Ragnarok Era

in Eschaton Cycle

The freezing mists of Niflheim have seeped into the world, poisoning it, locking it into an age of ice and darkness. The mists steal souls and only flickering flame can hold them at bay … Winters stretch on and on. Harsh storms wrack the land. Mankind is slowly dying out, especially in the North Realms. Glaciers slowly spread from the poles, covering the Earth. Prehistoric animals roam the wilds. And the dead walk. Dark Norse myth awaits you …

I was there, when the world ended. It has happened before—the end of an Era. But not like this. Not like this … It began in the East, far from here, in lands we called the Skyfall Isles. In our arrogance, we thought ourselves the children of gods. We fought our wars, on and on, down through the ages, believing ourselves masters of the world. And those wars wreaked more havoc than we might have ever imagined. The Astral Temple was breached. I saw it, as the frozen mists of the underworld seeped into our reality. Back then, no one could have imagined they would spread to cover an entire world with their poisons, blocking the sun and trapping us in the cold. Nor had we yet begun to suspect the other effects of this mist or the horrors they would unleash upon the last remnants of humanity. So few of us remain now. I tried as best I could to save what people I met. I thought, somehow, I might guide them back into the warmth. That we might reclaim our world from the merciless elements. That I might be … absolved of my part in all of this. I was wrong. —Chandi, to Idunn

At the end of the prior Era, the freezing mists escaped the Spirit World of Niflheim and polluted the Earth. Though the rift was closed, the mists did their work, creating a hellish ice age in which the temperature across the world dropped by around fifteen degrees. In such conditions, snows in the northern parts of the world never melt. Humanity now lives primarily in the so-called Middle World: Midgard. The mists themselves are toxic to humans, poisoning not their bodies, but their minds and souls. These same mists are also home to supernatural terrors such as trolls and draugar. Only flame can hold back the mist, forcing humanity to huddle around bonfires for warmth and protection, never knowing what terrors lurk beyond the firelight. As the name implies, the Era draws heavy influence from Norse mythology, reimagining these classic myths within the frame of this dark fantasy world. Additionally, the Ragnarok Era pulls from other Germanic myths, as well as Finnish and Inuit mythology.