Stormbringer (38 page)

níðingr:
A dishonorable person. Someone affected by
níð.

nothingspace:
Folded subspace, or a minor pocket dimension. Some Wyrdborn, e.g., Lain, are able to keep small items in here, as a kind of inventory. It's said that nothing that ever goes in here comes out quite the same.

Odin:
Allfather and former ruler of the
æsir,
now dead after the events of Ragnarøkkr. Generally considered by almost everyone to have been a bit of an asshole.

Örmt:
A river running beneath the Bifröst.

Osko Park:
A park located around the Lokabrenna head office.

Outyards:
See
Útgarðar.

Pandemonium City:
A moderate-sized city in southeastern Australia, home of the LB corporation. Also known as Panda among its inhabitants.

Pandemonium University:
Nicknamed PU, pronounced like the expression of revulsion. Local university in Pandemonium City, and alma mater of Sigmund Sussman and Em Ivanovich.

Pyre Computers:
The main computing division of Lokabrenna, Inc. Notable products include the Inferno gaming console, Flame smartphone, and Flash tablet.

Ragnarøkkr:
The epic battle between the
æsir
and their enemies, specifically the
jötnar.
While it's often referred to as the end of the world, it really heralds only the end of an age. Which is just as well, because the battle took place during the events of the (mortal) Second World War. Can be spelled either
Rangarøkkr
or
Ragnarök,
though each has a slightly different meaning (
twilight of the gods
and
fate of the gods,
respectively).

Rainbow Bridge:
Unofficial name for the stretch of Byway that crosses Lake Cameron in Pandemonium. Locals decorate the area with colorful paint, chalk, and yarn. Connects to the Bifröst, for those Wyrdborn who know how to traverse it.

Rígr:
God of the ruling classes and youngest son of Heimdallr. Along with his brothers, has taken over the duty of guarding Ásgarðr's borders.

risi
(pl.
risar
): A type of
jötunn,
of which Loki/Lain is a notable example. Slightly taller than humans, bipedal, and with broad wingspans. Along with the
drekar
, one of two types of
jötunn
capable of fully powered flight, which their name (riser) references.

Saga:
See
Gangleri.

seiðkona
(pl.
seiðkonur
): A female practitioner of magic. A witch.

Sif:
Wife of Thor and mother of his three children. Had hair of literal gold, after a misadventure with a pair of scissors. Not the world's biggest fan of Loki, for a wide variety of very good reasons.

Sigyn:
Goddess of victory and compassion, and wife of Loki. Died in her husband's place during the events of Ragnarøkkr, and was reincarnated as the mortal Sigmund Sussman.

Sindri:
Spark. A small
dvergr
town located at the entrance to Niðavellir. Mostly a trading outpost. As far into the mountain as most non-
dvergr
ever see.

Skinnhúfa:
A
þurs.
Seems very keen on eating mortals.

Skærasær:
Shining Sea. The underground ocean within Niðavellir. Sindri sits on the shore.

Sleipnir:
Son of Loki. Mute, and often mistaken for an eight-legged horse because of it. Is definitely a
jötunn,
however, not a horse, and has the standard four legs (and two wings) expected of such.

sól:
A rune. Equivalent to the letter
S.
When used in magic, it represents the sun.

Sól:
The sun, and personified goddess of the sun. Eaten by a wolf at Ragnarøkkr, now succeeded by her daughter.

Sussman, David:
Father of Sigmund Sussman.

Sussman, Sigmund:
Twentysomething Australian nerd and general loser. Also the reincarnation of the Viking goddess Sigyn and boyfriend of the current incarnation of Loki, more commonly known as Lain. Born to a German Jewish father and a Brazilian mother, Sigmund's full name is Sigmund Gregor Sussman de Deus, something he's secretly quite proud of.

Svaðilfari:
A
jötunn,
and father of Loki's son Sleipnir. Like his son, often mistaken for a horse (which he isn't).

Thor:
Son of Odin, owner of Mjölnir, god of thunder and of
jötunn
slaying. Irony: not just what hammers are made from, as it turns out.

