaps, to simply forget what they saw ...

Day 401 ( Feb. 9/10 )

Waiting by the Gate of Fire will be several carriages all prepared to take the Travellers to their destination. Natives will help them load into the carriages and provide a personal pack of food and blankets to those that need it, all with a grim face and averted eyes. This journey is one few outside the immortals have ever made, and only several thousand years ago. It's a sacred place, and one they are not entirely comfortable with seeing entered. But their King gave them orders, and so the caravan will depart by midday with Mimir and Honir at the head to lead the way onward.

They will continue riding through sunset and stop to make camp by nightfall. The gods will tell the Travellers to rest up, as the rest of the journey will be a strenuous one.

Day 402 ( Feb. 11/12 )

The caravan will pick up again for a few hours, but it will come to a sudden halt with a cry of pain from the leading carriage. The accompanying gods will be feeling the same inexplicable wrenching as the gods in Asgard, but this far from the city, its effects will not reach the Travellers in their party. A moment will be spared for their recovery before Honir announces that it's best they continue on foot; from there on forward, it's a hike, and not a particularly friendly one.

Ginnungagap sparsely littered with old trees and short, soft grass on the outskirts of the canyon, streams flowing from varying mountain peaks into the vast space below; deeper within, it is sheer rock and sharp edges that are harsh and unyielding. If one were to look at it from above, they might think someone stabbed a knife into solid stone and carved out a jagged wound, and so it is moving through the canyon itself, where one false step can lead to certain and painful death.

The vast majority of the day will be spent moving slowly and carefully, with few breaks to stop for water and rest while Honir and Mimir negotiate the safest paths. By the time it goes dark, they will be too deep into the canyon and its steep cliff faces to stop without risking losing someone to the jagged rocks hidden in the darkness, and so the gods will conjure small orbs of light to follow each Traveller as they direct every footfall very precisely until they reach their destination.

They will stop just outside the path that leads to the cavern of the Earth Giants' final resting place. There is ample space to make camp and rest for the night; Honir and Mimir will have to vanquish their lights in order to regain their strength, so they will urge the Travellers not to go off wandering on their own. The sound of slowly streaming water and the echo of emptiness will linger just outside their reach in the darkness as they try to sleep.

Day 403

By early morning, very little sunlight will be able to reach the company from their position on the small plateau, but the gods will wake their companions and relight their guides to lead them further in. It takes less than an hour to reach the entrance to the kingdom of the Earth Giants, and sunlight will flood the ruins in abundance. It may be easy to tell that the sprawling city was once something of magnificence, the architecture careful and precise to maximise their position in the sun carried down into the canyon.

However, nearly all buildings lay in varying states of destruction, as though a large bomb went off at the centre and blew outwards. Every surface is overgrown by moss, weeds, and chaotic tangles of vines. Waterfalls that were contained and utilised in artful structures and fountains have worn down the walls of the cavern and flow freely throughout the ruins, leaving the earth a sodden constant. The kingdom has fallen into complete disrepair in the eighteen-thousand years it's been deserted.

Most notable, however, is the distinct lack of life anywhere throughout the cavern. Ginnungagap on the whole is not terribly occupied by wildlife, but there are animals and insects that can be found roaming the cliffs; here, there is absolutely none to be found. Nothing stirs but the sound of water echoing off of empty walls, and there is, it seems, a very unnatural hollow sensation from simply standing in this space so devoid of life.

It has long been believed that the tragedy of the Earth Giants' obliteration starved this land of its will to thrive, but this is an extreme the gods did not foresee. The Travellers will be free to explore for a few hours, but will be ushered out at the insistence of the unnerved gods before midday. They have a long journey ahead of them, and they will not stop for anything until night has fallen and they are far from this barren wasteland.

Day 404 ( Feb. 13/14 )

Travel back to Asgard is otherwise uneventful in the wake of their discovery in Ginnungagap. They will arrive to the city pulling itself together after its latest blight, and the gods that accompanied the caravan will give hurried farewells before quickly making their way to the castle to bring news of their experience. The natives will once again help the Travellers unload, this time even more grim than before. Strange things are stirring, and the confusion on both sides will leave many questions unanswered.

Day 338 (Oct. 8/9)

It's time for a costume party! Travelers will be encouraged by the natives and gods alike to wear costumes both silly and serious! Anyone needing assistance simply need to say the word, and they will be descended upon by enthusiastic natives ready to help and desperate to put the tragedy of Thiazi's attack behind them.

Day 339 (Oct. 10/11)

Familiar scents will waft in the air with the theme of the second day: Home away from Home! The visiting god Honir has made a push to organize food and music straight from the Travelers' worlds, and it will all seem absolutely and utterly authentic. The natives will be cooking and playing music throughout the festival, and will be encouraging Travelers to to teach others about their own world/time's clothing and culture.

Day 340 (Oct. 12/13)

This day is going to follow something of a Samhain celebration. Merlin, with the permission and help from the gods, planted the seed of an oak tree in the centre of the courtyard. By this day, it will have grown as large as though it's been there for a hundred years. Travellers will be welcomed to tie ribbons or letters to the tree for their departed loved ones and friends, whether they've passed on or simply left the city, in remembrance and a final farewell.

However, being far too curious about to whom they're writing, Honir will be going through all of the ribbons and letters when no one's looking. Moved by their losses, he'll be bugging Mimir into helping him perform a spell that will bring a sort of comfort to everyone. Characters can receive up to a maximum of three photographs of themselves with whomever their ribbon is for, regardless of whether or not they ever took a picture with that person or even had the technology to do so. All of these photographs will be candid shots of happy memories that will be waiting for them on the Travelers' pillows.

(We aren't doing approvals for these so please, limit yourselves to only three photographs!)

Day 341 (Oct. 14/15)

This day will introduce a festival game with the gods! As you go around to the various booths and attractions throughout the festival, NPCs will be handing out small treats to anyone they see wearing the colors of their patron god - whether you wore the colour intentionally or not!

The gods themselves will also be hosting another game of sorts: each of Asgard's patrons and allies will have a riddle or trivia question for any Travelers that approach them. Answer these correctly and they will tie a token of their favor (a ribbon in their colour or crest) around your upper arm. These ribbons can be cashed in for prizes at any time during the rest of the festival! (More details can be found under Day 341 HERE.)