[Interest Check] Valhalla Fallen

[MiraMirror]

Right, first things first!
This is not a recruitment thread, just an interest check.  Furthermore, I'm unsure of when I'd be starting this. Finally, I'd like to get one or two co-GMs for this, people that I can share plot details with, discuss developments with, and potentially people who could post when I'm unable to (if I'm sick, for instance).

On to the meat!

This is an idea that I've been running through my head for a long time, but it's not one that I believe I'll be able to run by myself, hence the need for a co-GM or two.  I will note that this draws inspiration from Norse mythology (naturally), Valkyrie Profile 1 and 2, and other various sources.  I shall now proceed to butcher mythology.


Midgard, home of the mortals, elves, and beasts of all manners.
Niflheim, the Abode of Mist, realm of frost and ice, as well as the final resting place for those poor souls who were not granted heroic deaths.
And of course, Asgard, realm of the Allfather Odin, many deities, not to mention the Battle Maidens. 

The myths say that when a mortal died a heroic death, the Battle Maiden when come for him, so that she could take his soul to Valhalla to server as an einherjar, doing glorious battle in what was effectively a warrior's paradise.

This story takes place well after Loki rebelled against Odin, after he gathered an army and gathered them together.  Long had Odin reigned over the realms from his throne in Asgard, and even longer had Loki's anger boiled silently beneath the surface.  The time for action was about them, and in an unexpected show of force, Loki and his Vanir marched from the lower realms to Asgard, slaying einherjar and deity alike in what could only be described as a massacre. Certainly, the upper gods and goddesses fought proudly, but with little-to-no preparation, their options were woefully limited.  As Loki and his army marched towards the throne room, Odin issued one final order to those left alive.  He urged them to flee, something he would never command if it were not absolutely needed.  Even with the order given, it was unsure of how many were able to escape that day.  With his major opposition defeated, Loki passed off the survivors as little else but flies, gnats for him to crush...when he felt like it, of course.  For now, there was only celebration for him, celebration for his ascension to the throne that was rightfully his, at least in his mind.  However, his ascension carried with it a plague of death and despair, for without the major deities tending to their respective duties, Midgard began to suffer.  It was slow, and even as the story begins, it isn't widespread, but a select few might have picked up on strange occurrences.  Crops have begun to die out, fruits grow rotten, love dies out suddenly, some women grow barren, and there have been infants released as stillborns. It is no matter to Loki, not yet...  But when a band of individuals notice and unknowingly grow tangled together in the strings of Fate, he will have no choice but to acknowledge them!
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Well, that came out a bit worse than I expected it to.  Sadly, I'm not always good at transferring thoughts to the computer.

In any case, a brief description of what this is.

This is an adventure based on Norse mythology.  Loki, god of mischief, has successfully overthrown his father in this timeline, slaying numerous deities and eihnherjar in the process.  What few deities remain is a mystery, but as Fate would have it, the three valkyries have survived the encounter, though not without serious injuries.  Normally, only one valkyrie would be "active" at a time, while the other two sisters slept within human vessels, but with Odin slain, his magic has been undone, and the trio has been unleashed upon Midgard in significantly weakened states. Even they do not know who has survived, but they can feel that Odin is no longer among the living.  Most humans on Midgard haven't fully come to grasp what's about to happen to their world.  For that matter, none of them even know what's transpired.  They aren't aware that their deities have been slain, but in the coming months, the full gravity of the situation will be known across the world.  Loki has succeeded in his goal of stealing the throne for himself...for the most part.  He has only just begun to realize that something is amiss.  The power he's obtained is massive still, but something is missing, some small measure of godly essence.  While it is of little consequence, it nags at him silently, and there is no doubt that he will get it back in due time.

The major deities are dead, though some divine beings are alive.  The three valkyries are among those, but as for the others...nobody knows.  Players will create characters (Human, Elf, or Half-Elf) to join the adventure. The races are just for flavor, as this will likely be a free-form adventure.  While they might not know what's going on, perhaps they feel something that just seems...off. Perhaps they had nightmares involving a great war of some sort, or maybe circumstance forced them to travel.  Whatever they case, they will eventually come across two characters (played by me), from a mighty kingdom.  Odd circumstances have forced the unlikely duo from their homeland, and they will play a great role in the adventures to come.  While I have the basic skeleton of the adventure planned out, I still need to fill in the meat.  In any case, the party will travel across Midgard and realms stranger still, discovering what has become of the gods, what Loki has planned, what they can do to stop him, and eventually, do that very same deed.

This will most likely be placed in Light or Exotic.  I don't plan on sex being a driving force behind the story, but players will be free to engage in such activities if they so wish.

I'll add to this as I gather my thoughts. ^^;

Edit 1: Feel free to ask questions, as it will help me clear my thoughts and, well, answer questions.

[Marie Reynolds]

Ill at least put my interest here as a player.

[Caehlim]

You had me at Norse Mythology. I'm interested.

[Angie]

Question...what kind of tech level are we working with? Standard fantasy, more modern? I wanna know cause I'm interested.

