Character species

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Vovin

As it is, the Vovin are the most active of creatures in Vanaheim, their exlpoits being more frequent then the occassional eating of a lumberjack by a Siren. Their main goal is to find the perfect song, or to create it themselves, one which possesses a harmony of all attriutes of music.

They are obviously not going to complete their task anyday soon, and without some help from the gods they wouldn't get past Muspelheim in order to visit the other Runic Lands. In order to appeal to them , they have devised one of the strangest rituals ever seen: the infamous Eveocation of Vovin.

In this ritual, a visitor and a native Vovin are sent on a journey through Muspelheim by themselves in order to show that the Vovin are true in their quest. The gods usually do grant them safe passage, except for when the Vovin become deceptive and try to send two visitors to gather third-party information.

They also have strange personalities. One of their hallmarks is their infatuation with the human nose. If you are a human, passing through the deserts of the Vovin, they'll kidnap you and treat you like a king until the second part of the ritual comes, in which they are probably going to sever your nose for safekeeping if you don't escape...breathe easy!

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Nifel

Sex, fun, drinking, and...uh...more sex, apparently. Admit it, there are few better lifestyles than the one the Nifel lead.

At some times they are completely oblivious when one of their friends drunkenly falls out of their lofty homes and into the Qliphothic Tunnel, at which point they are brazenly accepting of the fact that their compatriot is, well, completely doomed.

When they aren't partying it up, they are consistently trying to find another way to safely leave their homes and pass the Tunnel in order to organize one of their famous swingers' parties, which are actually sexual rituals designed to guarantee fertility. They are held three times annually, and this is SUPPOSED to be the only time a Nifel is allowed to have sex. However, after escaping the last Ragnarok unharmed, one would obviously loosen up a little. A Nifel now and a Nifel before the last Ragnarok bear no resemblance to one another.

Besides their sexual deviance, the Nifel are expert pilots. They possess a gigantic, albeit useless, Army of the Air, consisting of over 9 million aircreaft, including the famous Carrier Dirigibles, a kind of dirigible that looks more like an aircraft carrier. They use this air superiority to stop Qliphoth from escaping the Tunnel and bothering them, though the occassional Qliphoth does manage to penetrate these powerful defenses and eat entire villages worth of Nifel...

YES, okay? The Nifel look like Smurfs. At least they don't wear that ghastly white hat, and Nifel hair is long and wavy and is prized for its strength and smoothness. Male and female Nifel look about the same, with only the most obvious of anatomical defferences separating them. Because of this, Nifel men aren't too intimidating, though they can probably beat you up if they had to. If you ever manage to get invited to their thrice-yearly ritual, the Invocation of the Children, let your buddies know!

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Jotun

Big, big, big, big, BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Goddamnit all, they're big!
The Jotun are the biggest humanoid creatures in all the Runic Lands, clocking in at an average of 17 feet for males and 11 for females! They are also by far the brawniest, possessing enough strength to easily smash barriers that gods put up around Midgard and bust their compatriots out of prison. There is a ritual set of around this, the flight of the Jotun, in which a mass breakout is orchestrated when one needs to be.

No sacrifices here, this ritual is very clandestine, and will often be carried out without the knowledge of the Namaah, who would rat them out to the guardian of Midgard, Jormungandr. Even as big as he is, the Jotun know how to harm him and to break his conentration in certain spots. They are the archenemies of the Namaah, who see their existence as a traesty unto the gods, but haven't the size to do anything about it.

Either way, the Jotun do not care. A hearty and fun-loving people, they have no real enemies besides the Namaah, and their lives are filled with adventurous seafaring and deadly hunts, sometimes taking down Kraken! Now that's strength. If you wish to join the fun, there's no complications with the Jotun, all you have to is bring your own weapon.

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Namaah

These aren't the fairies in your fairy tales.

Stout, strict and mean, the Namaah's great beauty is often offset by their draconian ways. Known as the black fairies by the Zaraq, these stoic creatures range in size from just three to five feet, with the tallest ever only being about five and one-half feet tall. They have bad attitudes, and have no tolerance for spin or rampant emotionalism, and kill those who exhibit it.

They absolutely hate the Jotun, and are well capable of instilling fear in them with their deadly Red Magic, a kind of force people who use black magic are afraid of. With it, they can kill either a single Jotun or an entire Jotun village.

They say, if you've got it, flaunt it, and the Namaah have it all and then some. If you think you have any of it, no these fairies stole it from you. They have given it all to their leader, Dark Princess Namaah, and their rituals all revolve around pleasing her not-so-wholesome tastes (just ask her)...

All the Namaah want is to be left alone, so it is advisable not to try to bother one...you may be able to take on one Namaah, but think before you get jumped by an entire civilization.

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Gods and patron dieties

These are considered to be the most powerful figures in all the Runic lands, hough a select few would incontrovertibly beg to differ.

Most of the Runic Rituals are centred around appeasing them to some end, and to an extent they are able to respond in kind to most of them. The onl rituals they do not honor are ones from Muspelheim and the Circle of the Tyrants, which are mostly rites of satire and comedy aimed at disgracing the gods.

