INTRO LOG + SKADI CURSE.

[asgardmods]

FEBRUARY INTRO LOG( FEB 16TH & 17TH ) february 16 ↴ INTRO: NEW WANDERERS' ARRIVAL! Our batch of new Wanderers wake this morning, as all new Wanderers have before, on a plush bed with a mild but lingering sense of recent disorientation. Frigg greets them as per normal, though rather than outright escorting Wanderers to the front doors this time, she and Sigyn allow the Wanderers time and space to leave their bed, meet the pantheon, and even depart the palace at their own pace - but not without a warning. All Wanderers must choose a deity to tether to before dawn the next day, or else one of the gods will choose them. This is of grave importance, as that's precisely how long the magic giving them form is able to last untethered before the Mother's own magic overwhelms it. (Though the gods are more than willing to allow Wanderers to leave, it's worth noting that many a castle servant - natives, born in this land - might see fit to intercede and insist on the choosing of a god before Wanderers step off the Gladsheim Palace grounds.) Stepping outside, you're greeted by an almost bright and sunny day... Undermined thoroughly by a sharp, biting wind that permeates any small gap in your clothing. I bet the gods might give you a sweater, if you ask. It probably won't even look that absurd, depending on which one you ask. A trail of what seems like stringless balloons float at eye level from just outside the palace door, guiding Wanderers down the path to a notice board just outside the palace grounds. On this notice board, Wanderers find a brief handwritten guide to accessing the city map on their cuffs, specifically denoting the little colored house icons ( ⌂ ) to help Wanderers make their way to each god's housing. Also on this board appear to be a variety of job listings, for those who want to get more involved in Asgard as a whole. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? There's more than enough time for that once you've chosen a god to tether to in the first place. february 17 ↴ GOD CURSE: CHARACTER-BUILDING WITH SKADI. The storm brewing within Skadi is hardly a secret. She was impatient during the gods' supposedly unanimous address, and in the days to follow, Sigyn (with all her desperately good intentions) tried to balm the irritation but only abraded the goddess further still. She attended the Wanderers' arrival purely by the letter of her duty and swept back out the doors as soon as that duty released her, and since then she's been holed up in her temple, her pointy-faced statues positioned just outside as sentinels meant to intimidate mortals away. They dared to tell her that she does nothing. Nothing for the Wanderers, that is. Nothing to help them grow and self-actualize, as if these 'Wanderers' are so much more important than Asgard itself, which weakens by the day as her fellow gods fling their magic about to overprotect the Wanderers, or even to satisfy their whims. The consensus to draw back some of that wasteful protection would have pleased her, if she weren't so thoroughly fixated on the slight that preceded it. They want her to help the Wanderers self-actualize? So be it. There's no better way, truly, than to confront and overcome the ways in which you're flawed. So the morning after arrival day, many Wanderers wake up with a stinging, itching spot somewhere on their body. Maybe their arm, maybe their back, maybe their throat. In that spot, as it turns out, is a set of words in a deep ruddy brown (almost like old blood) under their skin as if tattooed in place. But these aren't just any words - they prey directly into the Wanderer's fears, their regrets, their insecurities, and their mistakes. They're facing down some of the worst things they've ever thought or feared about themselves. The other gods, of course, are eager and willing to try to relieve the poor Wanderers of these cursed marks... but they find that it's not quite so easy. Wanderers who seek a god's removal of the words find that not only do the words remain, but a new set appears: Flees the truth. But that's fine = For most Wanderers, these words disappear on their own in a day or two. A handful of unlucky souls find that their marks linger indefinitely, or seem to disappear but return at truly inopportune occasions down the line. MOD NOTES This is the February intro log and Skadi's curse, our mini-event for this month! Skadi's curse is is entirely opt-in - not all Wanderers are affected - and is detailed more fully in the 'This Month's Events' section of the February Bulletin, and you're welcome to direct any follow-up questions to the Bulletin's mod questions top-level. You've also likely noticed that god jobs are now live! The listings themselves can be found here (same link as within the 'arrival' prompt), with a brief FAQ featured over here.

