Stormbringer (37 page)

Aldershot:
A prestigious suburb in Pandemonium City. Home to fine dining and the mansion of Travis Cameron Hale.

Álfheimr:
The land of the
ljósálfar.

alu:
A rune-spell, invoking protection.

Alvíss:
A
dvergr.
Despite his name meaning
all-wise,
he lost a battle of wits to Thor.

Arin, Nicole Anne:
The Wisdom of Crowds and the Spirit of the Information Age. Found by Travis Hale in an early circuit board as a nascent god, she's now the Senior Vice President of LB.

Asbrú:
Literally
gods' bridge.
Another name for the Bifröst.

Ásgarðr:
The home of the Norse gods, or
æsir.
Sort of a bit like a cleaner, more magical version of tenth-century continental Europe or, alternately, every generic fantasy novel setting ever.

áss
(pl.
æsir
): The Old Norse gods.

ásynja
(pl.
ásynjur
): A female
áss.

Baldr:
Son of the Norse god Odin, Baldr was destined to rule Ásgarðr after the events of Ragnarøkkr. Thanks to some meddling by Sigyn, that didn't happen. Not exactly dead, and that's exactly the problem.

Bifröst:
The bridge between the word of gods, Ásgarðr, and the world of mortals, Miðgarðr. Represented as a rainbow, and in a state of disarray after the Ragnarøkkr.

Bilskirnir:
The hall of Thor.

Bleed:
An area under the influence of a powerful god or object, and named after said influencer, e.g., Helbleed, Thorbleed. Often used to refer to places where the world of gods touches the mortal world, but in theory these can occur anywhere.

Bölvasmiðr:
Disaster-smith. Another name for Loki.

Boots:
A snake. Currently enjoying retirement.

Brimir:
A hall in Ásgarðr.

Brokkr:
A
dvergr
merchant price. Once bet his head with Loki that he and his brother could forge the most useful magical items for the gods. Won the bet with the forging of Mjölnir. Didn't get to cut Loki's head off in payment, but did sew shut the
jötunn
's lips.

Búri:
The first
áss,
grandfather of Odin.

Byway, the:
The main feeder highway running the length of Pandemonium City. Crosses Lake Cameron in a stretch known locally as the Rainbow Bridge.

Diamond Square:
An outdoor shopping area in Torr Mall, Pandemonium City.

draugr
(pl.
draugar
): A Viking zombie, one of the misshapen, semi-mindless inhabitants of Niflhel.

dreki
(pl.
drekar
): A type of
jötunn.
The
drekar
are large, quadrupedal, and flighted. In other words: dragons.

dvergr
(pl.
dvergar
): Dwarves. Sort of. A species of short, stocky, subterranean amphibian with bioluminescent skin. Said to have been born from the maggots infesting the corpse of the first giant, Ymir. Renowned for both their crafting ability and tendency to turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

einheri
(pl.
einherjar
): The dead claimed by Odin. Mortals who believe in the Norse gods and die in battle become
einherjar,
an immortal army destined to fight on behalf of the gods during the epic battle of Ragnarøkkr. Now that said battle is over, many find themselves wondering when they can finally go home.

Eisa:
Youngest child of Loki and Sigyn, born just prior to her parents going into exile, and raised by the
jötnar
of Myrkviðr. Looks
ásynja,
but is technically a
þurs.

Eitri:
A
dvergr
smith, and creator of Mjölnir.

ergi:
An Old Norse sexual slur. Implies unmanliness (or unwomanliness when used against a woman) and homosexuality. Considered a very serious type of
níð
by the Vikings.

fíflmögur
(pl.
fíflmegir
): Helbeasts. A type of
jötunn,
generally found in Helheimr and its surroundings. Roughly the size and shape of horses, they look like small, land-bound dragons.

Forseti:
God of law and judgment, and son of Baldr and Nanna. Has taken on the mantle of ruling Ásgarðr in his father's absence, with various degrees of success.

Freyja:
Goddess of love and fertility.

Freyr:
God of kingship and fertility.

Frigg:
Goddess of prophecy and motherhood. Wife of Odin and mother of Baldr.

galdr:
A magic spell. Or a song. Or both at once.

Gangleri:
A video game, or part of one, being developed as a pet project by Sigmund Sussman, Em Ivanovich, and Wayne Murphy. Also sometimes known as
Saga.

Gimlé:
A hall in Ásgarðr.

Ginnarr:
Deceiver, another name for Odin.

Ginnungagap:
The Yawning Void. A primal nothingness from which the universe sprang.

Gjallarbrú:
The road to Helheimr. Made from the dead's crushed grave gold.

Gluestick:
A horse. Named by Lain, who's allergic.

Godstongue:
The language of the Wyrdborn. Mortals hear it as whatever language they are most familiar with.

goði:
A priest dedicated to the Norse gods.

Gungnir:
A spear, forged by the
dvergar
at the behest of Loki, eventually bequeathed to Odin. Its point appears to be fashioned from the tooth of a dragon. Like all magic weapons, causes trouble (specifically, wars) merely by existing.

Hale, Travis Cameron:
The world's third-richest man. CEO of LB, and mortal persona of Lain Laufeyjarson.

Haven:
A suburb in Pandemonium City.

Heimdallr:
The former watchman of the
æsir,
killed by Sigyn during the events of Ragnarøkkr. Didn't like Loki very much, and had a strange penchant for seeing Thor in drag. Survived by his three sons.

Hel:
A
jötunn,
daughter of Loki, and custodian of those dead who die outside of battle, such as from accidents or old age. Hel is supposedly half corpse, half beautiful woman. After being exiled from Ásgarðr by Odin, Hel took to covering her “living” flesh as a symbolic rejection of those who rejected her.

Helbeast:
See
fíflmögur.

Helheimr:
The land of the so-called dishonored dead, or
náir.
Sometimes simply called Hel, after its ruler.

Heljar-sinnar:
Hel's followers. See
nár.

Himinbjörg:
The hall of Heimdallr. A gatehouse that stands at the edge of the Bifröst, on the approach to Ásgarðr.

Hlín:
Goddess of protection, and martial tutor to the
ásynjur.

Hlökk:
The Screamer, a former Valkyrie.

Höðr:
Son of Odin. Mostly known for being tricked by Loki into the murder of his brother, Baldr.

Hrímgrímnir:
A very large, and very frosty,
dreki.

Hrist:
The Shaker, a former Valkyrie.

Hveðrungr:
Roarer, another name for Loki.

íss:
A rune. Equivalent to the letters I and E. When used in magic, it represents ice.

Ivanovich, Evdokia “Em”:
Overweight nerd and one of the best friends of Sigmund Sussman. A computer security analyst by day, she's also a wannabe writer…and the reincarnation of the Valkyrie, Hlökk.

íviðja
(pl.
íviðjur
): A type of
jötunn.
Hel is often described as one of these, usually followed by the word
witch.

Járngreipr:
A pair of magical gauntlets once used by Thor in order to wield Mjölnir. Like many things, they have been missing since Ragnarøkkr.

Járnviðr:
The Iron Wood. A forest lying between Miðgarðr and Jötunheimr.
Íviðja
territory.

Jörmungandr:
The World Serpent. An immense
jötunn,
child of Loki and sibling of Hel. Killed and was killed by Thor during Ragnarøkkr.

Jötunheimr:
Ancestral home of the
jötnar.

jötunn
(pl.
jötnar
): The giants of Norse mythology, though not all are particularly giant and the name means something more like
eater. Jötnar
come in a variety of clans or sub-species, each with its own particular physical characteristics, homeland, and culture. However, all
jötnar
share certain common features, such as wings, feathers, and horns.

Karl:
God of the working class, and middle son of Heimdallr. Along with his brothers, has taken over the duty of guarding Ásgarðr's borders.

kaun:
A rune. Equivalent to the letters K and G. When used in magic, it represents pain and illness.

Körmt:
A river running beneath the Bifröst.

Lake Cameron:
An artificial lake that forms the central feature in Pandemonium City. Named after local technology entrepreneur, Travis Cameron Hale.

Laufeyjarson, Lain:
The current incarnation of the god Loki. Sort of. Boyfriend of Sigmund Sussman. Is really, really lousy at trying to quit smoking.

ljósálfr
(pl.
ljósálfar
): Elves. Sort of.

Lokabrenna, Inc.:
More commonly known as just LB, one of the world's largest technology companies. Based out of Pandemonium, Australia, and headed by CEO Travis Cameron Hale.

Loki:
Norse god of lies and deceit, and also sometimes fire when mortals mess up the translations. Currently somewhere between
dead
and
it's complicated.
Has a lot of children. Like,
a lot.

Magni:
Second child of the deceased thunder god, Thor, and eldest son. Loud and brash, Magni hopes to live up to his father's legacy. Said to be the inheritor of Mjölnir, along with his brother.

mansöngr:
Erotic poetry and/or love spells.

Megingjörð:
A magical belt, said to imbue its wearer with immense strength. Once used by Thor in order to wield Mjölnir. Like many things, it has been missing since Ragnarøkkr.

Meinkráka:
Harm crow. Another name for Loki.

Metaverse Book and Comic:
A comic store in Torr Mall's Diamond Square, Pandemonium City. Wayne Murphy works here. Despite the name, it does, in fact, sell more than two items.

Miðgarðr:
The realm of mortals. The literal translation is Middle enclosure or, more popularly, Middle Earth; however, the idea is broader than just Earth itself. Technically, locations such as the surface of Mars would also be considered Miðgarðr.

Mjölnir:
Legendary hammer of the Norse thunder god, Thor. Very good at killing
jötnar.
Has been missing since the death of its owner during the Ragnarøkkr.

Móði:
Thor's youngest child. A scholar and a sorcerer, who prefers throwing runes to throwing hammers.

Munin:
A raven. The only surviving one of two that used to accompany Odin. Its name means
memory.

Murphy, Wayne Kalinda:
Six-foot-tall martial arts aficionado, goth, and comic store clerk. Currently studying to be a video game concept artist. One of the best friends of Sigmund Sussman, and also the reincarnation of the Valkyrie Hrist.

Múspell:
The primal realm of fire.

Múspellsheimr:
See
Múspell.

Myrkviðr:
The Murkwood. A forest lying on the borders of Ásgarðr.
Þurs
territory.

Naglfar:
The ship of the dead, on which Hel's forces sailed to Ragnarøkkr. Sometimes translated as
Nail-ship,
but more likely to be
Náir-ship.
The confusion gives rise to the English nickname for the
náir
being
nails.

Nanna:
Goddess of grief and wife of Baldr. Considers herself the custodian of Ásgarðr in her husband's absence, much to the consternation of her son, Forseti, who'd like the title for his own.

nár
(pl.
náir
): The dead of Hel. Mortals who believe in the Norse gods and die outside of battle, such as in accidents or of old age, end up as these.

Nari:
Son of Loki and Sigyn. Deceased. His guts were transformed into the magical iron chains used to bind Loki until Ragnarøkkr.

Náströnd:
A beach in Helheimr. New arrivals to the realm wash up here, hence its usual descriptor as
corpse-lined.

Niflhel:
The realm of mist and shale. Inhabited by the
draugar,
the forgotten dead.

níð:
A specifically Viking kind of dishonor or apostasy, generally implying acts that transgress normal social roles.

Niðavellir:
Dark dwelling. An enormous mountain. Home of the
dvergar.