All gods have a neat little backstory behind them, but in the greatest part they like to be left to their duties high in the land of Asgard. They aren't awfully accessible, but are understanding and will listen to a vilalge's problems if it is considered legitimate.

In order to invoke a certain god's grace, simply seek a ritual dedicated to it...if you don't know, just ask me...the only deity to which no rituals are given is Therion, and for obvious reasons.

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Valkeyries

Quie possibly, Valkeyries are the most famous of all the ambassadors of the gods. Strong, well-equipped and all-female, these powerhouses are under Thor's command and are sent out to enforce the will of the gods as strictly as possible, when the need arises.

In the case of the more beligerent realms, a few valkeyries are sent to beat up the most powerful person just to send a message, though this is quite tenuously done in the case of Muspelheim. The Valkeyries exist and think they exist for no other pupose than to take orders from Odin and the other major gods. They will listen to no one else, and before them your argument is invalid.

Besides that, they are some hard, hard partiers, much to the chagrin of the gods themselves, but when it's time to put up and fight, the Valkeyries are one in the same, and always protective of one another, and always winning! They have never lost a fight, and with their help, Thor was able to stop the previous Ragnarok form being the ultimate one. The ritual to invoke a Valkeyrie, performed mostly by the Jotun, is the Flight of the Valkeyries, and this is where the famous song comes from.

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Khlysti

Originating in Midgard as a radical Christian denomination, the Khlysti are an obscure sect who denounce the existence of the gods and launch frequent campaigns to eradicate their influence in the Runic Lands. Most are critical failures, as in their attempts to appease the Qliphoth to destroy them (BAD idea), to instead coaxing them into participating in the mass killing of those who perform rituals dedicated to them, which occurs once every few thousand years.

They themselves were once gods, but became disillusioned after the gods failed to prevent six realms from being obliterated in the last Ragnarok. Because of this, they gave up their godly status, and became very introverted in their primary goal, telling none of it.

Even as wierd as they are, the Khlysti have a large following and it is beginning to be seen by the gods as a real threat. The gods launch annual probes to find and destroy the Khlysti, but being gods themselves the Khlysti are always ready to defend themselves, and every probe so far has yet to kill even one Khlysti. Hoever, the gods do sometimes send Valkeyries to kill their followers, who are equally elusive.

There is a rare ritual that is perormed only once every 670 years, to commemorate amount of time the last Ragnarok lasted. It ics called The Khlysti Evangelism, and is a rite of passage from a pagan lifestlye into an essentialy Christian one.

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Lupan

Totally and utterly dedicated to doing everything they can to help Therion bring about the next Ragnarok, the Lupans take their name form a play on the greek word for 'wolf', and are a species of humanoid Qliphoth who were spared by Therion and thus worship him as a god.

They are extremely powerful, taking most of their strength from Therion himself, and will carry out his wishes throughout all the realms, no matter the difficulty.

They perform the only two patron rituals to Therion still practiced today. One, the Invocation to Ragnarok, is simply a short gathering in which they all pray that Therion will help them survive the Ragnarok he is purportedly going to bring about.
The other, the Gothic Kabbalah, is one hell of a dangerous ritual, conjuring Therion's essence in various places. Therion give them control over these essences in order to enforce his iron will thorughout the Lost Realms.

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Mellen

Most Mellen don't really know any lifestyle other than the extreme lifestyle. Whether it's thrying to film a supernova (and subsequently outrunning it), or riding comets, these creatures can always be counted on for an extreme good time!

It is pretty much all they do. The only species with no concept of marriage to speak of, the Mellen are famously single, but prefer the company of a few good friends when doing something like speeding on dirtbikes through the Qliphothic Tunnel! They are open and infinitely amiable, and will take you in as a friend right away, much to your chagin on some occassions.

They look like Nifel, but with orange and yellow skin, and are perfectly suited to doing such things as camping out on Neptune or getting a suntan ON the the sun. Of course, they have their calm moments, defined b their lengthy two-day naps. But, as soon as they wake up, they're raring and ready to go again! Can you keep up?

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Infinty

Though they are genetically related to the Mellen, the Infinity want nothing to do with their extremity. In fact, an Infinity is quite the opposite, a perennially sleepy and quiet creature.

They have beautiful, creamy purple skin which compliments their personality perfectly. They are known for writing tranquil songs based on their method of music production, and love to use string instruments to calm creatures down and lull things to sleep. An old legend states that their songs can calm a Qliphoth, a claim yet to be proven.

They are moderately active, shooting about the universe on small stars. If you see one, it could be good luck! Some people perform what is known as the Silent Noise ritual, and quietly wish upon them, the same way a little child wishes upon a real star...will your wish come true?

They are also great teases. They sterly disavow the concept of ownership, believing that no one can truly own anything rightfully created by mother nature, and that before her laws and treaties mean nothing. Because of this, they do not belive in the conept of platonic love, but love to tease everyone else with it.