Tóki:
Eldest son of the
dvergr
Eitri. A smith of considerable skill…and ambition.

Torr:
The central downtown area of Pandemonium City. Home to the LB corporate offices and the apartment of Lain Laufeyjarson.

Torr Mall:
The main shopping district in Pandemonium City, named after the suburb in which it is located.

Torr Row:
A street in Torr Mall. Mostly notable for its proliferation of hipster cafés.

þing:
A Viking parliament-slash-court.

Þræll:
God of slaves and peasants, and eldest son of Heimdallr. Along with his brothers, has taken over the duty of guarding Ásgarðr's borders.

Þrúðr:
Eldest child of Thor, and his only daughter. Has hair made from literal gold, a trait she inherited from her mother.

Þrymheimr
: A
þurs
city, located within the Myrkviðr.

þurs
(pl.
þursar
): A type of
jötunn,
common in the lands around Ásgarðr.
Þursar
tend to be between seven and nine feet tall, roughly humanoid, and walk bipedally. They are flightless, with wingspans generally no larger than five or so feet.

Ullr:
God of archery. Son of Sif and half sibling to Thor's children.

Umami:
A very expensive restaurant located in Pandemonium City's suburb of Aldershot. Travis Cameron Hale has a history of taking dates here.

Uni:
Eldest son of the
dvergr
Brokkr. An engineer of considerable skill.

Utgard Entertainment:
A video game publisher, and subsidiary of Lokabrenna, Inc.

Útgarðar:
Literally
the Outyards.
Used to refer to any realm outside another, such as those outside of the world of mortals. Not to be confused with Útgarðr, which is a specific place.

Útgarðr:
A
jötunn
-inhabited steading. Thor notably once failed in a contest to drink the entire ocean here. Not to be confused with its plural, Útgarðar, which is a general term rather than a specific location.

útlagi:
Literally
outlaw.
Under Viking law, refers to someone to whom the protections of the laws did not apply. Functionally, this meant they could be killed or otherwise injured without consequences to the perpetrator.

Valhöll:
Valhalla, the Hall of the Slain. Where the
einherjar
lived until Ragnarøkkr. Was destroyed in said battle.

Valdís:
A
þurs,
and daughter of Loki and Sigyn. Cursed by Odin into the murder of her brother, Nari.

Váli:
See
Valdís.

valkyrja
(pl.
valkyrjur
): Valkyries, choosers of the slain, who pick dead warriors to become
einherjar.
Anthropomorphized ravens, and definitely not busty women with horned helmets and chain-mail bikinis.

Vanaheimr:
The lands of the
vanir.
Nowadays, a part of Ásgarðr.

vanr
(pl.
vanir
): Once upon a time, another nation of gods alongside the
æsir.
Now subsumed into the latter group, mainly by marriage.

Vartari:
The name of the stitches sewn into Loki's lips by the
dvergr
Brokkr. Visible on Lain in his
jötunn
form. Probably some kind of metaphor.

West Hazel:
A suburb in Pandemonium City.

Wyrd, the:
Fate or destiny. Also used to refer to the stories mortals tell about themselves, their gods, and the world around them. Particularly strong or well-known stories may generate sufficient presence within the Wyrd to produce their own Wyrdborn.

Wyrdborn:
Gods, monsters, and other assorted nonmortal beings with their origins in myth and fiction.

Wyrdsight:
A sort of clairvoyance, used by Wyrdborn to “see” the flow of the Wyrd. Most notably used by Lain, who's otherwise blind.

Wyrdtouched:
Mortals affected by the Wyrd. Can include dead Wyrdborn reincarnated into mortal bodies, such as the case with Em and Wayne, or mortals who ascend to godhood, such as Sigyn. Wyrdborn can also intentionally create their own Wyrdtouched, though this is generally thought to be more trouble than it's worth.

Yggdrasill:
The world tree. A giant ash tree that holds within its branches the Nine Realms depicted in Norse mythology.

Ymir:
The first
jötunn.
It's said that, when he died, his body formed the world.

ýr:
A rune. Has no direct English equivalent, but was used to represent the
r
sound at the end of words. When used in magic, it represents the yew tree.