Helheim

It is where the majority of people go when they die. Unlike Valhalla, which is reserved solely for those who have died 'honorably' in combat, Helheim houses the vast majority of the rest of the more neutral inhabitants. i.e.; those who die of purely natural causes such as old age, or sickness, as well as unnatural deaths such as those who are victims of murder and suicide. Strong winds blow through the land from the lowest valleys, the widest plains, and to the highest peaks. Those still living who find themselves here are tormented by their greatest regrets in life via illusions airing their misdeeds for others to judge for themselves. The Realm of the Dead is a land of perpetual twilight, being locked in a state of permanent that isnt dusk or dawn, not night nor day, not sping nor fall, and not hot nor cold. The realm possesses bleak clouds covering the skies, an emerald-colored thin fog and mist, mountains whos tops are frozen over in ice, structures made of stone and human-shaped metal statues. An ever-present wind current, known as the Winds of Hel, always blows throughout the entire realm. Helheim's architecture consists of bridges, gates and buildings made of an ebony black stone. The realm used to be one of pure cold and was covered in ice, that is until the arrival of Princess Persephone, the Goddess of Spring and Fall, the daughter of the Goddess Lada and Prince Hades of Helheim. The Valkyries once were sent here to purge the land of the dead army Hel is attempting to build and vowed to never leave the realm until they completed their task. To this day this legion of Valkyries still wages war in the land of the dead, holding off against a force that massively outnumbers them.

General Features

Population: The dead, clan cerberus, and air elementals
Ruler: Hel
Weather: Chilly mild weather, strong winds, cloudy days, frequent thunderstorms and rain, feels like either spring or fall.
Lighting: The thunder storms and bleak skies make visibility below average.
Sounds: The brushing of fauna against eachother from the wind, the distant flow of the rivers, the constant howl and hiss of the wind.
Terrain - Plains: Although there are no roads or paths, travel pace remains normal.
Terrain - Mountains: The steep slopes of the mountains are challenging to climb with their tops frozen over.
Terrain - Sea: Any bodies of water are extremely cold if not already completely frozen over.
Terrain - Swamps: The constant rainfall gives way for a variety of swampy areas.
Terrain- Valleys: Splitting the land across lie many valleys that may impede travel.

Places of Interest

Gravestones and Graveyards

Many who die find themselves within this realm after crossing through it's gates. Once the dead cross over they will find themselves laying upon the ground next to a gravestone marked with their name and date of birth and death. Graveyards are wide expanses of gravestones crawling with the dead who have recently departed Charun's ship. Among the graveyards, however, crawl infamous creatures, servants to the monstrous Nidhogger, who drag the dead away to the great beast. This large dragon is wedged into the root of the World Tree, which extends from the skies to the heart of this world, and cannot break free. The creature is eager to feed, it's hunger insatiable, and to find something to unleash it's wrath upon, so its servants pile their findings close to him.

River Styx

This massive river surrounds the entire realm and acts as its greatest protection. The harsh winds make it almost impossible to fly over but perhaps even more terrifying is the water itself. Any who attempt to enter the water will immediately find themselves grasped by tens of hands that will attempt to drag them to the bottom of the river. Any and all who drown here have their souls trapped within the river for eternity.

Gallarbru

An elegant structure with a shining parapet, the golden bridge allows the dead who find themselves within Nastrond to cross over into the realm. Large enough to be seen from anywhere along the river banks, it is the only way to cross the River Styx. It is guarded by Modgud the Gate Keeper, however, only the dead are allowed to cross the bridge unless they posses a “Coin of Chiron” which allows a one time entry and exit of the realm. Alongside Modgud is the chained and bound wolf god Garm, who sleeps as the dead pass but becomes ravenous and mad when the living approach. It is the duty of Modgud to watch over Garm as well as the gates of Helheim, allowing the wolf to devour any who attempt to enter the realm without a Coin of Chiron.

Mount Kazakdume

A frozen volcano that flows with rivers of freezing water and occasionally erupts in an explosion of ice, this is Mount Kazakdume. The frozen volcano is ruled by a pair of powerful Ice and Air Elementals that hold it with a cold grasp. The volcano rises from the northernmost reaches of the world, reaching for the sky like a wave on the ocean. Climbing its slopes are incredibly difficult, but the reward is well worth the effort; from the peak, lies the golden seed. A magical pomegranate allowing anyone who eats it to be brought back to life. Numerous caverns open in the sides of the volcano. Although many open up to freezing rivers flowing with solid ice, two offer a way deeper into the volcano, into the mines used to gather Helheim Metal. A great tempest nests upon this volcano when it isnt scouring the realm for unlucky souls to feast upon.

Nagrind

At first sight, it looks like a small wall a few dozen feet tall, its top flat, almost as if blunted. Upon closer investigation, one can see it is covered in weird, moving shrubs, which turn out to be arms growing out of its surface of what is a wall of broken, mangled bodies. An impressive wall, crawling with the arms, legs and faces of the corpses who attempted to enter the realm without a Coin of Chiron and so were used in the defenses of the royal palace of the world, forming a wall of corpses. Those who investigate could be grappled by many pairs of hands and be torn to shreds by many tens of mouths and added to the wall.

The Obsidian Cathedral

The fortress of the goddess Hel rises not far away from the place where to root of the World Tree meets this realm. A faint greenish luminescence surrounds the mists shrouding it. The only passage that allows entry is the Gate, a thick fence of mystically interwoven bones from which it is possible to see the Obsidian Cathedral, an enormous, multistoried building. Inside can be found a massive stone garden, with skeletal sculptures mimicking trees and flowers. The entire structure is a maze of rooms and hallways, making it very difficult to navigate.

Palaces of the Princes

Scattered throughout the realm are palaces belonging to many of the Princes of Hel, each tasks with a specific objective to carry out. Each one varies depending on the prince, but some of the notable ones belong to the likes of Ren, Hades, Izanami, Osiris, and Anubis. Commonly, among all of them, cerberi of Clan Cerberus patrol and guard the palaces of their masters. The Princess Persephone frequently leaves her palace to mingle amongst the dead in an attempt to bring them at least a small amount of peace.

The Dark Wood

Deep below the ground lies an underground forest where even the Valkyries have stopped their war with the dead and have instead formed an uneasy alliance to fight back the forces of madness that worship Garm and seek to spread his madness across the land of the dead and eventually to all realms. Horrifying creatures twisted and corrupted by madness lurk here and seek to spread their influence to all they encounter.

Gravekeeper's Legion

A fortress of dead clerics and paladins holds firm under their loyalty to the goddess Persephone. The Gravekeepers are a force dedicated to the protection of the dead that will spend their eternity here. They vow to push both the Valkyries and the madness from the Dark Wood out of this realm for good. Their greatest foe is that of the dragon god Nidhogger and his legions of draugr, souls who have been bound to their corpses after death. Because of the proccess it takes to create a Draugr, only living who enter this realm are capable of being turned into one.

Hella's Stronghold

This old fortress was taken by the Valkryies and is used as their central stronghold. The Valkyrie commander Hella rules here and commands her army from this location. Over time the dead have repeatedly attempted to take this stronghold but to no avail. However with each attempt the more the stronghold begins to wittle away. Within the Valkyries perform training as well as deep study of the realm as well as some truly horrific experimentation. One day Hella and her forces will need to retreat to a new stronghold but for now their defenses remain strong.