Chapter 8: The Arrival of Spring

With the Winter Doe gone from Midgard, eternal winter has thoroughly receded and new short-coated Rukaan appear, ready to take advantage of the newfound warmth. Welcome new starters Tove and Konungr!

In Yggdrasil’s depths, however, Ratatoskr doesn’t trust you despite agreeing to your bargain. After going off and considering for a while, he returns and demands his payment up front.

You begin to lose hope. How are you supposed to make him hold up his end of the deal if you’ve already given him what he wants? He may be a squirrel, but he is a creature of myth and not to be trifled with.

There’s a great crashing of limbs in the distance, and you turn to see another stag, dark as night and speckled with stars, charge his way along the branch to join you. He has followed the path you and the Winter Doe cleared from Midgard to the heart of Yggdrasil where Ratatosrk is waiting.

This is Eikthyrnir, the legendary stag who guides the warriors to their afterlife in Valhalla. Or so he had, until Yggdrasil was closed to him when eternal winter began. He is a serious stag, and not at all pleased that he has been blocked from fulfilling his sworn duty to Odin. It is thanks to the path through the branches that you carved with the Winter Doe and Stag of the West that he’s finally been able to reach this place.

“You will fulfill your end of the bargain, Squirrel, or the All-Father will hear of your treachery. You play a part in the great cycle of death and rot and regrowth, but your petty gossip has thrown the cycle out of balance.” he rumbles.

Ratatoskr has enjoyed his game of inflaming the Eagle and the Serpent, but this is a fight he doesn’t want to pick. The weight of Odin and Asgard stand behind Eikthyrnir’s words. The squirrel gives his assurances and runs off, promising to fulfill his task.

Together you take your time making your way back to the branch that leads towards Midgard and home, surveying the damage. After a time the Stag of the West bids you farewell, peeling off to tend to other overgrown branches that badly need his attention since his absence. As he goes he offers a gift for your help; a fruit of Yggsdrasil, freshly grown as she starts to recover.

You catch only glimpses of the other Stags and Does as you go about your way, but they seem pleased to be able to return to their migrations and are eagerly biting back limbs to clear the way. You wonder briefly if the constant grazing hurts Yggdrasil but almost before your eyes she grows fresh new healthy leaves. Tearing down the old makes way for new growth and keeps all things in balance.

Eikthyrnir points to a gap in the leaves and shows a rainbow in the sky beyond; now that the winter clouds have cleared, you’re seeing Bifrost.

Tier 4 exploration area Bifrost is now open!

The gods use the rainbow road to travel the heavenly realms, just as you are now traveling Yggdrasil to move between earthly worlds. With the path between realms restored, the gods are able to travel to Midgard again. Eikthirnir assures you that the gods are likely to want to meet the hero who restored order, and may seek you out in the future.

The magnificent stag leads the way along the branches, showing you the branch-road home to middle-earth if you choose to go back, but he also shows you the way to Jotunheim. Just as Midgard suffered from the Winter Doe’s extended presence, the realm of the frost giants has acutely felt the effects of her absence. It seems the Summer Doe was stranded there overlong, just as the Winter Doe was trapped in Midgard. What was a land of mountains of ice is melting and crumbling into a land of titanic waterfalls as the snow melts, flooding many of the frost giants’ homes.

The giants are known to be ferocious warriors respected even by the Asgardians and none too welcoming to outsiders. Eikthirnir asks if you would escort the Winter Doe to Jotunheim and protect her as she repairs the damage that has been done there. He hesitates to ask as you have already done so much, but you have the Winter Doe’s trust and he knows what a rare thing that is.

Show your Rukaan speaking to Eikthyrnir within Yggdrasil or escorting the Winter Doe to flooded Jotunheim and helping her restore it.

Entry Requirements:

• 800 Word Story or Fullbody Colored with Complex Background

• Eikthyrnir or the Winter Doe must be pictured at least 50% or significantly involved in the story

• Tame Rukaan' handlers may be included but are not required

• Entries must be made entirely by the Rukaan's owner

Who Can Enter:

• Each Rukaan may only enter each chapter once

• One Rukaan may enter per piece, though others may be included for rune marks

• There is no deadline, the event will remain permanently open to enter

• In order to enter Lore Storyline Events, the Rukaan must have entered all previous chapters. Rukaan must have completed Chapter 7 to participate in Chapter 8.

Rune Mark Bonuses for Entries:

• All entries for this chapter get the Event rune mark bonus (link this journal) (only for the Rukaan entering the event, not for any additional Rukaan included)

• Entries for this Lore Storyline Event are eligible for the Lore rune mark bonus if they feature Yggdrasil or The Winter Doe.

• Entries for this Lore Storyline Event are eligible for the Starter rune mark bonus if they feature Eikthyrnir.

• Entries for this Lore Storyline Event are eligible for the Lore Location rune mark bonus if the are set in Bifrost, Jotunheim, or Yggdrasil.

• Rune mark bonuses must be listed in the bonus section of the rune mark form to be counted.

Reward

For completing this chapter you will receive:

• Fruit of Yggdrasil

• Rainbow

• Hermod's Path

• Unlock Exploration Tier 5 for the participating Rukaan

• The ability to proceed to Chapter 9 

How to Submit Your Entry:

Fill out the following form and submit to the "Lore Storyline Chapter 8" gallery folder to be rolled for rune marks.

Submission Form:

Fill out the following form and submit to the  >> THREAD << to receive the reward for this chapter. The entry must have already been accepted into the gallery and rolled for rune marks before being submitted to the thread. 

Journal Thread Form: