LOCATIONS;

[asgardmods]

Locations

The city of Asgard; Asgard is a city split into nine districts and surrounded by a tall, thick wall. The districts are named for their patron god (Odin, Thor, Loki, Sigyn, Hel, Heimdall, Freyr, Freya, or Baldr) and all of the decor within a district is predominantly in the colour of that God House (though in varying shades/tones etc). The architecture inside the city has a somewhat old-fashioned European feel, but the amenities inside of buildings are pretty much modern. Aside from anything that connects to the internet, it's not hard to find most things that are available in the real world. The roads of the city are too narrow for cars, though they allow for motorbikes. See the licensing page for info on getting one. What makes the city strange, though is the colour -- or lack thereof. Though each district is done up in the colour of its God House, in most of the city those colours are greyish and life itself seems muted. Things are highly desaturated, natural sounds are muffled, etc -- it feels very empty. Natives are equally blank -- just like the maids in the castle, the citizens of Asgard are only superficially human. Their appearance seems to shift every time you look at them, and it'll be impossible to remember any details about an individual native. Animals are a little easier to identify (and are the usual city sort -- stray cats and dogs, small birds, the occasional raccoon, fox, or rabbit), but it's still hard to pick out individuals. This, however, is changing due to the Travellers. Every place in which Travellers express or experience emotion is gaining colour, NPCs both sapient and animal gain individual characteristics and personality when interacted with frequently. Due to this effect, the Welcome Halls and other major locations are colourful now, as are other areas to varying degrees. The castle maids are always grey because they're replaced as they get well, but the rest of the locals are improving by bits. Also, the effect Travellers have on the world is constantly being multiplied. This is because once a native has been effected enough to gain emotion, he or she will also be able to bring colour to his or her surroundings. Just one waitress could spread life through a great deal of the city, so every interaction counts. As of November 2012, the "natives" in the city aren't just humans. Though Asgard is a human city by nature, people from the armies that helped Asgard during the first big battle have remained in the city and have also caught the sickness. Most of the foreigners are elves, but some are tree-men, fauns, and other earth or wood-related friendly creatures and even the occasional dwarf. You're welcome to assume these people are around and that, all together, they make up about 1/4 of the city's current population. They also don't follow any particular God, and if asked will hail from either Utgard, Alfheim, or Vanaheim. Information on these places is on the world info faq. You can use them in normal interactions just like human natives! If you have questions or need assistance with non-human types, ping a mod. For the current level of greyness in the city, please see the meters on the timeline page. God Houses; Houses are the identifying factor for each district of the city. Located at the dots [•] on the map are Welcome Halls, the manors in which characters will live upon arrival. Each Welcome Hall serves as both a residence for the Travellers and a center of power for its respective god or goddess. The grounds of every Welcome Hall will include a small dais with an altar to and statue of the patron god, where natives may come to worship and where Travellers may request blessings. The interior layout of the Welcome Halls can be found on the housing page. Aside from Welcome Halls, the House that rules over each district also directly affects the people within it. Natives are all loyal to a particular god as well, and only travel outside of their own districts when necessary. The natives of a particular House will be more accommodating to Travellers from the same house -- a character belonging to Thor House might be charged five copper runes in Thor District for a T-shirt that costs six copper runes to buy in Loki District, while a character from Loki would be charged five copper runes for that shirt while in Loki and six while in Thor. NPCs might throw in small freebies for "their" Travellers as well, so basic shopping will be mildly more efficient in the character's "home" district. In addition to NPC behavior, it will be difficult for members of one House to spend time in another House's Welcome Hall. A Sigyn House traveller will feel distinctly unwelcome within Baldr's Welcome Hall -- while it begins simply as a feeling of being looked at disapprovingly when they stay more than an hour, the discomfort will increase over time until the character begins to feel an undeniable urge to get out. This whole process takes a good 6-8 hours, though, so short visits can be easily done. Major Locations; There are various special sites in Asgard that may be of interest to Travellers in the city. As of Day 198 (January 1, 2013), with the reawakening of Runic Magic, the gods have placed permanent portals from any of the major locations to the other major locations for easy travel between the districts. Listed according to the number marking them on the map, these locations are as follows: Gladsheim Palace [1] - In the center of the city is a castle, accessible from each of the nine main roads. This is the place where new arrivals and new revivals awaken. Characters may be invited back here for an event or two, but otherwise the gates are closed to Travellers and natives alike. It's impossible to cross the fence separating the castle plaza from the rest of the city -- even with super strength or flying, characters will simply bounce away as if there's an invisible wall. This wall is like a bubble over the whole castle/plaza and can't be sat on or broken through. It is possible to sneak in by slipping past when someone allowed (like a maid or newbie) is going in/out, but please talk to the mods first if you want to play with this. The Bank of Dvalin [2] - Situated in Heimdall District is the bank that manages finances for everyone in the city, native or not. Cash can be deposited or withdrawn using the accounts automatically given to each Traveller, loans can be taken out, and large bank transfers can be made. The bank also handles the task of transferring the items and funds of dropped characters to their friends and loved ones. The bank has small terminals (like ATMs) in various locations throughout the city, but large transactions, loans, and dropped character exchanges must be done at the main location. The Great Library [3] - Travel to Odin District to find a library of epic proportions. Books from all possible worlds line the shelves here, but there is little to nothing relating to Asgard itself in most of the library. Those materials are kept in the most central chamber which, for now, is unreachable for Travellers. As of March 2013, the central chamber of the library has been opened. The books inside are filled with rich tomes containing information all about the world of Asgard and records of its history. (Note: Everything marked with yellow and blue asterisks can be found ICly in this inner library chamber, but things that are marked with red will NOT be included in that IC knoweldge.) Folkvang Comfort House [4] - This complex of buildings and hot springs in Freya District is more than a day spa -- natives and Travellers alike can come here for a soak, a massage, and the finest in finger foods, but that's not all. In addition to a sauna, a light fitness gym, and a myriad of skin treatments from mud baths to chocolate facials, Folkvang also caters to some... baser pleasures. Ask nicely, and you might be able to get special treatment during your massage. This is, however, not a widely advertised service, so it's up to the characters to figure it out. The Hospital [5] - Though it has no particular name, everyone in Asgard knows that the hospital in Sigyn District is the place to go if you're sick or injured. Native doctors there can cure most ailments with a combination of modern medicine and healing magic, and some of them might be willing to train and/or accept help from Travellers with useful abilities. Draupnir [6] - A large theatre can be found in Freyr District, and it's definitely the place to be to watch or practice in any of the performing arts. With an indoor stage appropriate for anything from opera to Shakespeare to a heavy metal concert, and a smaller outdoor one for casual performances, there's always something creative going on here. There are practice studios for dance and music inside that can be rented by the hour for a small fee, as well. The Arena [7] - A place as grand as this one needs no fancy name -- a massive building including an indoor colosseum, various training rooms (including a heavy work-out gym), and a pool, visitors will find just about anything pertaining to physical strength and combat at the arena. There are sports fields outside as well, for those more inclined to more innocent forms of competition. Gefion Park [8] - Picture the most expertly tended, lavishly fitted park you can imagine: this is Gefion. Located in Baldr district, the gardens here include every type of ornamental plant one can think of, as well as a lake, a small artificial woodland, and a variety of small attractions (a petting zoo, row-boats for rent, horse-drawn carriage rides with eight-legged horses). Sky's Prize [9] - Looking for some nightlife? This swanky bar and dance club in Loki district is where it's at. Serving up a variety of drinks both alcoholic and virgin, there's something to please anyone's tastebuds at the bar. The DJ keeps the energy flowing from dusk til dawn, too, so you can dance your heart out on the blacklit floor. Now that there's a good number of colourful people in the city, this place is hopping! The Dark Carnival [10] - An amusement park sounds like fun, right? Sure, but this one's not for the faint of heart. While there are plenty of safe games and rides, being located in Hel District lends for a very creepy atmosphere. By day, the park is mostly normal, if a little morbidly cute in decor, but by night there are real ghosts to deal with. Nothing here is deadly, though -- characters might get scared or even roughed up, but it's all in good fun, right? (As a note, the ghosts are not intelligent ghosts that communicate. They're closer to just fragments and act mindlessly.) The Gate of Fire [11] - Head straight north from the castle to reach the first of three large, imposing gates in the walls of Asgard. Despite being open since November 2012, this one is even more closely watched than the other two. Immediately outside is only a big, flat field of white dust left from Freyr's explosion -- but if someone were to head down the gravel road away from the city, they'd find themselves well on the way to Muspellheim, the land of the Fire Giants and their violent king Surt. The Gate of Frost [12] - Follow the southeastern road between Loki and Sigyn districts to reach the second gate. This one leads to Thrymheim, the land of Frost Giants, ruled by a coldhearted queen named Thiazi. This gate is closed to for safety, so you'll have to use one of the others if you want to see the frost-like ornamentation on the outside of the doors. The Gate of Fog [13] - The southwest gate, situated between Heimdall and Freyr, is the least armed of the three. This gate is actually frequently used by natives, and as of April 2012, Travellers are allowed through as well. The road here leads to Utgard, the third city of giants. Though he's currently allied himself with Asgard, the Gods don't really trust the ruler of this tech-savvy city. Still, there is (regulated) trade between Asgard and the rest of the world via Utgard, and Travellers are welcome to go shopping there at any time. Meeting traders as they come in this gate is the best way to get rare or disreputable products, so keep an eye out!