Region: Midgard

Midgard

Midgard is located to the northeast of Tartarus and is home to most of the Odin fleet of Godcities that survived the Fall. There are at least 10 major Godcities located in Midgard, with many of them crashing relatively close to another Godcity, creating coupled Godcity areas of dense Chosen populations as well as vast expanses of wilderness.

Geography

Midgard borders Gaul to its west, the wastes of Hyperborea to its north, Oceanus to its east, Olympus to its south, and Tartarus to its southwest. With the exception of its border with Gaul, every land border of Midgard has tall mountain ranges with few navigable passes, thereby isolating it from the surrounding regions. Although the border with Gaul is open, the Ifing River runs the length of the border and is extremely dangerous to cross, except on the God-Road.

In addition to having difficult to cross borders in every direction, Midgard is split into 2 sections by the Bifrost Canyon that runs from Tartarus out to Oceanus, with the God-Road being the only route across the canyon. South of the Bifrost Canyon is the smaller of the 2 areas, known as the Bifrost Enclave. Being further south and located between Oceanus and the Svartalfheim Mountains, these lands are covered in temperate forests and have significant seasonal variation.

The lands north of the Bifrost Canyon are rugged and rocky. Although there are occasional forests, and the land near the many rivers that cut through the area are fertile, most of Midgard is tundra, and the winters in Midgard are the worst of the major populated regions.

History and Culture

During Ragnarok, the Ancients who crashed in Midgard had to deal not only with the threat of the Unliving, but the difficult weather. Those few who survived lived in small nomadic communities as food sources were scarce. Midgard was not only isolated from the rest of the world, but the Bifrost Enclave and the rest of Midgard were even isolated from each other.

Since the people of Midgard were isolated, they were wary when the first Ascended, Daedalus, arrived in Odin. When Daedalus asked for a human sacrifice after restarting Odin’s Heart, the people rose up and destroyed him. Though the body of Daedalus is said to be kept in Odin, a new Unliving claiming to be the resurrection of Daedalus appeared in Tartarus, having gone mad and turning against humanity.

The High King of Odin attempted to stop the Ascendant Sisyphus when he arrived to build the God-Road but was fortunately unable to do so. For the first time in history, long distance travel within Midgard was relatively safe. In addition, the areas separated by the Bifrost Canyon became connected by land. and a tunnel was made connecting Midgard to Olympus. The High King of Odin then used the opportunity presented by the God-Road to conquer most of Midgard.

The arrival of the Fimbulwinter hit Midgard particularly hard and fast. In very little time, the High King’s empire collapsed, as everyone scrambled to make it to a Godcity and be Chosen. Most were not successful and found themselves among the Exiled.

In the Third Age, the new High King of Odin has attempted to rebuild their lost empire but found it more difficult than their predecessors in the Second Age. Today, the military efforts of the High King have slowed, and the Bifrost Enclave remains independent, trading with the rest of Midgard but being cautious about letting the High King gain too much influence.