Tartarus App

[monsteroftheriver]

|| Player Information ||

Name: Crow
Personal Journal: crowskyler
Time zone: PST
Contact: dagny kitty @ gmail . com; Neon Skeleton; crowskyler
Current Characters: n/a

|| Character Information ||

Character Name: Fenrir. Fenrisúlfr. Vánagandr ("the monster of the river Ván"). Or Fen, if you're one very specific Valkyrie.
Age: Thousands of years. Even he isn't exactly sure.
Appearance:

Wolf Form ❅ His native form. Fenrir has the shape of a shaggy black wolf, standing twenty-four feet at the tip of his ears. This is, in fact, quite a bit smaller than how he was born. When he was locked into his cage, he was gargantuan, dwarfing everything around him. But the years of being imprisoned were not kind to him, and as a result his power — and size — have diminished. This was purposefully done, by the gods, to make him weaker when it came time for him to be released by Ragnarök. While it isn't readily apparent, there are signs of emaciation, even after all the time since, underneath his thick fur.

Human Form ❅ Though he could use his magic to take on a variety of other forms, Fenrir most often takes the form of a Midgardian when wanting to 'lie low'. His human form is six foot even (6'0"), appearing as though in his late twenties, with hair as dark as the fur of his native form. For all the magic at his disposal, Fenrir still can't hide the fact of his diminished power; in his human form, this means he usually looks just a tad sickly. He looks paler than he should, with shadows around his eyes, a vague feeling left by the neglect of his cage. His eyes are sky blue, like his wolf eyes, as well. His attire changes depending on where he is, as he has some control over it. But for the most part he favors simple white shirts, dark trousers, and thick boots.

PB: Louis Garrel

World Information:

The Nine Realms: Midgard (Earth), Asgard, Muspellsheimr, Niflheimr, Vanaheimr, Jotunheimr, Alfheimr, Hel, Svartalfaheimr. Much of these worlds reflects what is said about them in Norse mythology. (And more is said below.) The Nine Realms are all connected to each other on the branches and roots of Yggdrasil, the World's Tree, which is both a figurative and literal tree and a living force. Magic is granted to immortals and mortals alike from the life of its branches.

Ragnarök, the Judgment of the Powers and the "end of the world", was also a myth that was true. It was an inevitability to all of the powers of the nine realms. Except for the actions of one, who grew bored and restless and diverted from the "plan": Loki. Loki did not approve of an event that would kill all but one of his children, and kill him, too. So he decided to place a long wager, and to set his own plans into motion.

Loki broke enough of his consciousness away from the cage in which he had been imprisoned (underneath Midgard, specifically beneath northern Norway) to poison the minds of mortals who were, in the 1960s, engaging in a Cold War. He had two agendas, though the gods were only aware of the first: one, to plunge the world into another World War, and two, to kill Odin the Allfather's favorite son, Thor. His debt to settle with Thor wasn't wholly personal, as Loki just wanted to kill someone who was very important in the plans of Ragnarök. Thor's tendency to play the hero was an added bonus that would make things easier. When Asgard figured out (half of) what Loki was doing, Thor volunteered to investigate. Knowing exactly where Thor would arrive, having plenty of knowledge of the Bifrost bridge that the gods used to reach other realms, Loki pushed his servants into nuclear war. The strike happened when Thor set foot on Midgard, and the Aesir was annihilated in the crossfire.

The Allfather, of course, was furious. Most of the human population of Midgard disappeared overnight, and the stragglers that were left fled to the north and south to escape the nuclear fallout. Odin himself came to Midgard to discipline Loki. He discovered that the humans Loki had manipulated into becoming his servants had used an arrow carved from Yggdrasil to kill Thor, soaked in the black and stagnant waters at the World Tree's base. It was such an arrow that had killed Baldr, another of Odin's sons, and Loki had been to blame in that case, as well. (Mistletoe was what they told mortals had been the cause, as they did not want mortals to know what could really kill an Aesir.)