Comments

❧ FRIGG

[asgardsmother]

( during the wanderer arrival, frigg is, of course, greeting wanderers as they wake and guiding them as far as they'd like to be guided - whether that be to the banquet hall for food, to the library for a quiet place to think, or to the grand palace doors. along the way she'll gladly engage in conversation, warm and maternal. she's aware that some wanderers take poorly to that note of familiarity, and she does her best to temper it but often fails.

during skadi's curse, she's... honestly pretty devastated. she hides it well enough for the most part, but for the fact that she won't quite look at the words on the wanderers' skin even as she lends her magic in trying to remove them. she can also be found outside of skadi's temple quite frequently, once every couple of hours at least. hovering, torn between stepping inside to make her appeal and leaving the spurned goddess well enough alone. ultimately, she always ends up leaving with an air of quiet sorrow about her. )

Skadi's curse

[momsboy]

[ Peter's ship is in Skadi's district and living there means he's more often than not witnessed first hand the issues caused by the temperamental goddess. This time he's avoided being affected by the curse but his girlfriend didn't share his luck, and he too has come to Skadi's temple to see if he could reason with her.

When he spots Frigg leaving, he figures already that trying to appeal to Skadi's compassion would be useless. Peter has been in Asgard for some long months now but he's never really spoken with Frigg since his arrival. For some reason, it felt wrong to bother the Queen of the Gods, or at least the closest thing to one they had. But she looks so disheartened that he just can't let her be, and approaches Frigg with a polite smile on his lips and his familiar Sandy clinging to his shoulder in the shape of chubby Russian flying squirrel. ]

Good day, ma'am. I image you must be busy but...May I have a word with you, if you please?

[asgardsmother]

( disheartened though she may be, something lights up in her face as she sees that he who speaks is a wanderer. )

Of course, dearheart. ( and she smiles, quiet but welcoming. frigg is absolutely that mom of your buddy's who adopts all of her son's friends the moment she meets them, and terms of endearment come very much with the territory. ) Might we walk? I confess that I might be better company if we do. ( if skadi and her temple are a bit more out of sight and out of mind. )

[momsboy]

[ Peter smiles at the endearment and then nods as they start moving away from Skadi's domain. Sandy waves a lil paw at Frigg, as if to say 'hello', and then holds onto Peter's shoulder to make sure she doesn't fall off as he walks. ]

I imagine you're very busy and this won't take long. I was...we..my girlfriend and I got engaged a few months ago. She's in the city too...I'm explaining everything out of order, uhm.

[ Way to nail the conversation, Peter. Even the squirrel raises her ears and gives him a look. Petter just scratches her head. ] We want to get married, we're already organizing a few things but none of us knows a lot about the traditions. [ Since his mother never married and Gamora lost her family when she was very little, they only know the steps from movies and childhood memories. ]

You are the goddess of love, I figured you might want to know. You're all invited, the Gods, if you want to come of course. [ Even Skadi. Peter doesn't want to piss her off further by leaving her out of this, even if she might not be interested in a wedding at all. He only has to find a moment to talk to her without the risk of ending cursed. ] I understand a mortal wedding might not be of interests to a god but...

[asgardsmother]

( though she doesn't wave back, she does nod in greeting with a bit of a smile at peter's little waving friend.

her quiet smile spreads to one of delight at peter's declaration. as dismal as this day has been, the news of a marriage very nearly makes up for it. )

I wouldn't miss it for all of Asgard, ( she reassures, grin only just barely fading. ) When shall you be joined? I'm certain we can find your traditions long before then. ( realistically, skadi is the best goddess to ask on that particular topic, but frigg wouldn't send an enemy to skadi right now, let alone a wanderer. )