Niflheim (World of Fog)
Home of the Niflhir.
Geography
Niflhir is a primarily barren planet that bears the scars of a mass destruction event caused by the catastrophic death of a Worldsoul? many ages ago. There is no vegetation on the planet, simply barren gray stone, speckled by vast craters and caverns, that sweeps across the planet like a lifeless plain. Scattered across the surface and within the caverns of this planet enormous glaciers can be found that hold secrets a millenia old. However, while the planet remains barren of life, it does have three major freshwater rivers that run across the stonescape and continously grow the underground glaciers.
Ecosystem
There is no true ecosystem of Niflhir. Unlike Asgard, the planet seems to have never fully recovered it's own apocalyptic disaster. The closest thing to an ecosystem on Niflhir, is the small greenhouse built by the Old Aesir to care for a Yggdrasill sapling they had planted along the river bank.
Localized Phenomena
Although Niflhir's Worldsoul died a long time ago, taking all life on the planet with it, the blast from that explosion imbued whatever was left with incredible amounts of stored arcane energy. The stone surface of the planet is made up of Osmosium, a mineral that absorbed the worldsoul energy of the blast and gave it the ability to thus stabilize all other forms of energy (heat, light, motion) it comes into contact with. Glaciers that have eroded the Osmosium and frozen the remaining particles within themselves also appear to have this quality. This energy remains dormant within the stone until it comes into contact with a kinetic energy source, in which case it quickly is reactivated and absorbs the activating energy. The Aesir observed this phenomena in interaction with their own Energy Worldsoul, and saw in it the potential to harness the stored energy and artificially create a new Worldsoul from it. By harnessing the Osmosium, the Aesir were successful in creating the Isa Worldsoul.
Climate
Niflheim is a cold and icy place. There is very little weather in the form of precipitation on the planet, but a bitter cold wind constantly blows across the surface. Frequently, the wind will bring with it thick mist clouds that flash freeze everything in their grasp.
History
The Old Aesir stumbled upon Niflheim long after it's original inhabitants were extinct, and quickly began to excavate the planet in hopes of discovering what happened to these unfortunate ancients. However, the archealogical digs were quickly abandoned in favor of a new research project when the Aesir accidentally discovered the unique properties of Osmosium to absorb their digging tools power sources via residual arcane energy left by Niflheim's initial worldsoul. During the digs, the Aesir observed this phenomena in interaction with their own Energy Worldsoul, and saw in it the potential to harness the stored energy and artificially create a new Worldsoul from it. Project Berkanan, if successful, would allow the Aesir to artifically fabricate their own worldsouls instead of scouring the galaxy in search of one, and having to then slowly wrench control of it from the planets inhabitant. The implications of such a project were limitless, and Odin poured inordinate amounts of the Aesir's vast wealth into it's development.
A research facility was quicly constructed in one of Niflheim's craters and the very best scientists and engineers began working to revive the worldsoul. Although, the project proved enormously difficult in both theory, and practicality and the Aesir were met with defeat repeatedly through the years and years of tests. However even in their failings, the Aesir managed to discover unique uses for Osmosium, including using it to unlock the possibility of cryogenics.
At the time of Thor's coronation, the Berkanan Facility was prepared to begin it's most promising test run yet, and cryogenic technology was being tested in it's very first iterations. The researchers gathered to watch the coronation, but were instead greeted with a televised depiction of Loki's betrayal and overthrow of the Asgardian throne. Fearing the loss of their funding and potentially even exile, the researchers decided to run their final test in hopes a success would appease Loki into allowing them to continue their work. However as the Worldsoul Reviver began it's startup sequence, the Energy Worldsoul that powered all Aesir technology was destroyed during Ragnorok. All of their technology, all of their research, and their one and only way home was lost.
A very small sample of the researchers did manage to survive on Niflhir, despite all odds, by cryogenically freezing themselves using the Osmosium glaciers. However when they were mysteriously revived 1500 years later, so was Niflheim's worldsoul. Upon it's rebirth, the Isa Worldsoul replaced the void in the researcher's hearts left by the destruction of their own Worldsoul, and granted them the same abilities they had found in the Osmossium over a millenia ago. They could no longer be called Aesir. The world they were a part of was long gone. By some miracle, they had been reborn as the Niflhir.
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