Beyond anger, now, Odin took some of that water and poured it over Loki himself. The water had gained such potency by Yggdrasil draining all of its nutrients, over time, with only nothingness to replace it. It burned away Loki's body and left only his insane, determined spirit chained to the cage. Loki survived by possessing the body of his fellow prisoner, his wife, Sigyn, who slowly went mad herself from the strain. Now even more incensed, Loki pushed forward with Ragnarök, even though one of his key players was now dead.

The Aesir were distraught. Thor was to kill Jormungandr, the World Eater, during Ragnarök, or else Jormungandr would devour the Nine Realms (and then be killed himself, by the serpent's venom). Now someone else would need to take his place, and everyone else capable had an already-important role. So the Allfather, in his wisdom, took matters into his own hands and suggested a mortal champion. He'd long had such a line of champions on Midgard, and they were still alive; the Urdahl family was in charge of protecting Loki's cage. This was approved and everything went forward again.

Ragnarök occurred in the autumn of 1971. Some events were changed by the mortal champion, such as the deaths of Odin and Fenrir. Fenrir survived, whereas he was prophesied not to. The realms underwent a massive change and the Bifrost was destroyed, severely limiting travel between the Realms. It has been seven hundred years since Ragnarök.

The Realms are:

❆ Midgard, or the Earth as its citizens call it, was wiped clean and new. Humanity had to rebuild; their civilization is now on par with the technology level of 2012, after political turbulence and a war or two over land and resources. Humans make up 90% of its populace, but there's also a very large percentage of Dökkálfar (Dark Elves) who live underground. Humanity, for the most part, has no idea that they share their world. Ragnarök is something that they're starting to pretend didn't exist, in some places of the world.

❆ Asgard, the Realm of the Aesir, is still very much in its seat of power. Víðarr, the youngest son of Odin, is on the throne, as he was spared during Ragnarök. Aesir are the dominant race, but there are small smatterings of other races — including Vanir, who are almost identical but hail from a different Realm. Most of Asgard is covered in forest, but it also has a small ocean. Its greatest city is the one around the giant hall, Gladsheim, from which the King and twelve Judges regulate Asgard.

❆ Muspellsheimr, the Realm of Fire, is inhabited by what remains of the Fire Jotunn that limped off at the tail end of Ragnarök. Muspel is a realm of volcanic activity. The Fire Jotunn civilization rises and falls on a regular basis as they attempt to reclaim the throne left by their dead king, Surtr. It will remain leaderless until such a time that a clever enough Jotunn will step forward. Most other Realms wish that this will never happen.

❆ Niflheimr, the Realm of Ice and Fog, is the other primordial realm. It is a place of mist and cold, home to nine frozen rivers and many types of creatures and monsters — only some of them sentient. It is the ancestral home of the dwindling race of Frost Jotunn. Following the collapse of the Bifrost, they are quite cut off from the other Realms.

❆ Vanaheimr, the Realm of the Vanir, is a quiet Realm made up of mostly plains. Previous to Ragnarök, the Vanir and the Aesir warred for control of the Realms. This ended in an Aesir victory, but some of the Vanir prefer to live in their ancestral home rather than in Asgard.

❆ Jotunheimr, the Realm of the Rock Jotunn, looks very similar to Asgard and used to be separated from it by a river, Ifing. During Ragnarök, the riverbed collapsed and left a gaping void between the Realms, preventing anyone from getting across. Like the Frost Jotunn, the Rock Jotunn are dwindling and have not terrorized the world of Men or Aesir in quite some time. But theirs is a more violent reason: they stood beside the Fire Jotunn in Ragnarök, and were beaten soundly by Asgard.

❆ Alfheimr, the Realm of the Ljósálfar (Light Elves), is an ideal-looking Realm with beautiful forests, meadows, and mountains. Light Elves were peaceful, mysterious and withdrawn before Ragnarök; now, they have all but dropped below the radar. On the rare occasion that they receive a visitor, they welcome and treat them well. But otherwise, the Light Elves keep to themselves.

❆ Svartalfaheimr, the Realm of Forges, is a rocky and unforgiving place. It is the ancestral homeland of the Svartálfar (Dwarves). Unlike most other Dwarves, they have pale skin and black hair and aren't short. The Dwarves are master craftsmen, living underneath their mountains and making treasures from the ores they mine. There are three tribes, led by three kings: Motsognir, Durinn, and Dvalinn. There are three different labyrinthine kingdoms, mazes, that only dwarves can navigate due to its design.

❆ Hel, the Realm of the Dead, is the Ninth of the Nine Realms. Hel is presided over by the deity of the same name: Hel, daughter of Loki. She takes the sick, the dying, and the evil, whereas the noble and those who die in battle go to two different Realms. Most of Hel is valleys so dark that it is impossible to see anything but the road ahead of you and the slope of valley walls around you. Hel herself lives in Éljúðnir, a great hall, where she sits on a throne.

There are "back doors" that allow getting into other Realms, all of them dangerous, in the absence of the Bifrost. The only ones who can travel safely, now, are the Valkyrie, who have become a sort of inter-Realm police force, trying to prevent any wars between Realms. Some Realms can get into others much easier than vice versa, and the separation has made all of the Realms uneasy.

For more information, click here.

Personal History:

Fenrir was born as one of three children of the Ice Jotunn Angrboða and the entity called Loki. Loki's own parentage was quite mysterious, but potent — and it meant that the children that resulted were of great power. There was Hel, who would later rule the Realm of the Dead; Jormungandr, a powerful snake-like creature; and Fenrir, a wolf — not so large, back then, more on the size of a pony. The three siblings were quite content with each other, in those days. Angrboða raised them in the knots of Yggdrasil, in a place between Realms, so that no one would be able to find them. The isolation made them all very close, though they saw very little of Loki. Coming to visit too often, he said, would clue the gods on the location of his little family. And the gods' relations had begun to sour with Loki, even then.

But they could not stay unknown forever. Loki, tired of the gods' attitude toward him, killed Baldr, the youngest son of Odin, in a prank and the gods took action. The children would not see their father again, as Loki was taken to a chamber underneath the surface of Midgard with his wife, Sigyn, to be tortured. Not too long after, the Norn announced their prophecy for Ragnarök. Fenrir was said to devour Odin and be killed by one of the Allfather's sons, and Jormungandr was said to devour the world unless stopped by Thor (ultimately killing him, as well). Odin ordered that the hidden children of Loki be found.

Angrboða did her best to hide her children. For a time, they succeeded by traveling deep into the roots of Yggdrasil, and by sometimes hiding in the icy wastes of Niflheimr. There, Fenrir fathered two wolves nearly as big as their father, and almost as powerful: Sköll (who later took up chasing the sun every day, trying to eat her), and Hati (who chased the moon). From them came the winter wolves of Niflheimr, which the Jotunn use as hunting pets and who run wild.

But peace couldn't last long. The giantess and her children were discovered, and the family was separated forever. Hel was sent to the Realm of the Dead, far from the sight of most creatures, and Jormungandr was sent to a prison underneath Midgard. Fenrir was taken to Asgard and the hall of Odin himself, where the gods prodded and jeered at him. Týr, a son of Odin's, continued to feed him, however, chained in a corner of the hall, and Fenrir continued to grow. He soon became enormous, and the gods were concerned that perhaps the prophecy would come to pass. However, they could not outright kill the wolf, because of respect for the Norn's word. The Norn would become agitated if their prophecy was deviated from knowingly. Týr remained Fenrir's only friend, as time wore on.

Then Loki, in a fit of anger inside of his prison, manipulated the mortals of Midgard to kill Thor. Inside of a nuclear warhead, he had one of his Dökkálfar servants hide a black arrow fashioned from the wood of Yggdrasil itself, dipped in the horrific properties of the water her roots dip into. Yggdrasil filters all life from the liquid, making it incredibly caustic and one of the deadliest substances in the Nine Realms. It was with a similar arrow that he had killed Baldr, though mistletoe made it into stories to lessen the knowledge of the water's properties. The detonated energies of the arrow killed Thor, and the warhead itself created nuclear devastation on earth that effectively ended the Cold War in utter disaster.

Loki was punished severely, this water poured all over him and his physical form dissolved. But it was also Loki's two monstrous children who suffered for his actions, because the gods were desperate to stop Ragnarök from happening now that the prophecy could no longer happen as worded. More runes and magic were placed on Jormungandr's prison, deep under the ocean of Midgard, so that the serpent could never break out without assistance. The gods then came to Fenrir, intent upon either killing him or putting him in a similar prison. Týr, desperate to defend his friend, suggested a contest. The Aesir would put three pairs of leg cuffs on Fenrir. If he could break free, the gods would allow him to go.

However, this was a ruse. The Aesir were simply trying to find out what would be the best binding for the massive wolf. Fenrir, not knowing this, agreed. And two times, he broke the cuffs into many pieces. Wary that they would not be able to bind Fenrir after all, the gods commissioned the dwarves of Svartalfaheimr to construct a worthy pair of cuffs: Gleipnir, constructed of extremely powerful runic magic. When Fenrir saw Gleipnir, he was worried that he would not be able to break the cuffs. He asked the Aesir, instead, to let him go, and told them that he would never harm them. In fact, if they all put their hands into his mouth, he would not so much as bite them.

Not wanting to appear ingracious, the Aesir did so. But when Týr put his hand in Fenrir's mouth, one of the other Aesir kicked the wolf and Fenrir bit down on reflex, severing his friend's hand. The gods claimed that Fenrir had lied to them, and Gleipnir was put on him. As he'd suspected earlier, the wolf was unable to break these particular bindings.

Fenrir was taken to a mountain on Midgard, where he was put in such a powerful runic prison that it would take someone with Odin's instructions to break it. It was so inherent with magic that it generated a certain amount of chaos around it, and a river sprang up — the river Ván. And there Fenrir stayed, in the dark (much like his father), for many years. The years felt longer than they really were, because of the isolation and the lack of light. Thought the prison kept him alive, the wolf weakened and lost some of his terrifying size. Through the earth he caught fringe thoughts from his father — rage, and promises that Loki would set him free when he, himself, was freed. His father was working with the Dökkálfar again, and the Dark Elves were closer and closer to breaking his cage.

Finally, Loki was set freed by a series of blood sacrifices. And Fenrir had a glimmer of hope that his father would go through with his word. But no rescue came. Months went by, and Fenrir remained in the dark. This time, truly alone. He became bitter and angry in his own right, angry that he had trusted a father who had never been around. Angry that the gods had locked him away and were running from Ragnarök.

It was several months later that he was finally set free. Not by Loki, but by a mortal: Odin's Champion, Meja, who was to take Thor's place in the prophecy. Ragnarök, she told him, was going forward after all. And Fenrir, fueled by his angry state of abandonment, was ready to go back on his words and fulfill his part as the Norn had said it would be. But Meja stopped him. Instead, she asked him what he really wanted. If he wanted to die, or if he wanted to live. There would be a few changes to the prophecy, she promised him, and his death could be one of them. If he helped her with what she needed to do — destroying the safeties that the gods had put down so that Ragnarök could no longer happen — then he could make his own destiny.

And, tensely, he agreed.

At first, he expected Meja to go back on her word. Almost everyone had tricked Fenrir in his life. But Meja didn't. Instead, she treated him as a valuable friend and companion; he began to warm to her. It was good to have someone to talk to, after spending so long alone. And it was refreshing to see someone not judging on appearance, as Meja's company was extremely diverse (a Jotunn, a frost wolf, and even a dragon for a time). They bonded further over the course of their tasks: releasing his brother, Jormungandr, from his icy prison, and then releasing the heart of Yggdrasil, which had been similarly chained.

The Aesir were none too pleased that Fenrir was back among their number, as Ragnarök began to unfold. Týr avoided him, whenever they were in the same place. While the god had protested Fenrir's binding, even while bleeding, that day had made things uncomfortable between them. But Meja stood up for Fenrir when the Aesir angrily questioned his presence, and her status as the Allfather's Champion made them grumpily accept the situation. In truth, Fenrir was vexed that he found her to be such a close friend after only a month or two. She was, after all, supposed to die in the upcoming events. And many times, he wondered if perhaps it was his place to also die. However, in a thought he kept to himself, Fenrir knew that a heroic person such as his new friend would become a Valkyrie in death, and he could be reunited with her in the future. That kept his spirits from declining too much, as Ragnarök began to unfold.

He took the battlefield, like everyone else. And unlike the prophecy, his fury was focused on the opposing side: the Jotunn, the Dökkálfar, and all of their combined forces, including some of Hel's. Hel's own beast, Garm, another enormous wolf, also came to the battlefield, and the battle was just as legendary as it was supposed to be. Fenrir, however, survived. And so did Odin. But Meja perished killing Jormungandr, and Týr perished killing Garm; he lost two friends and a brother that day. He did not participate in any of the gods' celebrations after. Instead, he left, and he waited for his friend to return to him. Many of the Realms changed in the wake of the Nine Realms' rebirth, after Ragnarök, and he mapped all of the new changes, relishing in the light of the new moon and sun.

While he waited, he traveled. He kept mostly to himself, on Niflheimr and Vanaheimr, and practiced his magic, depending on the kindness of strangers for reading material. He learned, in this stretch of fifty years, to take on a human form. An approximation of one, at least, because his overall power was not something he learned to dampen — not like gods such as Odin could. It took fifty years for Meja to wake back up as a Valkyrie and be trained enough to leave Andlang, the fortress of the Valkyrie. At the first moment she could, she sought him and a few other friends out.

While they could no longer travel together all of the time, as she now had duties to perform, Meja promised to let him know when he could. And so, for the last six hundred and fifty years, the two have never been too far from each other. Fenrir has taught Meja much in the way of magic, and how to use it, and Meja has made him open up in ways he never thought he would. He even has a small amount of contact with Sköll and Hati, who survived Ragnarök after succeeding in eating the old sun and moon. It's a life that he can't complain about very much, and one he never thought he would have.

Personality:

Much of Fenrir's personality is dominated by calm. He has been powerless throughout much of his history, and for a time had learned to deal with it simply by being patient. Family and his few friends are where that calm and patience can be fractured, but for the most part Fenrir is very skilled at keeping up a game face (so to speak). Though his family and friends have caused him as much pain as any of his enemies, he can be easily angered if their safety is threatened. Fenrir has had a lot of time to realize how precious both are, and after everything in his life he's not in a hurry to lose more. This also stems from paternal feelings, after being a parent. But his sense of loyalty is not wholly invincible. He did, after all, go against his father in the end and fight on the side of Asgard during Ragnarök. Burn too much of a bridge with him and it can crumble into dust, and he will be quite hesitant to remake that bridge. He believes in second chances, but not too many after his experiences with the Aesir.

This calm also permeates his sense of humor, and his outlook. Fenrir has a very dry sense of humor, and he's often hesitant to show too much emotion — both negative and positive. After all of his disappointments, he shows caution when faced with something that pleases him. But he's not entirely withdrawn. Something that he finds amusing can chase a laugh out of him easily enough, most of the time. He might retreat, afterward, but he's felt good about his life recently and he can't hide from the relief that that brings. Thus, he's also cautiously generous, when he can be, to try and restore a connection with the people of the Nine Realms — rather than be thought of purely as a monster.

His time in his prison has left an indelible mark upon him, and not just in his sickly appearance. Fenrir remembers well the abuse that he suffered at the hands of those who felt he was unworthy of just treatment. Taking human form so often could be seen as a way to hide from the reputation that sprung up during his imprisonment, with stories being twisted wildly out of proportion. While he doesn't think of it in that manner, he would be hard pressed to deny it. Trailing along with Meja introduced him to a world almost as a different sort of creature, one he enjoyed, and taking part in it when she isn't around is difficult.

That isn't completely new. Fenrir has always been interested in new ideas and magic, though he hasn't always been able to find a place to learn or a person to learn from. He has a desire for knowledge that is, perhaps, at odds with his appearance, and this can be challenging. But after so long locked away, and in isolation, he has rediscovered a thirst for learning and conversation (even if he isn't great at the latter). This keeps him from returning to the wild and retreating from life outside the forest, as many predicted he would do after Ragnarök. He can be a surprising creature, in this way.

Strengths:

❆ Ancient Fenrir is an incredibly old creature in his universe. He has immortality granted by being a child of Loki, and additional longevity granted by Yggdrasil. The only way he can die is when slain by a magical blade. Otherwise, he is immune to aging and cannot die from poisons or disease. When in wolf form, he has the incredible strength you'd expect from such a large creature and tough hide and fur on top of that. Fenrir was prophesied to kill a god, and he has the potential power to do so.

❆ Magic Though not as powerful as his father, Fenrir has a keen handle on magic from all his years of practice and use. He can use his magic to take on the form of a human or other simple animals, create changes in the weather, purify water, create fire, cure poisons, and from studying his own cage can construct others like it to trap very specific creatures. He can use magic as Loki can — that is to say, mentally, without using runes carved into a surface. More on magic here. He tends to focus on survivalist magic. The more powerful the magic, the more draining it is. But Fenrir has much more ancient power than most to draw on. Like many ancient 'monsters' like him, his magical abilities can be quite impressive.

❆ Knowledge Fenrir can speak Old Norse, the language of the Aesir, in addition to Norwegian, English, Dwarf, Swedish, Elvish, and German. These are languages picked up in his long lifetime. In both forms, he has a slight Scandinavian accent, hard to pin down; his exact accent is Old Norse, as patterned early on after his father. Reading is one of his favored activities, when he can (along with napping). He has picked up many knowledges along the way about the Nine Realms, and tends to be full of odd facts which come in handy later. Fenrir calls this paying attention, whereas someone else might call it an obsession with trivia.

Weaknesses:

❆ Runes As much as it is his strength, magic is Fenrir's weakness. It can be used against him quite well, given the nature of his prison all of those years. Víðarr, Odin's son, was prophesied to kill him with a magical blade — a rune blade, as all the gods have. In a test of brawn, Fenrir can more than hold his ground. But in a test of magic, with a talented enough opponent, Fenrir can be rendered weak.

❆ Hesitation While Fenrir, these days, attempts to be as polite as he can — given the general oddity of his still being alive, and his threatening true appearance — he isn't exactly the smoothest operator. His imprisonment, and general treatment as a monster, mean that he can be reluctant to put forth his opinion with strangers. Whereas he isn't shy with friends, he still worries about his status as Vánagandr. He does find the whole thing vaguely amusing. But he has his reasons, certainly. With his few friends, Fenrir can be very direct and to the point. He doesn't believe in beating around the bush, so to speak. But with a stranger, he doesn't feel he should add any points of dislike — "being him" is bad enough, he thinks. So he holds his tongue much more, for better or for worse, unless he feels quite strongly on the matter.

First Person Sample:

[A man with dark, messy hair and very, very blue eyes is illuminated on the screen, licking his lips and looking nervous. Cagey. Fenrir really isn't sure what to make of where he is. But he's here, whether he likes it or not. And this device appears to be what stands between him and information.

It took him a while to get used to it. Where he's from, gods communicate through magic and messengers. Not... thin glass boxes with metal on the back. And then, once he'd figured out the usage of the device (where were its runes), he'd become captivated by all of the things he'd found on it. But now he's back to his original inquiry.]

Hello. I am... told that I can speak to others. If that is true, I wish to ask if anyone has seen my companions. I was traveling with a Valkyrie named Meja, and a Norn named Skalla. If anyone is aware of their whereabouts, I would be most grateful for that information.

[He has a rich, low voice, something timeless and old. It really doesn't fit his appearance, which is that of a man in his late twenties. One who looks on the sickly side, as though he just got over a cold. But because of the way he's on edge, his voice is not as effective as it could be at getting attention. This is a being who has trampled Jotunn like weeds. But here, in this place? This is new. And as old as he is, new is unnerving.]

...Thank you.

[And with that awkward bookend, the screen will go dark.]

Third Person Sample:

Breathing deep the frozen air of Niflheimr, Fenrir watched the horizon for the telling shapes of Ice Jotunn. Niflheimr was one of the most mysterious Realms, alongside the dark depths of Hel, and coming here always made Fenrir feel like a pup again. One of his last excursions before his imprisonment had been a trip to Niflheimr, to see its King, Mimir. He remembered looking over its frosty mountains and arctic forests with a sense of awe. Now, he felt only a slight sense of caution.

Were he on his own, he might feel nothing at all. But he wasn't. Meja stood next to him, her Valkyrie cloak clasped tight against the harshly penetrating air. Over time he had come to feel quite protective of this particular companion, once mortal but now an immortal like himself. At her side, in turn, stood Erling, the winter wolf who had had a similar transformation. Winter wolves were native to Niflheimr, and the wolf looked comfortable as he surveyed the valley they were about to descend into. Winter wolves, in turn, were descendants of Fenrir himself. He was glad to have a great-grandchild along on the journey, even if their connection was more complicated than that. For an immortal, descendents always were.

"I'm not looking forward to this," Meja sighed quietly, running a hand through her short platinum blonde hair — like she always did when she was uneasy. "Mimir isn't really a fan of mine."

"If Mimir gives you trouble, he will listen to me."

Fenrir was reasonably confident in that assumption. Mimir had once been a confident of his father, Loki (as many had), and very few chose to underestimate a child of the chaotic entity. It was the only positive of being Loki's child, but as perks went it wasn't terrible. Mimir certainly wouldn't try to kill Fenrir. Fenrir had once been prophesied to kill Odin, the Allfather, greatest of the gods, and Mimir knew the strength required to kill an Aesir. It would take quite a Jotunn to match it. Only Mimir himself, possibly, would have the courage to try.

"Did you get him a Christmas present?" Meja wondered, smiling slightly.

"He fears me," Fenrir qualified, great ears flicking in the cold wind. "And King Mimir stands on ceremony, in the old ways of the Allfather's time. He would not kill his guests unless they had insulted him greatly. Simply be as diplomatic as you always are."

"It's a tricky question that we're going to ask; it might insult him."

He snorted quietly. "Then be more diplomatic. I have faith in you. And I have faith in very few beings of the Realms, Meja."

They had come this far, through fire and death and the odd Kraken tentacle. How could the king of the Ice Jotunn compare to all of that? Though, in truth, there was no overthinking the situation, with such a potentially crafty opponent. But perhaps Mimir would be in a good mood. Perhaps his more violent cousins, the Fire Jotunn, had not chosen to insult him yet. The day was still young.

She smiled up at him, nodded, and began to move forward. "I know, old friend. And it's appreciated. Erling? No growling."

The smaller wolf — though still six feet at the shoulder — whined, and Fenrir chuckled as he followed the both of them toward Mimir's Keep. It would be an adventure, he was certain, whatever happened. But he would have good company for it.

Marks:

A ragged, large 'B' on the side of his neck in both forms, for 'Betrayer'. Fenrir betrayed his father by not going to his side, even if he felt his father wasn't deserving of his loyalty. He also betrayed his sibling, Jormungandr, by not fighting for him, though he did nothing against his other sibling, Hel. He also has a small 'M' on the underside of his right wrist, in both forms, for 'Monster.' He was put in the cage because he was a monster who would jump-start Ragnarök, a son of a fiendish entity. This was the thought leveled at him by most creatures of the Nine Realms. Even though he has worked, since, to lessen this reputation, it still stands, as a father of monsters himself.