[MiraMirror]

It'll more than likely be standard fantasy, though I don't expect to speak that accurately. Magic exists in the settimg, but it's not at all common, and is so rare that it's often seen as a tool exclusive to deities.

[Angie]

Alright, big ol' Axes it is!

[Marie Reynolds]

 Sounds good to me.

[MiraMirror]

I'm also considering letting someone play a valkyrie, but if I do, I'd definitely like that person to be a co-GN. Valkyries would possess some magic, albeit weaker due to Odin being dead/injuries. This also doesn't mean that the players will not get magic later on, mind you.

[Caehlim]

It'll more than likely be standard fantasy, though I don't expect to speak that accurately. Magic exists in the settimg, but it's not at all common, and is so rare that it's often seen as a tool exclusive to deities.

Would it be okay for me to play someone who casts futhark runes for fortune-telling?

Hell, it wouldn't even have to accurately work, he might just be good at guessing/cold-reading and be a classic fortune-telling conman. But would it be okay for someone like that to exist in the setting?

[MiraMirror]

I can see that working, Caehlim, but expect varied reactions ranging from people thinking you're a prophet of the gods to the opposite extreme. :p

[Marie Reynolds]

Yep but Valkyrie Profiles only makes note of three.

[TheHangedOne]

If someone played a Valkyrie, could I play an Einherjar that escaped the slaughter with them? Barring that, I would probably go with elf, as I love to play Faerie-esque creatures (and Nordic elves are pretty Faerie like).

And a point Blinkin broguht up... are you basing this game off of Valkyrie Profile? because that game series has always had only three valkyries.

[MiraMirror]

Indeed. With that said, this won't be a 100% accurate representation of Norse mythology, and there will be some artistic liberties being taken in the process.  What Marie said is on the dot, though. A good deal of this is based on a mixture of VP, homebrew, and mythology.

Blinkin: I would accept an einherjar as a character.

[Caehlim]

I can see that working, Caehlim, but expect varied reactions ranging from people thinking you're a prophet of the gods to the opposite extreme. :p

I like that, some people see him as respectable, other people as a witch or a charlatan. He'd mostly play off people's superstitious fears to keep himself safe and feed himself off of money from the gullible and believing.

He believes that his fortune-telling is genuine (whether that ends up being true or not), but often doesn't tell people the truth about what the runes say because he's afraid of people "shooting the messenger" when he gets bad news.

All these disasters happening in the world make him very nervous because people are going to want answers and happy fluffy stories about "meeting a tall dark and handsome stranger" won't necessarily cover it.

In D&D terms he'd be a rogue-ish type character.

[TheHangedOne]

Oh. Hey, if this is gonna be based off of Valkyrie Profile, is magic going to be prominent and as combat effective as in the games themselves? Because if so, I might just want to play someone linked to Genevieve.

[MiraMirror]

As mentioned above, magic isn't very prominent in this setting, which is a sort of mish-mash of settings. The party will definitely get access to various magic as the story progresses, but as it stands, it's seen as something deities use (in the eyes of the masses). Sorry if this discourages anyone from making a character!

In regards to how combat-effective magic is, that depends on lineage, the individual spell, the caster's stamina, etc. Mooks are,  well, mooks, but later encounters might not be so easily slain.

Edit: It's important to note that this is a skeleton. I'm not exactly turning things down putright, but I'm trying to strike a balance, so to speak.

[Angie]

I'm thinking of making a "Weaponmaster" style character, someone who can use every weapon the Norse are famous for-so, swords, axes, shield, and he might know how to use a spear, though he prefers axes and swords. He will also either have a rockin' beard, or if a she, she will have an awesome ponytail.

[TheHangedOne]

Hmm. Maybe half-elf with a bit of a magic, given the inherent powers of the elves? Would that be cool, Shrroth?

[MiraMirror]

It depends on the potency, but that should be fine. If you'd like, when magic becomes more readily available, your half-elf could havr his/her bloodline awaken for an added boost? Also, dwarves. Yay or nay?

[TheHangedOne]

That would be cool. Maybe there's some sort of seal or curse, and as the story progresses, it could be weakened or broken?

Edit: In regards to dwarves, I think it might be interesting if they show up. At the very least, maybe some dwarf-crafted items or the like?

[Angie]

Now I'm starting to wonder, what if my character was a Jarl who was forced from their land for some reason (anything from "exiled" to "the whole damn thing was burned to the ground")? Would that be cool?

[MiraMirror]

Backstory is a wonderful thing, and I'm lenient on it as long as it's well-written. I'll mention if there's a problem. ^^

I will be posting a far more detailed history/info bit later this week, as well.

[TheHangedOne]

By the way, this video might interest players. It's about viking warfare. It's pretty fascinating.

Looking forward to seeing the details, Shrroth. 

[Angie]

I demand we fight on a fjord at least once.

[MiraMirror]

You might be surprised where you end up going. :p
Also, be gentle. It's my first time (DM'ing).